In the civil security sector, explosives have so far been detected mainly by stationary stand-alone devices, for example at airport security gates. The few portable devices currently available on the market, weighing an average of five kilograms, are only suitable for mobile use to a very limited extent. In addition, the maintenance and cleaning of these devices are very cost-intensive.

Novel detection chemistry

"For most users, the devices are also too expensive to purchase. They also do not tolerate water and are therefore prone to false alarms in high humidity. Because they work on the basis of ion mobility spectroscopy, some devices contain a radioactive source and are thus subject to numerous safety regulations for transport, storage, use and disposal," explains Mustafa Biyikal, an expert in chemical sensors at BAM.

A few years ago, Biyikal set himself the goal of developing an explosives detector that was not only more powerful, but also lighter and less expensive than existing devices. Together with Knut Rurack, his mentor at BAM, he developed a novel detection technique based on chemical-optical measurement technology and now holds several patents for it. Special dyes are used to detect explosives. They react to the explosives, e.g. TNT, and change their fluorescence behavior; this in turn is registered by a photoelectron multiplier and converted into an electronic signal. Detection takes place in a matter of seconds. A unique feature here is that after measuring a heavily contaminated sample, only the chip needs to be changed, not the entire device, which requires time-consuming cleaning. They also succeeded in accommodating the detections for nitro, nitrate, peroxide and inorganic explosives on a chip the size of a postage stamp (lab-on-a-chip), thus saving weight.

Weighs only 1.3 kg

Now the sensor technology expert wants to bring the explosives detector, which weighs only 1.3 kilograms, to market maturity with a start-up. To this end, he is founding True Detection Systems GmbH (TDS) together with his BAM colleagues Martin Kaiser and Bruno Jan Rycek, experts in artificial intelligence and finance and marketing respectively, and Christopher Walter, an engineer from the aviation industry.

Starting in 2025, the team plans to launch the explosives sensor initially in the EU and the UK. Later, it will also be launched in the USA, Canada and Asia.
"Our sensor is of interest to a broad market, including in Germany alone the federal and state police forces, the German armed forces, the fire department, the Federal Agency for Technical Relief, state authorities, customs and, of course, private security companies," says team member Bruno Jan Rycek.

Text: BAM

Market surveillance by ESTI is carried out throughout Switzerland and is performed in accordance with the Ordinance on Low-Voltage Electrical Products. Electrical products for household, office, trade and industry are randomly checked for conformity and safety.

210 Formal or technical defects

According to the Inspectorate, 1375 products were registered on the Internet and through on-site inspections at points of sale. Further inspections were carried out directly at the manufacturers, through follow-up inspections and on the basis of reports from private individuals and specialists from the electrical sector.
A total of 210 products showed formal or technical defects, which corresponds to 15 percent of all inspected electrical products, according to the media release. Of these, 123 products were found to have safety-related defects that could lead to potential hazards such as electric shock, scalding, smoke development or fire.
In the event of a possible risk to persons or in the event of missing or incomplete proof of conformity, the ESTI can prohibit the provision of a product on the market. In the year under review, 94 sales bans were issued for these reasons: The products affected were various household and office appliances, LED lights, chargers, power banks and domestic batteries. Various products for industrial use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX zones) in industry and commerce were banned. In addition, numerous electrical appliances with an unauthorized foreign plug were again affected by a sales ban, it further said.

Schuko plug banned in Switzerland

The distribution of electrical appliances with a foreign plug (especially a Schuko plug) is generally prohibited in Switzerland, since live parts can be touched when attempting to plug them into the socket or through incorrect manipulation of the plug connection, as the ESTI explains the facts. In addition, such plug connections could be overloaded during operation and thus cause a fire. Consumers should reject such electrical appliances directly at the point of sale and can contact ESTI using the contact form at www.esti.admin.ch make a report as this writes.
According to the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations, in 41 cases economic operators in Switzerland have withdrawn defective products from the market in cooperation with ESTI. In 13 cases, these recalls or safety warnings were also published on the communication channels of the Federal Office of Consumer Affairs (BFK) at www.konsum.admin.ch respectively www.recallswiss.admin.ch published. These were travel adapters, insect killers, solar panels, dehydrators, various LED lights, various lithium batteries and travel chargers.

