In a recent interview with the Financial Times, EON chief executive Leon Birnbaum expressed frustration with Germany’s cyber protection of critical infrastructures.If a successful serious cyberattack were to occur, he believes his company, which operates Germany’s largest gas and electricity distribution network, would be “on its own”. Operating power grids in nine European countries including Sweden, Hungary and the Czech Republic, EON is “constantly” under attack by cybercriminals, some of which are suspected state-backed actors.

Unlike most cybercriminals, the aim of state-backed actors is increasingly not about making money but using data encryption malware attacks to create fear for political purposes. This is what Alexander Klimburg, Senior Fellow at the Hague Center for Strategic Studies calls “ransomwar”. In his opinion, WannaCry and NotPetya were the first major ransomwar attacks launched by governments.

At cyberevolution, Alexander will give a keynote about “Surviving between the Cyber Frontlines” in which he will address information and cyber warfare and what organizations can do to protect themselves. Take a glimpse into is keynote in today’s cyberfile and learn which good habits need to be instilled through training to minimize the chances of being hit.