Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

How can countries protect themselves against cyber warfare?

How can countries protect themselves against cyber warfare?

Cybersecurity has become a top priority for governments, businesses and critical infrastructure operators, especially since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which has been marked by sophisticated cyber attacks.

Cyberattacks on governmental websites were seen more recently in Taiwan when it experienced intermittent outages just before US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived in the country earlier this month amid sharp warnings from China before the visit.

Up to 11 convenience stores in Taiwan were also attacked with the television screens behind cashiers abruptly displaying the words: "Warmonger Pelosi, get out of Taiwan!"

But cyberattacks do not just target state websites, they also hit critical infrastructure and even healthcare providers as well as small businesses.

IT teams are facing an uphill battle as spending on cybersecurity and the development of technology has ramped up considerably in the last decade but cyber tech has not stopped breaches from occurring. The question then arises as to why this delta exists between sophisticated technology amid a rise of cyberattacks.

“As we think about the future and where the world is actually moving, it is less from the standpoint of investment and more towards a position of effectiveness and outcome,” said Jonathan Reiber, a cybersecurity expert and former chief strategy officer for cyber policy, US secretary for defence, during the former president Barack Obama’s administration.

Reiber, who is now Vice President of Cybersecurity and Policy at the security platform AttackIQ, told Euronews Next there are several reasons why cybersecurity has become such a big topic.


Russia exploits grey space


The first is due to Russia’s increased cyber attacks on Ukraine and other countries, which have been ongoing for several years and are called “grey space operations”.

These are conducted outside of declared hostilities and are usually ransomware attacks, which deny the user access to the files on their computer and encrypt them and demand a ransom payment for their return.

“We saw a significant increase in cyberattacks in the last three years, particularly as we were putting sanctions and pressure on Russia. Russia is exploiting the grey space,” said Reiber, warning that companies and governments should prepare especially for that.

Another reason for the growing number of cyberattacks, said Reiber, is because there has been a massive increase in the commodification of ransomware as a service, meaning it is a lot easier for criminals to conduct ransomware attacks that are more highly effective.

So how can governments and companies protect themselves?

With regards to governments, Reiber advises them to prepare for contingencies with countries that could conduct a significant attack against their infrastructure.

“Russia and China are the top two from a US standpoint,” said Reiber.

As for Europe, he said it “needs to think about Russia conducting those kinds of operations,” adding that Russian president Vladimir Putin may conduct offensive cyberspace operations when he faces no other options in Ukraine.

“If he's ever on his back foot and he's really losing and he doesn't have any more to do, we might anticipate him conducting more attacks against Europe and the United States,” Reiber said.

Reiber said he worried “a little bit” about Finland and Sweden since they announced their intentions to join NATO in May, because before the war they were not as concerned about what Russia could do and so their cyber defences may not as been as strong as they are now since investment in cyber defence increased.


How to prepare against cyberattacks


Reiber said to build a strong cyber defence, you should not focus on the technology but start with “a certain kind of mindset, you have to assume that you're going to be breached in cyberspace”.

The next step is to then secure the most essential data and then have the right team to help build a cyber defence system and strategy.

After that, he said you must rigorously and constantly test your cybersecurity software to ensure it works.

“The analogy I like to use is like if you build the best navy in the world and you let it sit in port and you never took it out over a year how would you expect it to perform? That's essentially the state of cybersecurity,” he said.

However, it is not just governments that need to be aware of cyber security risks; infrastructure businesses and especially the health sector should also be aware.

“We've seen in the last few years ransomware groups based out of Russia targeting hospitals, targeting civil infrastructure, municipalities,” he said.

“In China, groups are trying to steal intellectual property from medical and research institutions some even tried to steal vaccine data during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he added.

Two Chinese hackers were indicted by the US at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 on suspicion of trying to steal COVID-19 vaccine research, accusations China branded at the time as “groundless claims”.

The healthcare sector is an early target for hackers, said Reiber, adding they need to ramp up their cyber defences “quite significantly”.

He warned the main problem is the lack of investment in the payment systems but more so because health services cannot afford to have their services down for long so they can serve patients and so will pay ransoms.

To avert that situation, Reiber said the key is to invest in your cyber team, prepare the technologies, develop a strategy and test it yourself.

If all that is done, he believes a company can “improve its cyber defence posture” within three to six months.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×