Business Resilience
“Organisations will need to adopt a ‘cybersecurity first’ strategy.”
Dr Claudia Natanson, UK Cyber Security Council Page
“Now, threats have escalated to cyberterrorism.”
Dr Mehdi Snène, Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology Page 08
The digital marketplace transforming the world of gaming
G2A.COM has established itself to be one of the most prominent marketplaces for digital entertainment since launching over a decade ago.
More than 30 million people from 180 countries have purchased over 100 million items from G2A.COM to date. Users can choose from over 75,000 digital offerings, including games, downloadable content (DLCs), as well as non-gaming items such as gift cards, subscriptions, software or e-learning — sold by sellers from all over the world.
Instant digital entertainment
G2A.COM is reshaping the world of ecommerce and has transformed the experience of gamers by offering instant digital offerings. It was the first to bring the marketplace model to the digital distribution space, demonstrating that gaming ecommerce did not have to be limited to just gaming platforms and stores.
Diversity in gaming
G2A.COM’s mission is to democratise digital entertainment and support inclusivity, with a particular focus on empowering women and people of all races and religions in the gaming and tech industries.
terms of offers but also in the buying process. The marketplace implements payment strategies which cater for local preferences on a global scale, offering over 400 banking channels, with operators and payment service providers from all over the world. Recently, G2A.COM introduced the popular Bizum payment method in Spain and has successfully integrated PayPal into its checkout process in regions, including the UK, where it is the preferred payment method. These upgrades ensure a streamlined, efficient and user-friendly journey for customers and intend to make digital entertainment choices easier and more enjoyable for users.
Potential sellers must go through a very strict business verification process.
G2A.COM’s commitment to innovative payment methods and effectively aligning local payment methods to regional trends and market preferences has awarded the company third place in the Payments Innovations of The Year category at the 2024 eCommerce Expo.
Strict seller verification process
The company was recognised for its significant impact on the global ecommerce and gaming market by securing first place in the Best Digital Marketing Campaign category for its impactful Celebrate Gamers’ Diversity campaign at the 2024 eCommerce Expo. This influential campaign highlights the company’s ongoing commitment to promoting diversity within the global gaming community and the broader digital entertainment world.
Payment innovation
G2A.COM prioritises secure and marketoriented opportunities, not only in
G2A.COM’s process for vetting sellers for the marketplace is one of the most rigorous in the ecommerce industry. Potential sellers must go through a very strict business verification process before they can start selling. Additionally, they have to present proof of purchase of any item they put up for sale.
Why the UK’s high streets need more support to thrive
High streets are a vital part of the UK’s cultural fabric and often spark much discussion and debate. Learn how we can save our high streets.
Over time, high streets have faced significant changes, driven by factors such as shifts in shopping habits, the growth of online retail, and pressures on consumer spending. Despite these challenges, high streets have the potential to thrive and become more resilient — if they, along with the small businesses that form their core, receive the necessary support, policies and infrastructure.
Supporting small businesses on high streets
Earlier this year, we launched our new high streets campaign, which explores the challenges facing small businesses in village, town and city centres. The campaign also outlines a blueprint of specific changes and innovative ideas to help these businesses evolve and thrive, positioning high streets as go-to destinations for the future. We want to see more pop-ups giving businesses an opportunity to set up in a physical outlet, an improved Small Business Rates Relief package, good public transport links, a welcoming approach to parking and access to clean, modern public toilets.
delivering much of what is needed day-to-day. That includes liaising with landlords over empty shop units; having a hotline to the police and local authority when problems occur; and marketing the high street as a destination through bespoke social media accounts.
Resilience planning to future-proof high streets
High streets have the potential to thrive and become more resilient.
We are also encouraging local authorities to develop comprehensive resilience and continuity plans for high streets. These must take into account potential future disruptions, like climate change, economic shocks and public health crises. It is crucial that small firms are front and centre of this resilience planning process to ensure they are inclusive and consider local needs.
By providing the infrastructure, planning and flexibility that modern businesses demand, high streets will be equipped with the resources to become resilient, dynamic hubs ready for the future.
