Next goal to combat the global wave of cyber-attacks: create a common European defense framework
The event has analysed the keys to effectively manage a cyber crisis with a focus on reputation strategy, operational response and communication tactics. In addition, it explored how governments should deal with conflicts that go beyond face-to-face and improve defense strategies. “EU regulations need to prepare for new forms of warfare,” said Timea Lapsanszki, Policy Advisor for foreign affairs and defense at the European Parliament.
Along similar lines, Manuel Antonio Fernández-Villacañas, professor and Director of the Master in Economic Intelligence for Security Management at UNIR, has expressed that the VUCA world (volatile, uncertain and complex) has evolved into the BANI world (fragile, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible), where disinformation has an important weight. “Forms of warfare occur all the time at the international level. The ‘3rd World War 5.0’ is very different from previous conflicts”, so he has considered that we need adapted tools to counter it. At the same time, he advocated promoting public-private collaboration, financial intelligence and cyber-intelligence in order to have new economic warriors. Likewise, “we need a common European defense through the creation of armed forces and a community defense plan at a conjunctural level”.
Rosa Kariger, Global Security Analysis & Prospective at Iberdrola, was along the same lines and said that “there is no common EU regulator in cyberspace to protect against or deal with multiple cyberattacks”, which is why it is vital to have European coordination. “The EU has an important role to play in ensuring that we can operate in a more secure and democratic cyberspace,” he said.
Immature governments for cybercrisis management
“Governments are very used to managing reputational crises. But do they also manage cyber crises? The answer is no”. This is how categorical Iván Monforte, Head of Communication, Ecosystem and Cybersecurity Culture at the Cybersecurity Agency of Catalonia, was during his speech at DES. Monforte recalled how in March 2023, the second largest hospital in Catalonia suffered a ransomware cyberattack that forced ambulances to be diverted to nearby healthcare centers.
In this context, he has revealed the importance of not only dealing with the incidence at the cybersecurity level, but also with notoriety. “It has to be managed between the CEO and the communication team, who can understand how the media will act and how the information about the offensive will be published.” The representative of the Catalan organisation considered it essential to act quickly in order to gain leadership: “You have to analyse the ‘storytelling’ of the hacker group and publish your own story faster than they do. Otherwise, you have to fight against their false narrative and convince people to believe yours”.
A technological plan B and analog option for protection
In view of the growing escalation of cyber-attacks, Rosa Kariger, Global Security Analysis & Prospective at Iberdrola, opened the debate on the need to have a plan B to secure the information and systems of companies, especially at an important time of migration of services and information to the cloud. For his part, Jesús Mérida, Iberia’s Chief Information Security Officer, assessed as a solution different actions being carried out by many companies. “They are making backups in very different technologies that cannot be affected by the same technology, or even have part of their services and information in physical resources that ensure their maintenance in the event of any event”.
2024-06-13
