Defence Redefined

Published on 29/04/2020 at 13:53

Dozens of people had the opportunity to attend a very interesting online lecture (webinar) on cybersecurity that took place on Tuesday, April 28. The lecture was a collaboration of the Ministry of Defence and the European University of Cyprus, through the postgraduate course Cybersecurity Policy, Governance, Law and Compliance. Keynote speakers were Dr. Charalambos Sergiou of the National Security Authority and Cybersecurity Lecturer Dr. Gianna Danidou of the European University of Cyprus as moderator.

Dr. Sergiou analyzed important issues concerning the protection of classified information both at an individual level as well in governmental organizations and companies. Data hacking methods have been introduced by hackers as well as data protection methods for individuals and businesses so as to avoid unwanted results. According to the webinar, research has shown that it takes 4 minutes for a specialized hacker to steal data from an organization and this can only be noticed after 99 days! 

As Dr.Sergiou explained, 43% of cyber attacks are against small businesses, while 55,000 devices are compromised every month. The attacks are devastating, especially for small businesses, as 60% of the latter is forced to suspend their operations after cyberattacks. The estimated cost of damage from cyber-attacks around the world is estimated at $ 6 trillion by 2021!

Finally, Dr. Sergiou presented best practices, both for the protection and for the restoration of information after a cyber attack and shared useful information with the audience.