Why we need a ‘high street chief’ Creating ‘high street chief’ roles — appointing a manager as the go-to fixer for small firms in the area — would be instrumental in
Why small business owners should embrace the digital revolution by using accounting tools like My Business Finances
Thanks to your computer or smartphone, banking is just a click away, making it easy to manage your accounts, pay bills and transfer money. It should be as easy for small businesses to check their profit and potential tax bill, so they can make accounting and tax processes more efficient, states Alberto Caballero, HSBC’s Senior VP of Global Product Strategy and Innovation.
Why small businesses need accounting software like My Business Finances
“Business owners know that accounting is an essential part of business,” says Caballero. “But it’s not necessarily top of their priority list, and they may rather spend time on other things, such as growing their business.”
Yet, there are ways for small business owners to run their accounting and tax operations less stressfully. For example, HSBC UK — in partnership with accounting software fintech Ember — has rolled out an innovative accounting and tax tool aimed at small businesses.
This integrated solution, ‘My Business Finances,’ is available for free via the bank’s Business Internet Banking platform to eligible customers and primary users, such as sole traders and limited companies. It offers a real-time view of profit, estimated tax liabilities and available dividends. It also automates tasks like invoicing and gives reminders for tax deadlines.
Banking and accounting, like many other industries, are becoming increasingly digitised. By adopting accounting software, more SMEs can save time and make better decisions.
not use digital accounting software. “Or they are paying for accounting software and hiring an accountant to do it for them,” says Caballero. “Either way, they may not always be on top of their accounts — or their likely tax liability — causing concern to the business owner.
Accounting and tax tool designed for small business owners “It’s important that tech is intuitive and that everything is explained in language that demystifies the process.”
All terms and tools within My Business Finances offer helpful explainers in easy-to-understand language that help business owners cut through the world of jargon by breaking down what they should be paying and why.
The idea is to take accounting, an activity that some business owners may think of as a chore, and turn it into an ‘asset’ for their business — one that saves them time and helps them make better decisions.
Running a business can be hard. If technology can make it easier, then that’s a powerful reason to use it.
Majority of business owners missing out on digital accounting
Small business owners may regard accounting as a lastminute chore — or they might leave it to an accountant who will charge for the service. Nevertheless, when it comes to digitisation, owners can’t afford to stick their heads in the sand. Digitisation is transforming all industries, including the world of accounting — with big implications for small businesses.
In 2026, the UK Government’s Making Tax Digital rules are being extended and will require more businesses to keep digital records and file quarterly reports instead of current annual ones electronically. HSBC research, based on data as of June 2022, shows that almost 70% of SMEs do
Using accounting tech to improve your business finances
“For business owners, changing their existing practices might seem like a daunting task,” says Caballero. “But embracing this type of technology could bring great benefits. Among other things, having real-time access to estimated profitability and estimated tax liabilities could help business owners make efficient decisions. It could be the difference between making an investment or not — between increasing your savings or not. This is really impactful.
“No more tax surprises once per year. Embracing change now will make business owners feel more empowered about the future,” Caballero adds. “A partnership like the one we have with Ember takes in a new era of cooperation between technology firms and large organisations such as banks. More importantly, it’s beneficial to business owners’ lives because running a business can be hard. If technology can make it easier, then that’s a powerful reason to use it. HSBC customers can rest assured knowing we’ll continue to bring these innovations closer to them so that they can focus on what matters.”
INTERVIEW WITH Alberto Caballero
Why network resilience is key to operational continuity today
In today’s interconnected world, resilient networks are essential for safeguarding data, ensuring productivity and enhancing business sustainability.
Networks are the backbone of business resilience in today’s fast-paced digital world. For enterprises, having robust and reliable networks is crucial to ensuring uninterrupted operations, maintaining customer trust and safeguarding sensitive information.
