In the age of the digital world and the digital state, cyberspace, but also cyberthreats, the issue of cyber security not only comes to the fore, but acquires the utmost importance and becomes an imperative. In this context, the Ministry of Digital Governance focused on strengthening the resilience of the digital state, the safe provision of modern services, the protection of individual rights and the cultivation of a climate of trust.

The risk is high and the Law on the National Cyber ​​Security Authority came to respond to these increased national needs, upgrading the level of supervision, information and support of the actors involved in the field of cyber security and strengthening the digital innovation ecosystem in the country, through the formation of a environment with secure infrastructure.

“Cybercrime is evolving, but so is defense against cyberattacks”

“When we talk about cyber security, the numbers are staggering,” Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou emphasizes to APE-MPE and continues: “In just one week we had 13.3 million DDoS attacks on government websites and at least 500,000 more serious attacks. Many times we hear that a site “fell” and it can be the result of a DDoS attack, which is a very simple thing for hackers to do. From there, we protect ourselves, harmonize with the European Union in terms of legislation and strengthen the digital innovation ecosystem in Greece.”

And Mr. Papastergiou adds: “We want an environment with secure infrastructure. The National Cyber ​​Security Authority guarantees that the framework exists and will be continuously strengthened. Cybercrime is evolving, but so is defense against cyberattacks.”

19% of cyber attacks target the public sector

In its annual report, the European Agency for Cyber ​​Security (ENISA) reports extensively on threats and trends for 2022 and the first half of 2023 in the European Union. And it is clear that the public sector is one of the most targeted, as 19% of attacks are directed there.

The ENISA Threat Landscape Report (ETL), now in its eleventh edition, plays a key role in understanding the current state of cyber security, particularly in the European Union. It provides valuable insights into emerging cyber threat trends, threat actor activities, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities and incidents. That is, it identifies the top threats and their specificities, threat actors’ motivations and attack techniques. The project was supported by ENISA’s Cyber ​​Threat Landscapes (CTL) task force.

In the latter part of 2022 and the first half of 2023, the cybersecurity landscape saw a significant increase in both the variety and quantity of cyberattacks and their consequences. The ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine continued to affect the landscape. Hacktivism expanded with the emergence of new groups, while incidents of ransomware (a type of malware or malware that threatens the victim by destroying or blocking access to critical data or systems until a ransom is paid) skyrocketed in the first half of 2023 and they showed no signs of slowing down. The primary threats identified and analyzed include:

  • Ransomware
  • Malware (Malware, software specifically designed to cause damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer system)
  • Social Engineering (act of verbally manipulating people in order to extract information)
  • Data threats
  • Threats against availability: Denial of Service (Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), attacks in which a large volume of Internet traffic is targeted at a service, with the aim of making it impossible for systems to service legitimate requests)
  • Threat to availability: Internet threats
  • Information manipulation and interference
  • Supply chain attacks

For each of the identified threats, the impact, motivations, attack techniques, tactics and processes are identified to map relevant trends and recommend targeted measures. During the reporting period, key findings include:

  • DDoS and ransomware rank highest among the primary threats, followed by social engineering, threat-related data, information manipulation, supply chain and malware.
  • There has been a marked increase in threat actors professionalizing their programs as a service, using new tactics and alternative methods to infiltrate environments, pressure and extort victims, furthering their illegal businesses.
  • ETL 2023 identified public administration as the most targeted sector (19%), followed by targeted individuals (11%), health (8%), digital infrastructure (7%) and construction, finance and transport
  • Intelligence manipulation, which has been a key element of Russia’s war against Ukraine, has become evident
  • State-linked groups maintain an ongoing interest in dual-use tools (to remain undetectable) and trojanising known software packages. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting cloud infrastructure, were geopolitically motivated in 2023, and increased extortion operations, not only through ransomware, but also by directly targeting users.
  • Social engineering attacks increased significantly in 2023 with Artificial Intelligence and new types of techniques emerging, but phishing still remains the leading attack vehicle.