Is there a need for a Swiss test lab for cyber products?
In Switzerland today, digital products from various suppliers are used in all sectors from industry to the police and the army. The white paper "Supply Chain Security", which has just been published, shows frightening vulnerabilities in the digital supply chain, as ICT Switzerland points out. To date, independent tests that adequately ensure the integrity of purchased cyber products are lacking.
The system developed by the umbrella organization ICT Switzerland published white paper "Supply Chain Security. describes the risks of the digital supply chain and identifies essential measures for the security of everyday and critical functions in industry, government, the police and the army.
While the integrity and safety of products from traditional industries (e.g., food, medicines, mobility) are specifically checked before market approval, the quality and safety of many digital products are often not adequately checked, complains the umbrella organization. The reasons for this are manifold, it says. For example, the current security of the supply chain is often inadequate and undermines existing safety precautions. Responsible parties and consumers are hardly able to make reliable decisions about the procurement and use of digital products because there is a lack of transparent information about the trustworthiness of the products.
ICT Switzerland calls for test lab
The resulting risks are often abstract and develop insidiously, writes ICT Switzerland in connection with the "Supply Chain Security" publication. As a result, the risks were hardly noticed for a long time, and they have continued to accumulate until today. However, if insufficiently tested products were used, for example in critical infrastructures, threats could possibly become widespread and endanger the supply of society in the areas of electricity, medicine, mobility and physical protection.
For Andreas Kaelin, CEO of ICT Switzerland, it is high time to act: "Today's situation is alarming. Increasing digitization in industry, public authorities, the police and the army is leading to ever greater risks due to the use of untrustworthy digital products. Therefore, we call for the creation of a national cybertesting lab in partnership with industry, academia and authorities." A test lab similar to the successful model of the Spiez chemistry lab, as the umbrella organization emphasizes in its media release.
Source: ICT Switzerland