Safeguarding operations in the digital age
“Business resilience is the capacity of a company to protect and react to any kind of attack, downtime, or outage while maintaining a certain level of performance” says Matthieu Bourguignon, VP for Network Infrastructure, a business division of Nokia. This protection is crucial for maintaining operational continuity, whether it’s in telecommunications, finance, energy or any other sector.
Multifaceted resilience crucial amid digitalisation
However, physical resilience is just one part of the equation. The rise in digital threats has made it imperative for companies to protect their networks from cyberattacks like Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS). A major DDoS attack from an activist group affected companies in Norway, Lithuania and Iceland in July, explains Bourguignon. This underscores the growing threat to enterprises of all sizes, where an attack can bring down systems, disrupt services and impact revenue. Nokia’s Deepfield solution, designed to counter such threats, was crucial in protecting one of the affected companies during the incident.
In the context of digitalisation, networks play an even more critical role. As more companies embrace digital transformation, they introduce new vulnerabilities alongside the benefits. “Digitalisation brings massive productivity gains to companies and improves power consumption, but it also creates new vulnerabilities, especially regarding data privacy and security,” says Bourguignon. Networks must now ensure not only high-performance connectivity but also robust security frameworks to protect against breaches and data theft.
There is no green without digital, but there is also no digital without being more green.
Mutually beneficial networks
Bourguignon sees the biggest game-changers for the telecoms industry as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing and sustainability. Strong, powerful networks are essential to fulfilling all of these goals, and they are all interconnected. “There is no green without digital, but there is also no digital without being more green,” says Bourguignon. “Digitalisation can help to reduce a company’s carbon footprint, but it can also contribute significantly to it, like the rise in emissions from data centres that are powering AI.”
Ultimately, networks have become essential for nearly all enterprises. “We believe that all networks are mission-critical because now, even in non-industrial sectors, any outage can have significant consequences,” says Bourguignon. For both big and small companies, reliable, secure and resilient networks are crucial to their ongoing success in this new world.
How digitalisation enhances worker safety and sustainability
In today’s constantly evolving technological landscape, industries such as manufacturing, logistics and mining are particularly poised for digital transformation.
These sectors can benefit hugely from private wireless networks, Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and edge computing, all of which enhance productivity, worker safety and sustainability.
Manufacturing digitalisation benefits
In manufacturing, where precision and efficiency are key, the benefits of digitalisation can be dramatic. “Manufacturing can significantly benefit from automation and real-time analytics to enhance productivity, minimise waste, improve worker safety and improve quality control,” says David de Lancellotti, VP of CNS enterprise sales at Nokia.
Private wireless networks boost efficiency
Private wireless networks are key to supporting this transformation.
By connecting machines, sensors and workers with reliable, highperformance connectivity, manufacturers can avoid costly breakdowns and reduce downtime.
Edge computing plays a crucial role by processing data closer to the source, enabling real-time data exchange, boosting overall product quality and minimising waste.
When it comes to logistics, private wireless networks combined with tracking and positioning applications allow for real-time tracking of inventory and shipments. “These technologies can optimise supply chains, track inventory levels and shipments in real-time and reduce operational costs,” says de Lancellotti.
Enhancing worker safety
A huge component of business resilience is worker safety, and this is especially true for an industry like mining. Private wireless networks enable mining companies to deploy advanced technologies like remote control drilling to help avoid potentially dangerous environments. Drones can perform inspections in dangerous areas, minimising worker exposure to risks like rockfalls or gas leaks. Geofencing is also possible through private networks. This improves worker safety and reduces
fuel consumption and other costs, contributing to the industry’s broader sustainability goals.
By embracing digitalisation, mining companies can create safer and more sustainable operations, says de Lancellotti, and the data backs it up. By deploying private wireless networks, 65% percent of enterprises surveyed by Nokia and GlobalData, reported an improvement in worker safety enabled by geofencing and robotic technologies, while 79% reported a reduction of carbon emissions.1
Complementary technologies
When combined with other technologies like edge computing, private wireless networks can support AI and advanced analytics to boost efficiency and productivity and unlock even more efficiencies.
