Governance, risk & compliance
Juhan Lepassaar (pictured) says that individuals and companies need to improve their “digital hygiene”.
47%
The percentage increase in
cyberattacks on European hospitals and healthcare networks in 2020.
$1.85m
The average cost of a ransomware attack in 2021 – double that of 2020.
CNN Business 38
All the same, Lepassaar remains sanguine. “Drawing up cybersecurity certification schemes at the EU level aims at providing criteria to carry out conformity assessments to establish the degree of adherence of products, services and processes against specific requirements,” he says. “Companies – users and service providers alike – need to be able to determine the level of security assurance of the products, services and processes they procure, make available or use.” Indeed, ENISA has already delivered a draft scheme for ‘common criteria’ that can be used to protect chip and smart cards. Nor is his agency stopping there. As Lepassaar explains: “We are developing an EU certification scheme for cloud services, and recently the agency has started preparations for a third scheme on 5G.” “Certification is expected to remain voluntary for these goods or services at the ‘basic’ level,” he continues. But by 2023, he expects the EU to determine if certain existing schemes will become mandatory for high-risk ICT items.
National authorities
At present, national authorities are being tasked with conformity assessment, and related penalties, for non-compliance with the certification schemes. “The act allows each member state to determine penalties for non-compliance or violation of certification schemes,” Lepassaar reiterates. “Penalties are, however, required to be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.”
Noteworthy too is the fact that in March 2021 the European Council published its draft conclusions on the EU’s Cybersecurity Strategy for the Digital Decade. It stated that while national security remains the sole responsibility of each member state, it also “acknowledges the importance” of strategic intelligence cooperation
on cyberthreats. That includes continued member state contributions to the EU’s Intelligence and Situation Centre (INTCEN), and supporting its work as the hub for “situational awareness and threat assessments” across the bloc. Already, the EU is looking to protect key assets through another directive. Under new rules announced in December 2020, the remit of 2008’s European Critical Infrastructure directive expands. This updated initiative covers strategically important sectors, including banking, energy, transport, as well as financial market infrastructures, health, drinking water, wastewater and digital infrastructure. Under these proposals, moreover, member states would each be required to adopt a national strategy for ensuring the resilience of ‘critical entities’ by carrying out regular risk assessments, and ensuring they’re fit for purpose from a security standpoint. Similarly, these latest proposals set out financial penalties for companies that don’t take their cybersecurity obligations seriously. These punishments are punitive, to say the least, and range from €10m to 2% of a company’s global turnover. Yet given these rules will need to be approved by EU member states, as well as the European Parliament, the likelihood is that the horse trading could drag on for years. What’s clear to Lepassaar, at any rate, is that the Cybersecurity Act marks the dawning of a new age of cooperation between business and government across the EU. That’s not only true, he adds, in terms of strengthening ENISA’s role in working with and protecting businesses – but also for improving collaboration and information sharing. The act also means strengthening awareness efforts around cybersecurity issues – notably by collecting and analysing information on serious incidents, as well as by publishing reports and guidance for citizens, organisations and businesses. In short, says Lepassaar, his organisation is developing “a ‘market observatory’ with regular analyses and information on the main trends in the cybersecurity market, on both the demand and supply sides”.
In the meantime, Lepassaar adds, the EU’s updated certification framework will deliver certification schemes recognised across all member states, making it easier for businesses to trade across borders and for consumers to understand the security features of a product or service. In the development of such schemes, moreover, ENISA will set up ad-hoc working groups of experts which bring a wide range of skill sets to the table. To put it another way, this is clearly a step in the right direction. Yet as so often with the EU, the obvious question now is: how quickly will these changes actually happen? Like the future of cybersecurity more broadly, that remains to be seen. ●
Finance Director Europe /
www.ns-businesshub.com
European Agency for Cybersecurity
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