Components for e-mobility also affected

Due to the rapid pace of technological development, ESTI also received numerous inquiries from manufacturers, dealers and private individuals about charging stations (wallboxes) and charging cables for electromobility, components for photovoltaic systems (inverters, solar modules, grid-connection units, etc.), plug-and-play photovoltaic systems up to 600 W output, power banks and house batteries for private and residential use, and the new Swiss IP55 household plug-in system for wet areas.
Furthermore, ESTI advises caution when buying on non-European platforms and websites without an accessible Swiss contact address of the operator. You are responsible for the dangers and risks posed by the device. Caution is also advised in the case of bargains. Often such offered devices are inferior goods with incomplete product tests, which are or could become unsafe over a longer period of operation due to inferior electrical components and rudimentary construction. For consumers, this is hardly recognizable by eye, according to ESTI.
When buying electrical appliances, the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Advises to look for a correct Swiss plug, an accessible and competent customer service, comprehensible operating instructions and test marks affixed to the appliance. A recognized Swiss test mark is the voluntary safety mark of ESTI. Devices certified with the safety mark are available under www.esti.admin.ch published. Devices with recognized test marks would demonstrate higher standards of product safety and thus offer consumers added value, the press release concludes.
Source: ESTI

With correct planning and the use of high-quality components as well as professional installation, the fire risk of solar facades can be reduced to a minimum. The Association of Cantonal Fire Insurers (VKF) emphasizes that it is all the more important to comply with the fire protection regulations that apply throughout Switzerland. All fire protection authorities are responsible for their implementation in their respective cantons and must comply with them. The regulations are based on the politically accepted safety level in Switzerland. They have proven their worth over many years. The overriding goal is to ensure the protection of people and animals in the event of a fire and to prevent damage to property.

Increased requirements

There would be no increased fire protection requirements for photovoltaic systems on single-family homes and buildings under eleven meters, according to the VKF. For installation on roofs, there is an industry solution accepted throughout Switzerland (state of the art paper) by Swissolar, Swiss Professional Association for Solar Energy. For combustible facades on buildings over eleven to 30 meters, fire safety regulations require that the fire cannot spread excessively, it is further stated. Such proof requires prior fire tests. If this provision is circumvented, future occupants would be exposed to an increased fire risk. The regulations apply to all façade systems, according to VKF. Glass photovoltaic modules would be no exception. The fire behavior of PV systems on facades is currently being investigated. Based on the findings and results of these tests, Swissolar is currently preparing a state of the art paper for PV systems on facades. Until the state of the art paper is available, the planners must submit an individual concept to the cantonal fire protection authorities that is geared to the protection goals of the building.
Source: VKF

According to the FSO's Activity Volume Statistics (AVOL), the total number of hours worked by all employed persons in Switzerland increased by 1.3% in 2022 compared to the previous year, returning to pre-Covid 19 pandemic levels (+0.2% between 2019 and 2022).
The increase in the volume of work between 2021 and 2022 was due to an increase in the number of jobs (+1.5%). This was partially offset by a decrease in actual annual working time per job (-0.2%), according to the report. The latter decreased despite a sharp drop in the duration of absences due to short-time work (2021: 33 hours per job; 2022: 2 hours), as the number of working days was lower (-1.3%; in 2022, more holidays fell on working days and more vacations were taken), the FSO writes.

Working time down by one hour in five years

According to statistics, from 2017 to 2022, the actual weekly working time of full-time employees (excluding employees in their own company) decreased by 59 minutes to 39 hours and 59 minutes. The reasons for this decrease were the decrease in the contractual weekly working time (-10 minutes to 41 hours and 43 minutes) and the weekly duration of overtime (-15 minutes to 40 minutes), as well as the increase in the weekly duration of absences (+33 minutes to 2 hours and 25 minutes). In the same period, an increase from 5.1 to 5.2 weeks per year (+0.2 days) was observed in the number of vacation weeks. Employees aged 20 to 49 had fewer vacation weeks (5.0 weeks) than those aged 15 to 19 and 50 to 64 (5.4 and 5.6 weeks, respectively).

Primary sector: almost 45 working hours per week

According to the FSO, the highest actual working hours per week were registered among full-time employees in the primary sector (44 hours and 58 minutes). This was followed by the industries "Financial intermediation" (41 hours and 23 minutes), "Professional, scientific and technical services" (40 hours and 47 minutes) and "Arts, entertainment, households and other services" (40 hours and 14 minutes). Actual weekly working hours were lowest in "Real estate, other business services" (39 hours and 19 minutes) and "Hotels and restaurants, accommodation" (39 hours and 23 minutes).