For example, machine-learning algorithms can analyse patterns from IoT sensors to predict when equipment is likely to fail, enabling pre-emptive maintenance, in turn reducing downtime and preventing costly interruptions.
“Having high-performance connectivity via private wireless networks ensures that, as enterprises roll out new Industry 4.0 use cases, they have the secure, reliable and highbandwidth, low-latency foundation they need to ensure they run seamlessly and without interruption,” concludes de Lancellotti.
Reference: 1. GlobalData private wireless survey Q1 2024
INTERVIEW WITH Matthieu Bourguignon VP, NI Europe Sales, Nokia
INTERVIEW WITH David de Lancelloti VP, CNS Enterprise Sales, Nokia
Elizabeth Meager
Connecting humans and machine capabilities through Industry 5.0
The next wave of digitalisation is poised to be more human-centric, where automation and productivity remain key but human needs like safety, sustainability and personalisation also feature.
Thierry Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia, explains:
“Industry 4.0 has been all about digitalisation, automation and bringing robotics into industrial sectors like manufacturing and logistics — but we haven’t really factored in the human aspect.”
Industry 5.0 focus on wellbeing Industry 5.0 seeks to correct this.
“With Industry 5.0, we’re still using the same technologies, but now we are focusing on how to make sure the workforce stays connected, safe, and healthy,” adds Klein. “We are optimising not just for productivity, but also for sustainability and safety — it’s as much a mindset revolution as it is a technological one.”
providing a solution with broader situational awareness where, instead of each robot making decisions independently, all robots coordinate with one another and with humans. This prevents safety hazards and optimises efficiency. For example, these technologies can tell a robot to slow down if it detects a person nearby or can warn the worker about approaching machinery.
Proactive resilience focus
This safety-first approach is one of the ways Industry 5.0 could lead to greater business resilience.
Business resilience is about being flexible and adapting to changes, whether those changes are technological or environmental,
Collaborative robots enhance safety
A key example of this shift is seen in the use of collaborative robots, or ‘cobots’, which work alongside humans to accomplish tasks. “Robots are very good at doing things we either want to do but can’t, or tasks we simply don’t want to do. But now, instead of replacing humans, they’re working with us,” says Klein. “For example, in a factory or warehouse, robots and people can work together more safely because we’re giving robots global awareness of their environment.”
The integration of AI, cloud computing and connected technologies plays a crucial role in this in this new human-machine collaboration. Nokia Bell Labs is also working on dynamic digital twins for industrial use cases. These digital twins provide real-time understanding and insights into the operation of a physical environment such as a factory or a warehouse. By bringing together technological advances from computer vision, localisation, analytics and ‘robot orchestration,’ Nokia Bell Labs is
“Business resilience is about being flexible and adapting to changes, whether those changes are technological or environmental,” explains Klein. “It can be business or operations-related, weather and climaterelated, geopolitical or technological — Industry 5.0 is all about being proactive in the face of these challenges.”
In this next phase of digitalisation, the human element will no longer be an afterthought. Instead, it will be a driving force behind the design and implementation of technologies that optimise both productivity and wellbeing. Businesses that prioritise this balance will be the most resilient.
Discover the networks that help you plan for tomorrow, without losing performance
INTERVIEW WITH
Thierry E. Klein
President, Bell Labs Solutions Research, Nokia
Ransomware resilience steps all companies should consider
As ransomware attacks surge, businesses must prioritise resilience, focusing on rapid recovery and adaptive strategies to survive disruptions.
As the frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks increase, businesses across the globe are being forced to rethink their approach to security. Cyber-attacks have evolved into an entire industry, with ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) platforms providing a ready-made toolkit.
Evolution of ransomware
Businesses can no longer view cyberattacks as a possibility. They must recognise them as an inevitability, says James Blake, global head of cyber resiliency at data security software firm Cohesity. What sets these cybercriminals apart is their ability to weaponise vulnerabilities within days of their discovery. While businesses might take weeks, maybe months, to patch a critical vulnerability, threat actors can exploit it within four days.1
“I used to be focused on protection and detection, but I now believe you cannot stop these attacks — the motivation is too high and the attack surface too wide,” says Blake. “We’ve got to build a way to deal with them as business-as-usual.”
