Cyber espionage attack

“Infected society like a cancer”

(Bild: krone.tv)

Anyone and everyone can become a target: We're talking about cybercrime. People often forget the dangers associated with it. This is because the physical can no longer be separated from the digital, according to the 22nd Security Conference in Krems. Many things that used to only take place in the cyber world are now part of our everyday lives.

The core business of critical sectors such as transport, energy, health and finance is increasingly dependent on digital technologies and therefore also vulnerable to attacks. In addition to companies, private individuals are also being targeted.

The 22nd Security Conference at the University for Continuing Education in Krems an der Donau focused on cyber resilience and the consequences of cyber attacks.(Bild: krone.tv)

Sita Mazumder, Swiss IT economist and professor at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts(Bild: krone.tv)

Walter Seböck, Head of the Center for Infrastructural Security in an interview with krone.tv.(Bild: krone.tv)

Cyber attacks as a lucrative business model
Cybercrime has been the fastest growing area in police reporting statistics for years - no wonder, as it is a lucrative business model. "Thanks to new technologies and tools, this area is growing rapidly. It's becoming more and more professional and bigger," explains Sita Mazumder, Swiss IT economist and professor at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. "Whenever things become more difficult economically, we see an increase in the criminal sector anyway. It's the same in cyberspace."

But how long does it take to detect an attack? "That depends on whether the attack is planned in such a way that I want to cause maximum damage. Then it will be detected immediately," says Walter Seböck, Head of the Center for Infrastructural Security.

Espionage activities, on the other hand, are generally not detected, as they are intended to be inconspicuous and offer the opportunity for blackmail. "There are state actors at work with a lot of money, with a veritable armada of experts sitting in the background and operating these systems. This means that it doesn't go unnoticed so quickly and when it does, it spreads like a cancer throughout society, throughout companies and right up to the very top of government. That's the problem."