Cybersecurity at the heart of the challenges of the modern enterprise.

The protection of digital data has become one of the major challenges of our time. As a new source of political and economic stakes, in an interconnected world where information collection and digital exchanges are exploding, exposure to cyber-attacks is constantly increasing.

Digital transformation and the use of the cloud have created new risks for companies, but also for governments and international organizations. These changes require a permanent adjustment of IT security strategies.

It is therefore necessary to understand the new challenges of cybersecurity and what solutions are available to companies to anticipate and strengthen the protection of their data.

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the set of technical and legal measures designed to protect a company's computer systems and data. These protections aim to guarantee the integrity, confidentiality and availability of the systems.

These crucial provisions are numerous and varied. They can be technical, conceptual, human or legislative.

Cybersecurity: what are the direct issues?

Cybersecurity is one of the most important challenges facing modern companies. Faced with the development of new technologies, in a highly connected and interconnected world with high data mobility, the security of networks and information systems must be adapted.

Companies are faced with many types of threats. From simple espionage to the detour and destruction of commercially valuable information, the consequences of a cyber-attack can be disastrous for the image and reputation of a targeted company, and even more so for its economy. Financial losses can be due to sharp drops in business productivity, or even disruptions caused by the unavailability of IT services.

For example, on January 24, 2019, the French technology engineering company Altran, was the target of a cyber attack affecting its operations in several European countries. Using crypto-lock software, the hacker managed to penetrate the company's computer system, encrypting files to make them unusable (ransomware attack). In order to limit the spread of the virus to its customers, the company had to disconnect its computer system and set up a specific restoration protocol so that its activity could resume again.

The financial cost of this cyber attack is estimated at 20 million euros. The engineering group has filed several complaints.

In a report published on February 11, 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is based on data collected by the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3), to identify the financial losses due to cyber-attacks in the United States. In 2019, they amount to 3.5 billion dollars.

This is causing companies to rethink their approach to cybersecurity and anticipate potential threats.

Cybersecurity: Raising awareness to strengthen enterprise security.

The digitalization and digital transformation of companies have inevitably posed major security challenges. It has therefore become essential for them to work on the various technical aspects, but also to train and raise awareness of the risks linked to digital technology and its many uses.

Initially, with the help of technical devices and reflexes necessary to strengthen the protection of equipment and information. Thus, identifying the sensitive data to be protected, using secure and adapted technologies, especially in terms of encryption of communications, appear as essential reflexes to adopt.

In addition to these technical measures, the human factor cannot be ignored. Indeed, it is essential to raise awareness among the various employees of the company, to good individual and collective practices in terms of digital protection, by implementing a clear and explicit information systems security policy.

Finally, legislation has intervened on numerous occasions to provide additional protection.

The European Convention of November 23, 2001 establishes a system of international cooperation against cybercrime. It has notably allowed France to equip itself more efficiently, by adopting legislative texts sanctioning intrusion into computer systems [1] and aiming to increase its capabilities in the field of cyber-defense [2].

Thus, several solutions are available to companies wishing to fight effectively against cybercrime such as :

- the implementation of an internal security policy within the company;

- Training and awareness of users to computer security;

- restricting access to strategic and potentially risky data;

- the use of encryption, anti-virus and firewalls.

Know how to anticipate tomorrow's threats.

The advent of Cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), crypto-currency and Artificial Intelligence, now allows for new approaches and the creation of economic value directly online. Paradoxically, the large-scale deployment of these technologies also means a significant increase in threats and their actors. Attacks on companies are no longer only carried out by hackers, but by foreign powers, government agencies or even independent private structures.

So, in this new digital world with an uncertain future, we realize, perhaps too late, that the defense of information assets is a crucial issue.