Not just an IT problem
Many companies may still see cyberattacks as just an IT issue, like a disaster recovery problem that can be handled similarly to a power outage or hardware failure. However, a ransomware attack is far more complex, requiring not just IT but also security teams, leadership and external stakeholders such as law enforcement, insurers and regulators.
What vulnerability did the attackers exploit? Have persistence mechanisms been installed to allow them to return? Did the backup data already have vulnerabilities? These are critical questions that IT teams cannot answer alone.
Ransom payment fallacy
Despite the rise in ransomware attacks, one statistic is particularly troubling: 59% of businesses had indeed paid a ransom in the previous year. The costs can be staggering: companies paid an average of £890,000. This highlights a fundamental misunderstanding of what happens after an attack. First, the integrity of the data is rarely intact. In fact, only about 4% of organisations that pay a ransom recover all their data, and the average recovery rate is just 86%.2
More alarmingly, paying a ransom can have legal consequences. In the US, paying sanctioned ransomware operators can result in a 30-year prison sentence for executives, with similar penalties elsewhere. Besides, even after paying, there’s no guarantee that your data won’t be exfiltrated or leaked. Many organisations that pay the ransom are hit again by the same or different groups — because paying emboldens criminals.3
Advanced recovery via ‘clean room’
A promising development is the introduction of the ‘clean room’ concept: an isolated environment, completely separated from a company’s IT infrastructure, which holds essential resources such as contact lists, workflows and ‘gold master’ images of critical systems that
are guaranteed to be malware-free.
The clean room enables businesses to communicate — whether with law enforcement, insurers, incident response teams or regulators — within hours, if not minutes. It’s essentially a disaster recovery plan for your disaster recovery plan.
The clean room goes beyond basic recovery; it helps companies preemptively address future threats. This allows the company to not only recover but also prevent the same type of attack from happening again.
Data management and cybersecurity: a critical partnership
Many companies may underestimate the power of their own backups, which offer a trove of information that can help businesses understand how an attack occurred and how to prevent future incidents.
While backup data might not seem “sexy” in the world of cybersecurity, it offers a passive, untouchable source of insight, providing a means to track changes, identify vulnerabilities and build a proactive defence, says Blake.
“As Mike Tyson famously said, ‘everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth’ — it’s the same with ransomware,” adds Blake.
“You can have the best planning in the world, but there’s still going to be things you can’t control. Attackers are always changing their methods; businesses have to be flexible and adaptable.”
References:
1. Akamai, 2024
2. Cohesity Global Cyber Resiliency Survey Report, 2024
3. Ransomware: the true cost to businesses 2024, Cybereason, 2024
Paid for by
Cohesity
INTERVIEW WITH James Blake Global Head of Cyber Resiliency GTM Strategy at Cohesity
WRITTEN BY Elizabeth Meager
Adopting a ‘cyber first’ approach is vital for making the UK the safest place to live and work online
The cyber industry is fast-paced and rapidly growing. Despite being a function that every organisation, no matter what industry, needs to be clued up on, the UK faces a shortage of cyber skills.
In April 2021, the UK Cyber Security Council was established with input from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to serve as the UK’s sole self-regulatory body overseeing the cybersecurity profession.
Ensuring standards in the cyber industry
Similar to other professional bodies that represent industries such as medical, legal and engineering, the Council’s role is to ensure that the cyber industry operates within a standard of the highest level. Individuals can become professionally registered cyber professionals (Chartership) by applying through one of the Council’s Licensed Bodies that have been awarded accreditation status.
trust and confidence in individuals within the cyber industry. She says: “Globally, cybersecurity attacks continue to increase. In a datadependent and data-centric world, data is the most expensive commodity and, therefore, a motive for cybercrime. As cybersecurity professionals, we have a duty to protect this data within the UK.”
Recruiting talent to the cyber profession
Creating diverse entry pathways to build career pathways is also a key focus area.