Increase in absences due to health reasons

Between 2021 and 2022, the average annual duration of health-related absences (illness or accident) increased from 53 to 64 hours per job, according to the FSO. In contrast, the annual duration of absences of employees due to short-time work decreased significantly (from 33 to 2 hours). Absences due to military or civilian service, maternity leave or for personal or family reasons decreased slightly. Absences "for other reasons" (e.g. quarantine or activity restrictions of self-employed persons during the Covid 19 pandemic) also decreased (from 24 to 17 hours per job).

International comparisons turn out very differently

For international comparisons, the calculation method of working hours had to be adjusted, according to the FSO. The most important change is that people who are absent during the entire reference week are not taken into account, which makes the working time significantly higher. According to this calculation, the actual weekly working time of full-time employees in Switzerland was 42 hours and 44 minutes, the Federal Office emphasizes. This puts Switzerland ahead of Romania (40 hours and 3 minutes) as the top EU/EFTA country. Working hours are lowest in Belgium (36 hours and 27 minutes) and Finland (36 hours and 35 minutes). According to the data, the average in the EU was 38 hours and 20 minutes.

However, if we look at the entire workforce, Switzerland is one of the countries with the lowest actual working hours per week, at 35 hours and 45 minutes in 2022. The reason for this is the high proportion of part-time workers. According to the FSO, Greece had the highest actual weekly working hours (39 hours and 41 minutes), while the Netherlands was at the other end of the ranking (30 hours and 50 minutes). The EU average was 35 hours and 56 minutes.
If the total volume of hours worked per week is put in relation to the total population (15 years and older), Switzerland (22 hours and 48 minutes) is once again among the countries with the highest actual weekly working hours. Switzerland's position was said to be due to its high labor force participation rate. The highest working time was recorded in Iceland, (25 hours and 22 minutes), and the lowest in Italy (16 hours and 17 minutes). The EU average was 19 hours and 27 minutes, it concludes.
Source: FSO

With an area of about 1.8 square meters, the skin is the largest human organ. It fulfills various tasks: It regulates body temperature, activates the immune system, protects the body from water loss and from environmental influences such as cold, germs or UV rays. UV rays are, among other things, the most important trigger for all forms of skin cancer.

Types of skin cancer

The term skin cancer refers to various malignant skin tumors. The most common is white skin cancer, which includes basal cell carcinoma (basal cell carcinoma) and spinocellular carcinoma (spinalioma). Less common, but often more malignant, is black skin cancer (malignant melanoma).
Skin cancer can be dangerous if it metastasizes or grows into important organs. Therefore, the same applies to all types: With early detection and treatment, the chances of recovery from skin cancer are good.

How skin cancer develops

Skin cancer can basically occur on any part of the body. White skin cancer in particular often occurs in sun-exposed areas on the face such as the bridge of the nose, forehead, ears, lower lip, or on the neck, forearms, and the backs of the feet and hands. It's not just too much sun on the skin that can cause skin cancer. Especially chronic exposure to daylight (lifetime hours outside) triggers white skin cancer in older age.

Other risk factors for any or all forms of skin cancer include:
- Frequent visits to the solarium
- Many pigment spots / moles (black skin cancer)
- Light skin type
- Previous skin cancer or cases of skin cancer in the family
- Weakened immune system - for example, due to diseases such as HIV or drugs such as those administered after an organ transplant (spinocellular carcinoma).
- Contact with cancer-promoting substances such as tar (in cigarette smoke) or arsenic (basal cell carcinoma)
- Chronic skin inflammation as in "open leg" (spinocellular carcinoma)
- Rare hereditary diseases such as xeroderma pigmentosum or basal cell nevus syndrome

How do I recognize skin cancer?

To identify black skin cancer, you can use the ABCD rule as a guide:

- Asymmetry: skin cancer is usually irregularly shaped.
- Be boundary: skin cancer is irregularly bounded, that is, it has a fringed, fuzzy, or jagged edge.
- Color (color): When a healthy pigment spot develops into skin cancer, the coloration usually changes. A dark, uneven (blotchy) coloration is then typical. Sometimes skin cancer is also unusually colored, for example bluish, white or skin-colored.
- Dynamics: A healthy pigment spot remains more or less the same, while skin cancer changes in size, color, shape or thickness. The changes usually occur slowly.

Caution: Not all of these characteristics are always fulfilled in skin cancer! Regarding white skin cancer, crusts or wounds that do not heal within four weeks are suspicious.

