High time to invest in cyber security

Secretary of state for public service Hendrik Bogaert has warned against a wave of cyber-attacks in today’s De Standaard. “Now is the time to invest in the security of our networks and systems,” he said. “We must prepare for a wave of cyber-attacks by allocating an appropriate budget. To me, €20 million is required to protect us,” he said. Last year, the Federal Public Service for Information Technology and Communication recorded seven severe attacks on sites belonging to the federal authorities. Such attacks typically drown sites under huge amounts of information, rendering them unable to run correctly. One of these cyber pirates, a 19-year-old man from Nivelles, is on trial in Brussels for such actions. Prime minister Elio Di Rupo last year supported the adoption of a “cyber strategy”.