Greece Plans National Cybersecurity Authority to Combat Rising Hacker Threats

Greece is establishing a national cybersecurity organization to combat hackers and ransomware gangs that target governments, state institutions, utilities, schools, hospitals, and companies.

It is said that a proposal for establishing a National Cybersecurity Authority to safeguard public sector and private enterprises in industries like manufacturing, chemical distribution, and food items is being sent to Parliament by the New Democracy government.

The proposal, which was put up by Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, proposes to create a National Cybersecurity Authority. Up until now, the Ministry of Digital Governance had a directorate dedicated to cybersecurity.

National Cybersecurity Authority Of Greece

The National Cybersecurity Authority will be established as a Legal Entity under Public Law, according to the Ministry of Digital Governance’s proposed draft law. The country’s integrated framework of policies, activities, and measures to attain a high degree of cyber security would be coordinated, implemented, and overseen by the new Authority.

Under the direction of the Minister of Digital Governance, the National Cybersecurity Authority will serve as the exclusive and efficient organization tasked with creating and executing the National Cyber Security Strategy in conjunction with other capable authorities.

The objective is to develop Greece’s cyber security ecosystem as well as the successful prevention and management of cyberattacks.

Incidents Highlighting the Importance of National Cybersecurity Authority

In late November, hackers stole hundreds of files from the University of the Aegean and posted them on the dark web. This was only the most recent in a series of cyberattacks against Greek government agencies.

The Greek state’s real estate asset manager, Hellenic Public Properties Co. (HPPCC), was the most recent victim; other targets included the Ministry of Culture and Sports and the data bank that handled exam questions. That will only apply in 2023. Greek postal service, two hospitals, and state-run natural gas system operator DESFA were among the 2022 victims.

Motive Behind Establishing National Cybersecurity Authority

With the new arrangement, the nation will be able to fulfill certain national requirements and EU commitments, such as:

• Enhancing the National Cybersecurity Authority’s capacities and its operational and supervisory roles in relation to the execution of Directive 2022/2555 (NIS2 Directive). It is emphasized that there would be a significant increase in the number of supervised entities in both the public and commercial sectors following the adoption of the aforementioned regulation. About 70 entities are covered by the NIS 1 Directive; however, if NIS 2 is incorporated into Greek law, the number of entities will rise to over 2000. The Authority will serve as both a national coordination center and a national certification authority for cyber security at the same time.
• Maintaining public and corporate confidence in digital services.
• Institutional and technological defenses against online attacks and a general improvement in the nation’s cyber security.
• Encouraging cyber security investment and the improvement of the ability to obtain European funding.
• Bolstering the ecosystem for digital innovation.
• Advancing cybersecurity awareness and education and improving cybersecurity digital capabilities.

In order for the National Cybersecurity Authority to upgrade the level of supervision, information, and support of the actors involved in the field of cybersecurity and create an environment with secure infrastructures in response to the pressing national needs as well as the imperative commitments made by the EU, the draft law is an essential first step.

The guidelines state that medium-sized companies with over 50 employees and a balance sheet worth more than 10 million euros are qualified. Nonetheless, it is inevitable that the standards for a company to be covered by cybersecurity will only grow with time.

This initiative for establishing a National Cybersecurity Authority underscores the growing global emphasis on cyber resilience and the critical role of national cybersecurity entities in safeguarding digital infrastructure.

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