Source: University Hospital Zurich

Online skin check

Send a photo of the affected skin area via the Web app of the University Hospital Zurich and fill out the short questionnaire. Within 24 hours on weekdays, interested parties will receive a reliable diagnosis from experts. Your data will be transmitted to us in encrypted form and treated confidentially. Good photo quality is essential for a reliable diagnosis.

More on the topic "Skin cancer doesn't just develop on the beach" (Info from Suva)

The platform myvaccinations.ch was taken offline in spring 2021 due to serious security deficiencies; the foundation behind it went bankrupt. The parent community eHealth Aargau (SteHAG) and the Department of Health and Social Affairs of the Canton of Aargau made an attempt last year to save the vaccination data of the approximately 300,000 affected residents with a new project.

Delete vaccination data independently

Now SteHAG has successfully completed the preliminary project for data recovery of the meineimpfungen.ch foundation, as E-Health Suisse, the competence and coordination office of the federal government and cantons, writes. The review in the preliminary project has shown that the data can be made available to users with reasonable effort, as the canton of Aargau wrote in a media release a few days ago.
The project committee, consisting of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the Swiss Conference of Ministers of Public Health (GDK) and the Conference of the Swiss Medical Associations (KSG), gave the go-ahead for the main project after completion of the preliminary project. The goal is to make the data available via a secure platform by fall 2023, he said. The canton of Aargau says that those affected will then probably have three months to delete their vaccination data themselves or to obtain it.

Transfer data to an EPD

Why not integrate vaccination data into an electronic patient record (EPD)? The canton of Aargau is one of the turbos when it comes to EPD. It was the first canton to introduce one two years ago. Vaccination data can be stored in the EPD just like eyeglass prescriptions and other health data. With an EPD, health professionals and patients can access health data from anywhere. However, who is actually allowed to access the data is solely up to the owner of the data, namely the patient.

The data from the failed meineimpfungen.ch project can optionally be transferred to an existing electronic patient dossier. The EPD as a nationwide and secure platform for health information serves as a replacement for an electronic vaccination card, emphasizes E-Health Suisse. The competence center therefore recommends that people who want to make use of the data transfer open an EPD. Interested parties can find out in which region this is possible at patientdossier.ch/epd-providers.

More information about data recovery is also available on myvaccinations.ch published.

According to the company, the large growth is primarily due to the merger of the medical technology company Varian with Siemens Healthineers. On a comparable basis, sales increased by 2.1 %. As one of the largest technology employers in the country, the company employed about 5900 people in Switzerland as of the end of March 2023, Siemens said.

Main driver is digital

The comprehensive digital product and solution portfolio is the main driver of Siemens' positive business development in Switzerland, he said. "With our technology, we connect the digital world with the real world," said Matthias Rebellius, who is responsible for Switzerland on the global Siemens Managing Board. "The new digital business platform Xcelerator enables our customers to massively accelerate their digital transformation. Digital solutions are also the key to efficient energy supply or to making building and industrial infrastructure more sustainable," Rebellius explains.

Gerd Scheller, Country CEO of Siemens Switzerland, is satisfied with the course of business and looks to the future: "With the development of modern digital solutions, many job profiles are changing. Here, we are focusing on the training and development of our employees and also investing in the next generation." In the current fiscal year, the company has greatly expanded its "Kids Coding Days". By the end of the year, around 400 children in Switzerland would have completed such an introduction to the world of programming. "The feedback from schoolchildren and parents on the events already held has been very positive," says Gerd Scheller.

Another example is the Siemens Excellence Award (see also here), in which the best diploma theses from Swiss universities of applied sciences are awarded an attractive prize". According to the company, more than 3,500 people took part in the first-ever public voting. As part of its Generation21 education program, Siemens is also involved in numerous other support projects in Switzerland, in particular to promote women in technical professions, the company emphasizes.

At over 20 locations

Siemens is present in all parts of the country and at more than 20 locations and has a strong market position in building technology and energy distribution (Smart Infrastructure) in industry (Digital Industries) and in the software business for industrial customers (Siemens Digital Industries Software). It also has a leading market position in Switzerland in rail technology (Siemens Mobility). The independent companies Siemens Energy and Siemens Healthineers are present in Switzerland as leading providers of power generation and medical technology, respectively.