Signalling cybersecurity trust and confidence
As a thought leader and role model in the cyber industry, the Council are in good hands with their CEO, Dr Claudia Natanson MBE. She was named a top cybersecurity leader for 2022 by the Security Magazine and received an MBE in the Queens 2022 Honours list for services to the cybersecurity profession.
Natanson’s vision is for the Council’s professional registration titles to signal
Another key focus for Natanson and the Council is talent recruitment. “We already know about the importance of raising awareness of cyber careers at a young age, and we have started professional awareness at the school, tertiary and university levels,” explains Natanson. “Creating diverse entry pathways to build career pathways is also a key focus area for the Council’s strategic roadmap.”
Through the work of the Council, Natanson enforces the importance of national and global collaborations to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. She adds: “In the UK, organisations will also need to adopt a ‘cybersecurity first’ strategy to create and maintain a strong cyberaware culture led by the top of their organisations. The UK is the only country that has begun management of its cyber profession in this way, and the Council is proud to be a global leader.”
Cybersecurity and financial intelligence fighting cybercrime together
Cybersecurity is not enough. To defeat cybercrime, we should use financial intelligence to find and disrupt criminal networks and take back stolen money.
Cybercrimes, like cyber-enabled fraud and ransomware, are now among the most profitable crimes globally. New technologies let criminals target and hide from victims worldwide, disrupting essential services and causing major economic losses. These crimes also facilitate serious offences like human trafficking and terrorism, severely impacting victims1 lives and livelihoods.
Financial intelligence can combat transnational cybercrime
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the global body combatting money laundering and terrorist financing — routinely issues studies on trends and methods that criminals use to launder proceeds of crime.
A report published last year by FATF, INTERPOL and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units demonstrates how cyber-enabled crime is a transnational organised crime, with syndicates organised around distinct sub-groups with specialised areas of criminal expertise. Within these, money laundering groups are creating complex networks to move illicit funds that are rapidly laundered across multiple jurisdictions and sectors.
Another report2 on ransomware describes the financial mechanisms used in these attacks, predominantly through misuse of virtual assets sent to countries with weak or nonexistent anti-money laundering controls.
Following the money
Breaking the financial networks targets the lifeblood of criminal enterprises and reduces the incentives by making sure that crime doesn’t pay. Operational experts must quickly freeze and seize funds before they are dissipated. We must better connect national centres for reporting financial crime to ensure a faster and better-coordinated response.
The need for speed and international collaboration has been a challenge for law enforcement authorities in all countries. Criminals use new technologies to carry out illegal activities and hide their ill-gotten gains. Public authorities should also use new technologies to fight financial crime.
That is why the FATF has recently agreed on major reforms to its international standards to provide stronger legal tools to recover stolen assets and return them to victims. The Task Force will support countries to implement these reforms and will assess the effectiveness of measures put in place.
Work also continues in other areas to help reduce incentives for cyber-enabled crimes. This includes ensuring that measures preventing money laundering activities also apply to the crypto-asset sector and updates to the rules on payment transparency to adapt to the evolution of payment systems. These updates aim to make cross-border payments safer and more inclusive. Countries should make tracking illicit financial flows a key pillar of national cybercrime disruption and prevention.
References:
1) Illicit
WRITTEN BY Dr Claudia Natanson UK Cyber Security Council
WRITTEN BY Elisa de Anda Madrazo President FATF
BY Lynn Dohm Executive Director of Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS)
From data to action: how inclusion drives success in cybersecurity
In the 2023 State of Inclusion Benchmark Report in Cybersecurity, learn how inclusion impacts women in the field and the actionable insights needed to foster true diversity and inclusion.
As Executive Director of WiCyS, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges and disparities women face in the cybersecurity field. Our latest research, the 2023 State of Inclusion Benchmark in Cybersecurity, conducted in collaboration with Aleria, gives us concrete data that brings those experiences into sharper focus.
