Experts Decry Increase in Global Cyberattacks, Ransomware in 12 Months
Emma Okonji and Nosa Alekhuogie
Cybersecurity experts who gathered at the recent Thales Media Day 2022 Cybersecurity virtual conference, have expressed fears over the growing rate of global cyberattacks and ransomware, which they said have doubled to over 150 per cent in the last 12 months.
“Over the past 12 months, the number of cyberattacks and ransomware has exploded to over 150 per cent and the types of threats are constantly evolving. Therefore, it is now essential to improve our knowledge and understanding of cyberattacks in order to fight effectively and collectively against this threat. Since 2019, the costs of cybercrime on the global economy have more than doubled, and the globe needs to act fast to nip it in the bud,” the online conference organisers said.
Thales is a global leader in advanced technologies, investing in digital and “deep tech” innovations – connectivity, big data, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum technologies, to build a confident future crucial for the development of global societies.
Speaking on the theme: ‘The New Features of Cybersecurity Landscape’ one of the speakers, Patrice Caine, said: “Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, societies have witnessed a major surge in malicious cyber activity. We may not always be immediately aware of this vulnerability, but it represents a real risk to our economies, our democracies and our daily lives. The increase in cyberattacks is almost directly proportional to the speed of our digital transformation. The more connected the world becomes, the greater its surface of attack will be. For greater speed and efficiency, a growing number of companies are connecting their suppliers to their enterprise IT systems, potentially offering cybercriminals new ways to breach their data by finding weak links in the supply chain and gaining access to the information systems of major companies and state institutions.”
The event is an opportunity for Thales to confirm its ambitions in the areas of cybersecurity and data protection. By improving cybersecurity, we believe the Thales Group will be making a direct contribution to achieving its purpose of building a future we can all trust, and to delivering on the promise of a safer, greener, more inclusive world, Caine said.
During the various panel sessions, panelists discussed how to ensure cyber sovereignty; Technology to protect space systems; How cybersecurity will enable citizens to act securely in their daily lives; How enterprises can protect both customers and employees data; and How cybersecurity can shape a sustainable mobility.
The VP, Cyber Defence Solutions at Thales, Pierre-Yves Jolivet, who discussed extensively how to ensure cyber sovereignty, said: “Since few years, and in the continuity of the Digital Europe plan, Europe has made evolve its posture regarding strategic autonomy in the field of data protection and cybersecurity, thus moving now to an assumed European cybersecurity sovereignty concept.” Other panelists like the VP, Cybersecurity Technologies and Solutions CTS, Thales, Pierre Jeanne, and the Digital Economy Project Manager, Marie-Liane Lekpeli, explained that many initiatives were now being launched or being studied to address global cyberattacks.
