Whether at the Salzburg crane manufacturer Palfinger in early 2021 or at the Gunskirchner engine manufacturer Rotax last August – cyber attacks on companies or critical infrastructure are no longer uncommon.
In 2021 alone, 46,179 such cyber attacks were reported in Austria. “And these are only those that we know about,” said State Councilor Markus Achleitner (VP) together with Governor Thomas Stelzer (VP) at a press conference on Thursday at the Hagenberg University of Applied Sciences on the occasion of a forum for cyber security with various industry experts.
According to Achleitner, many companies would still put a “cloak of silence” on cyber attacks that had taken place and would pay the ransom demands of the blackmailers. The state of Upper Austria therefore offers companies, among other things, a quick check of their own IT security status in the company.
Also due to the forthcoming introduction of the new directive for network and information security (NIS 2), cyber security will inevitably become an issue for many companies. If the guideline, NIS 1, which has been in force since 2018, only covered particularly critical infrastructure such as health or energy supply, NIS 2 includes other sectors with a supply function, larger industrial companies or administration. SMEs are also affected if they are suppliers to such companies.
Obligation to report in the event of an attack
The new regulations of the European Union will change a lot for the companies affected. Best practices to improve cyber security will become mandatory, and failure to implement them will result in heavy fines. Companies must also report attacks to the responsible authorities within 24 hours.
Source: Nachrichten
