Cyber-attacks are on the rise in Switzerland with 94 ransomware incidents reported in the first half of the year, according to the Sunday weekly Le Matin Dimanche.
This content was published on
2 minutes
swissinfo.ch/ds
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that threatens to publish or freeze access to data or a computer system until the victim pays a ransom fee to the attacker.
Keystone / Ronald Wittek
The source of that figure is the network supporting investigations against digital crime (NEDIK), but the president of this network believes the problem is much larger.
Serdar Günal Rütsche told Le Matin Dimanche that the number of cases needs to be multiplied by 20 to get a realistic figure. That would add up to almost 2,000 ransomware attacks in Switzerland this year.
In October, the Beobachter magazine estimated that 2,700 Swiss firms had fallen victim over the past year. That compares with 4,800 attacks over the past five years as a whole.
While Swiss authorities strongly advise against paying hackers, 30% to 50% of hacked companies pay the requested ransom to recover their data, according to Mathias Fuchs of Zug-based Infoguard told Le Matin Dimanche.
The phenomenon of cyber-attacks began in late 2019. This year saw several high-profile companies and institutions confronting ransom demands from cyber criminals. Experts say the vast majority of such cases are not flagged to the authorities.
The coronavirus pandemic has coincided with a surge of different kinds of cyber-crime in Switzerland.
In September the government said it was planning to boost defences against cyber-attacks. This involves the creation of a command centre comprising 575 members of the armed forces who will be trained to protect state data, as well as critical infrastructure and private companies active in fields like telecoms or transport.
Popular Stories
More
Climate adaptation
Why Switzerland is among the ten fastest-warming countries in the world
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Legal action filed against Swiss purchase of Israeli drones
This content was published on
Legal action aims to put an end to the delivery of the six Elbit reconnaissance drones already plagued by delays and setbacks.
Higher direct payments fail to curb scrub encroachment on alpine pastures
This content was published on
The scrub encroachment on Swiss alpine pastures leads to the loss of grassland and damages the typical landscape. It is also responsible for the decline in biodiversity. Despite higher direct payments, the bushes continue to spread.
Head of Swiss financial regulator’s Banks division quits
This content was published on
Thomas Hirschi, head of the Banks division of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA will leave at the end of August.
Swiss population satisfied with life according to survey
This content was published on
In a survey, the population of German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland expressed general satisfaction with their lives. Respondents were less happy with politics and their personal finances, according to the online comparison service Moneyland.
WHO ‘extremely concerned’ about growing vaccination scepticism
This content was published on
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccination scepticism and a collapse in funding for vaccination campaigns pose a major threat to the health of the world's population.
High-net-worth individuals prioritise well-being over material possessions
This content was published on
The priorities of wealthy private individuals have shifted against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes. While spending on luxury goods is declining, demand for travel and experiences is unabated.
Swiss researchers sequence genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus
This content was published on
Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Zurich (UZH) have sequenced the genome of the Spanish flu virus, thanks to a sample taken from an 18-year-old Swiss boy who died in the city on the Limmat in 1918, when the pandemic spread around the world.
This content was published on
Switzerland’s MCH Group is the latest heavyweight company to be hit by hackers as a rash of attacks spreads across the Alpine nation.
More Swiss firms facing cyber-attacks and ransom demands
This content was published on
Ransomware attacks by hackers continue to increase sharply, with some 2,700 Swiss firms falling victim over the past year, Beobachter magazine says.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.