Women in cybersecurity face exclusion
It’s one thing to know there’s a gap; it’s another to understand why it exists and how we can bridge it. This report is the first of its kind, providing a deep dive into the workplace realities of over 1,000 employees across more than 20 organisations. Women make up just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce, and they’re experiencing exclusion at twice the rate of men.
being undervalued and sometimes blatantly disrespected. As a woman in cybersecurity, I’ve felt those moments too — but it’s more than just a feeling now; it’s documented, and we can’t ignore it.
Power of partnerships
Women make up just 24% of the cybersecurity workforce, and they’re experiencing exclusion at twice the rate of men.
One of the report’s most powerful takeaways is the impact of our partnerships. Women working in organisations that are WiCyS strategic partners report 49% fewer experiences of exclusion and are 64% more satisfied in their jobs. That’s a huge difference, and it shows how important it is for companies to take intentional steps toward inclusion.
It’s not just good for women; it’s good for business. When diverse perspectives are valued, we see new approaches to solving problems, better solutions to cybersecurity threats and stronger teams overall.
Global coordination in cybersecurity: safeguarding our shared digital future
Cybersecurity has rapidly become one of the most pressing global issues of our time, with cyber-attacks increasing significantly in recent years.
High-profile incidents targeting critical infrastructure and personal data have underscored the vulnerabilities of our interconnected world.
Cyber-attacks threaten personal and international security
Recognising the escalating threats posed by the malicious use of digital technologies, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a stark warning: cyber threats undermine not only individual privacy and economic stability but also international peace and security.
As cyber-attacks grow in sophistication, the imperative for a unified global response has never been more urgent. The UN advocates for innovative solutions that blend cuttingedge technology with a strong emphasis on collective action, capacity-building and the development of global approaches to address the multifaceted dangers we face.
How cybercrime is changing rapidly
To fully grasp the urgency of this response, it is important to recognise how cybersecurity threats have evolved over time. Initially, efforts focused on managing isolated cyber incidents — addressing software breaches and data leaks. However, as cybercrime and organised criminal activities like cyber extortion became more prevalent, the challenge intensified. Now, threats have escalated to cyberterrorism, where malicious actors target critical infrastructure and sensitive data. These actions pose severe risks to national security, public safety and democracy by undermining electoral processes.
Examples of AI-driven cyber-threats
Compounding these challenges is the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI). AI’s ability to process vast amounts of information swiftly and generate human-like content has introduced new dimensions to cybersecurity threats. Sophisticated algorithms can automate and enhance cyber-attacks, making them more effective and harder to detect.
That’s not just a statistic; it’s a reflection of the daily struggles many of us know too well. Whether it is being passed over for a promotion, feeling overlooked in meetings or facing outright disrespect, women are dealing with barriers that shouldn’t exist.
What stood out to me in this report is how respect, career growth, access and recognition emerged as the top areas where women are facing exclusion. It’s not just about numbers — these are real women’s stories of
Enabling change with data
This report isn’t just a wake-up call. It’s a call to action. We have the data, we have the insights and now, it’s time to make real change. At WiCyS, we are committed to helping the cybersecurity industry build inclusive cultures where every woman can thrive, and this report is a crucial part of that journey.
For example, AI-driven phishing schemes create personalised messages that convincingly mimic legitimate communications, increasing the likelihood of successful breaches. The rise of deepfake technology enables the creation of realistic yet fraudulent audio and video content, which can spread misinformation, manipulate public opinion and undermine trust in institutions. Moreover, increased computing capacity empowers malicious actors to execute more complex and widespread attacks, such as AI-powered malware that adapts and evolves to bypass security measures.
Intensifying global cybersecurity
This technological evolution not only amplifies existing threats but also introduces novel ones, multiplying the types and nature of attacks we must contend with. Consequently, the convergence of these factors intensifies the pressure on global cybersecurity efforts, highlighting the critical need for collaborative strategies and shared solutions to safeguard our digital future.
WRITTEN
WRITTEN BY Dr Mehdi Snène Senior Advisor on AI and Digital Transformation Office of the SecretaryGeneral’s Envoy on Technology