Siemens Smart Infrastructure (SI) manages its worldwide activities from its headquarters in Zug. As CEO, Matthias Rebellius heads this global business with over 72,000 employees. This coming fall, he said, the SI headquarters with its approximately 1700 employees will be completed. In recent years, the company has invested a total of 250 million Swiss francs in the new Siemens campus, which will be operated in a climate-neutral manner.

Press release Siemens

Hackers are constantly on the lookout for new methods to improve their attacks. Accordingly, this year's Swisscom Cyber Security Threat Radar focuses on AI-based attacks (artificial intelligence). According to the provider, these are cyber attacks in which artificial intelligence technologies are used. This enables hackers to carry out their attacks more effectively and efficiently in order to circumvent defensive measures.

In the last few months, a strongly increasing threat has been observed in this area. According to Swisscom, this has to do with the publicly available tools, which have made a real evolutionary leap. These include the Large Natural Language Model ChatGPT, which was published in November 2022. The AI model was developed to generate human-like text and act as a voice assistant, he said. Cybercriminals have also discovered it for themselves. For example, it would allow personalized phishing emails to be formulated more convincingly, the telecommunications company said. This makes phishing attacks more difficult to detect and could trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or clicking on malicious links.

Perennial Ransomware

In most cases, phishing is also the gateway for ransomware attacks - another major challenge for IT security. Here, the telecommunications provider's security specialists expect a significant increase in multiple extortion, i.e. the combination of several attack tactics such as ransomware, data theft and denial of service. Managed service providers would also be increasingly attacked, as they are often willing to pay ransom and their customers can be attacked directly.

Preventing the shortage of skilled workers with internal training

In order to strengthen the resilience against cyber threats in one's own company, it is essential to consider cyber and IT security in its entirety. In addition to technical precautions, well-trained employees and internal cyber experts also play a key role. However, IT security experts are in high demand and hard to find. Another option is to look inward and invest in the further training and education of the company's own employees.

The "Cyber Security Threat.-Radar serves as a guide and compass for safely maneuvering through the cyber world, according to the company. The report observes trends and challenges in the cyber world, links and evaluates them, and provides a compact overview of the threat situation and its development in Switzerland by bundling expert knowledge.

Press release Swisscom

Switzerland is increasingly becoming the focus of attacks on ATMs. With its geographical and economic location, the country is an attractive target for organized networks behind the attacks, as the Federal Office of Police (fedpol) points out. Since 2018, the number of attacks on ATMs would increase. The perpetrators increasingly used explosives and would thereby endanger the life and limb of uninvolved third parties.

Players united

National and international cooperation as well as repressive measures are essential for effectively combating ATM blasts, fedpol said. However, additional preventive measures and close cooperation between public and private actors are needed to make Switzerland unattractive to ATM attackers. For this reason, fedpol recently held a strategic meeting with representatives of the following organizations:

• Euronet Services Switzerland GmbH
• Raiffeisen Switzerland
• Swiss Bankers Association
• Swiss Federal Railways
• Swiss Insurance Association
• SIX Group Services Ltd

The participants at the meeting agreed that the development of the situation in Switzerland was worrying and that preventive measures were necessary - especially to protect uninvolved third parties, but also to maintain the cash supply. Cooperation, the discussion of measures and the exchange of experiences between non-police players from the industry and the police forces are to be continued at expert meetings in the future, fedpol concludes.

The theme was obviously a good fit on May 10: The factors of people, risk and safety were on the day's agenda. Many of the participants expressed their enthusiasm for the information they received and were able to benefit from exciting inputs. Almost 120 participants were on site. Eight speakers illuminated the range of topics. Thanks also to the interaction of the participants and the support of the partners, the conference was an instructive experience for all those present.
Anyone with an exciting topic they would like to talk about can contact Save AG to discuss the issue.

Other conference topics

The next Save AG conference topics are:

June 14, GVZ Fire Protection 2023: The energy transition has a strong impact on our real estate. The use of renewable energies requires a rethink from the parties involved in terms of fire protection!

September 5, Security solutions between classic, networked, AI, Cloud: Efficient, convenient, secure? The presentations will provide a varied mix of topics on new technical possibilities and the latest trends in security, taking into account current challenges.

September 19, "Fire Protection Update: Are the better buildings and results achieved thanks to the latest methods and technologies in fire protection?

October 26, Evacuation and alerting in focus!: The conference takes a closer look at the topics of evacuation and alerting.

November 15, Explosion protection up to date: There are good reasons to prioritize explosion protection. Explosion hazards occur everywhere when handling flammable liquids, gases and dusts. Application errors are known to have serious consequences.

