2022: ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE CYBER SECURITY COALITION

It is an open door: there is a record shortage on the labour market, and a shortage of cyber security specialists in particular. “For many employers, it is like looking for a needle in a haystack,” says Geert Bussé, Head of NGS Presales EMEA at Westcon-Comstor. “Meanwhile, the dangers are not diminishing. Hackers are getting increasingly creative.” 

Moreover, the situation today looks completely different compared to roughly two years ago. “For years, putting up walls to protect your critical business infrastructure was sufficient. But times have changed. Working remotely, for example, was a game changer: employees suddenly had to gain access to systems and databases from home. This created new vulnerabilities and attack points.”

A more efficient security model

Consequently, a new security model needs to be put in place. “The Zero Trust security model is a direct result of the demise of the network perimeter and is based on the principle of 'never trust, always verify'. This means access is only granted according to the minimum privileges that someone needs to exercise their job. It therefore no longer makes sense to build one shield, since applications are scattered anyway. Zero Trust is based on dynamic and granular access control of users, systems, and applications wherever they may be, independent of the underlying network infrastructure.” 

Rolling out such a new architecture does not happen overnight. “For companies, it means that they have to completely rethink their security mechanisms, while observing a number of basic principles. Everything starts with the identification of the user and the device that they connect with. In addition, the context must be taken into consideration and the role of each user must be clearly defined. And finally, the risk profile of each user must be mapped out.” 

Nothing but benefits 

With all these efforts, companies can significantly reduce their exposure to attacks. This benefits not only the company itself, but also its customers. “After all, they connect to a more secure organisation, which reduces the risk of malware infections or data loss for themselves as well,” continues Geert Bussé. “The Zero Trust principles should be integrated in every digital transformation process. It may not look that simple at first sight. But by opting for solutions that have been developed based on the Zero Trust concept and by sharing our experiences with this model, we can speed up the entire process.” 

In December 2022, a collective called Play hacked the servers of Digipolis, the IT partner of the City of Antwerp. Local authorities were given a week to pay a ransom, but in the meantime, services fell apart. How the hackers proceeded in this case is still under investigation, but there is no doubt that the damage has been extensive, and that the city suffered a loss of reputation. 

A multi-layered security approach 

Ine Segers, Director of Cyber Trust at Devoteam Belgium: “Many organisations such as Digipolis and the City of Antwerp have invested heavily in digitisation in recent years. As a result, the risk landscape changed. So, as an organisation, you have to ensure that your security evolves along with it. After all, hackers will always find new loopholes to force an entry. This sad incident also clearly demonstrates that we need a worst-case scenario where we don't trust anyone and verify users' identities at all times. This principle is called Zero Trust, a model where security is no longer assured at network level, but a multi-layered approach is used.” 

The current situation requires this innovative approach. “Since the corona pandemic, we increasingly work from different places and often in the cloud. So, security has to be tackled at other levels than before. The starting point is a verification of the user’s identity and location, as well as the network. In addition, it is important to clearly map out resources and create an adaptable access policy, yet without compromising the user experience.” 

A flexible framework is needed 

In addition to identity verification and an adaptable access policy, incident detection and data encryption are also important pillars of a modern security architecture. “Actually, as a company you have to continuously perform a risk analysis and ensure that your cyber security is up to date. Anyone who does that will sooner or later reap the benefits. After all, cyber security can also be a business enabler. A company that can demonstrate that it adheres to the principles of Zero Trust exudes self-awareness and confidence. We see that customers are increasingly attaching importance to that.”

Fortunately, many companies today realize that these principles are valuable. But setting up cyber security according to the Zero Trust model requires a transformation. “Best practices can help to develop a feasible strategy. And an organisation such as the Cyber Security Coalition, that connects companies, can certainly play a role in this. For example, we could create a framework in which Zero Trust is approached practically. In the coming years, I want to put my shoulders to the wheel for this,” concludes Ine Segers.