Source: Save Inc.

Around 40 percent of all employees report in surveys that they feel exhausted, like Travail.Suisse writes. As a result, more and more employees are becoming mentally or physically ill. "Work processes have been constantly accelerated in recent years, and at the same time employers are demanding more and more flexibility from employees," says Thomas Bauer, head of economic policy at the umbrella organization of employees.

Excessively long and fragmented workdays

Migmar Dhakyel, central secretary of the Syna trade union, states: "In more and more companies, employers are introducing excessively long and fragmented working days. In doing so, they are endangering the health and social life of employees. Even for part-time workers, working days of 12 or 13 hours are increasingly becoming the norm." At the same time, insecure working conditions such as on-call work and temporary employment are becoming more and more widespread; they cause a lot of stress for the employees concerned.

Although there are already far too many opportunities to pass on overtime and the entrepreneurial risk to employees, employers are demanding ever more flexibility and fewer requirements, according to a media release from the umbrella organization. Adrian Wüthrich, President of Travail.Suisse, makes it clear: "The health protection of employees is not negotiable. To protect the health and private lives of employees, less flexibility is needed, not more." If more and more employees are exhausted and falling ill as a result of their work, there needs to be more time for rest, less one-sided flexibility and more ability to plan their work.

The highest stress in the hospitality industry

According to various studies, the hospitality industry is the sector with the highest work-related stress. Roger Lang, Head of Legal Services at the Hotel and Gastro Uniondemands: "Work must be plannable and have limits. The widespread overlong working days and changes to duty rosters at short notice cause unnecessary stress and make it difficult to reconcile free time, family and career. Anyone who wants to do something about the shortage of personnel in the industry must urgently start here."

Stress and exhaustion do not stop at public service staff, according to the statement. "Work and private life are becoming increasingly blurred. Clear regulations are therefore needed to ensure rest and the right to be unavailable during free time," says Olivia Stuber from the staff association transfair. As a result of digitalization, employees are forced to constantly adapt and are confronted with an increasing intensity of work activity. More vacation time and shorter working hours are sensible compensatory measures to protect the health of employees in an accelerated working world. (red.)

Digitization is also advancing in small and medium-sized enterprises. Numerous computers are interconnected via network interfaces. Processes such as order processing, planning, production and logistics are increasingly interlinked and digitally controlled, as the NCSC emphasized on the occasion of the publication of its latest half-yearly report (2nd half of 2022). As a result, the number of systems that are accessible from the Internet is increasing and should therefore be protected in the best possible way. However, SMEs in particular often pay too little attention to cybersecurity. For this reason, the NCSC focused on cybersecurity in SMEs in its current semi-annual report and highlighted the most important points for protection against cyber threats. In addition, a company and a police agency provide insight into the process of specific cyber incidents, according to the report.

Most frequently reported: Fraud

In the second half of 2022, the NCSC's reporting intake remained very high, with 17,341 reports, virtually identical to the first half of 2022, the center said. In total, the NCSC received 34,527 reports last year, it said. Of these, 85 percent came from the public and the remaining 15 percent from businesses, associations and government agencies. The reports would concern the most diverse forms of fraud. Fake extortion e-mails, i.e. threatening e-mails sent in the name of law enforcement agencies, accounted for almost one third of the reports. Other frequently reported forms of fraud include CEO fraud (see also "CEO Fraud") and invoice manipulation fraud.

Ransomware at the same level

Ransomware reports have remained steady, according to NCSC, accounting for nearly half of all reports in the malware category. About one-third of the 76 reports concern private individuals, while two-thirds concern companies. Among attacks against businesses, the "Lockbit" ransomware was particularly active, it said. This malware is known for not only encrypting data, but also stealing it and putting it online if the ransom is not paid. Such double extortions are being observed more and more frequently. Because many companies have recognized the threat posed by ransomware and have backups, pure encryption is now no longer lucrative enough for the attackers, the NCSC points out. The initial infection in ransomware incidents is often due to a vulnerability or poor configuration, in addition to emails with malicious attachments or links, it said.

Reports of hacking continue to rise sharply

Compared to the previous six-month period, the number of hacking reports almost doubled in the second half of the year to 276. Social media accounts in particular are a popular target for hackers, for example to blackmail users or to use the hacked accounts to distribute advertising for investment fraud.

Click here for NCSC's semi-annual report.