A new chapter in cybersecurity has already begun with the start of Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine, Microsoft said in a November Blogpost writes. Since then, the Redmond company has also observed a sharp increase in cyberattacks. While the number of attacks on critical infrastructure accounted for 20 percent of all cyberattacks perpetrated by states in recent years, state-motivated attacks have recently increased by 40 percent, according to Microsoft. However, the report also notes that Russia is not the only country that is increasingly combining physical aggression with cyberwar. Countries such as Iran, North Korea and China are also mentioned.

Thanks to a new reporting obligation to the National Cyber Security Center, it should be possible to better assess threat situations in the future. During the consultation process for a draft law, the federal government received a total of around 99 Opinions from cantons, operators of critical infrastructures and representatives from research and industry. According to the federal government, there is currently no overview of which attacks have taken place where, as the reports to the NCSC have so far been made on a voluntary basis.

To make a critical infrastructure attack report as easy to handle as possible, the NCSC now wants to create a electronic reporting formVto make them available. Reports can thus be easily recorded and, if desired, transmitted directly to other agencies, as the federal government writes in a statement.

Source: Federal Council

In Switzerland, the choice of available food and beverages is immense. Since 2019, the "Nutri-Score" food labeling system introduced voluntarily by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) has also been helping consumers in Switzerland with a scale from A to E on the nutritional values of foods and semi-luxury foods.

According to the Confederation, 70 producers and retail companies have been working to establish the Nutri-Score since 2019. The decisive factor was the demand for more transparency towards consumers and visibility of the composition of products. The license-free labeling system is primarily intended to serve as a simplified source of information to better compare the nutritional quality of products.

Strengthen Nutri-Score potential with concrete measures

Now, on December 2, 2022, the Federal Council passed a Report to improve the effectiveness of the Nutri-Score. This was drawn up in response to a postulate from the National Council's Commission for Social Security and Health and is intended to show that accompanying measures and more communication could increase the effectiveness and awareness of the Nutri-Score labeling system.

Among other things, the impact of the Nutri-Score is to be strengthened with more information campaigns, for example with actors from the economy, health promotion and together with consumer organizations. Among other things, the FSVO is planning such an information campaign from 2023 onwards, which should show the population more clearly how the Nutri-Score works. Regular monitoring is also intended to improve coordination of the measures taken.

Source: Federal Council/Editorial Office

Urs Loher will According to a statement of the Federal will take up his post as Armasuisse's new Chief of Armaments on August 1, 2023. Responsibilities will remain with the current Chief of Armaments until the end of August 2023, Martin Sondereggerwho will have reached his normal retirement age by that time.

The search committee's application process showed that Loher met the requirements profile, the statement added. In particular, he has strategic and operational experience in the defense industry. In addition, the 56-year-old Dr. Urs Loher brings a good understanding of Switzerland's security policy system and is familiar with the international arms industry, according to the federal government.

Dr. Urs Loher studied at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich and graduated as Dipl. El.-Ing. ETH in 1992. In 1994, he completed postgraduate studies in information technology, and in 1998 he received his doctorate as Dr. sc. Techn. ETH. The proclaimed successor of Sonderegger had professional stations among others at Swisscom and around 2002 as deputy director of the former Federal Office of the Air Force. This path paved his way into the DDPS. Since 2019, he has been CEO of Thales Suisse AG and President of the Aeronautical, Security & Defence (ASD) industry sector at Swissmem, among other positions.

Source: Federal Council/Editorial Office

Due to the increasing importance of cybersecurity, the Federal Council has now instructed the DDPS, in cooperation with the Federal Department of Finance (FDF), to develop the structures of a new Federal Office for Cybersecurity by the end of March (SicherheitsForum reported). With the National Center for Cybersecurity (NCSC), an important cornerstone for combating cybercrime has already been in place since 2019.

Structures of a new federal office are being worked out

Due to the increasing importance of the NCSC, the Federal Council decided in spring 2022 to transfer the NCSC to a federal office. As a contact and reporting point for the population and an information point for warnings and information, the NCSC will continue to perform the core tasks of cybersecurity.

The new federal office is to remain a civilian unit of the federal administration. The DDPS has now been tasked by the federal government to demonstrate by the end of March 2023 how civil security is to be institutionally demarcated and strengthened vis-à-vis military tasks within the department.

Source: Bund/Editorial

On the occasion of World AIDS Day on December 1, the Swiss AIDS Federation, as the Swiss Reporting Centre for Discrimination and Data Protection Violations for HIV Affected Persons, publishes the latest statistics. A total of 106 cases of discrimination were reported in 2022. However, a high number of unreported cases can be assumed.

Most discrimination and data breaches were reported in the areas of insurance, employment, entry/residence, and criminal justice. However, people most often experience HIV discrimination in the health care sector. About one-third of all reports concern the health sector.

Marking "HIV" in hospitals

For example, incidents were reported from hospitals with a "HIV-positive" mark on the hospital bed of a multi-bed room or the transfer of a dental hygiene as well as the rejection of a pregnant woman. Until today, an HIV infection is morally condemned and many people do not know that almost all people with HIV in Switzerland could be treated with a successful therapy, the lawyer Caroline Suter of the Swiss AIDS Federation is quoted.

The discriminatory treatment by professionals is extremely stressful for the mental health of people with HIV, according to AIDS Relief Switzerland. Therefore, the message of the Federal Reporting Office in the current message for World AIDS Day is: "Relax. People with HIV under successful therapy do not transmit the virus."

Aids-Hilfe Schweiz calls for information about HIV in order to create a society without discrimination together. Andreas Lehner, Executive Director of the Swiss AIDS Federation, addresses the message directly to healthcare professionals. More than 100,000 healthcare professionals throughout Switzerland will be directly contacted and educated.

Source: Aids-Hilfe Schweiz 

Media often evaluate cannabis studies that focus on pain relief positively, regardless of the results. This is the conclusion of Filip Gedin from the Swedish university "Karolinska Institutet". The background to this is the fact that several studies have shown that people who take placebos experience largely the same degree of pain relief as those who consume the active cannabinoid substance.

"This is problematic and may influence expectations about the effects of cannabis therapy on pain. The greater the benefits of treatment, the more potential harms can be tolerated," Gedin said.

20 published studies

The current publication is based on 20 studies published through September 2021 that had nearly 1500 subjects. The results of the new study show that pain is rated as significantly less intense after treatment with placebos, with a moderate to large effect. The researchers also observed no difference in pain reduction between cannabis and the placebos, confirming the results of another recently published meta-analysis.

The researchers also investigated a possible link between the extent of the therapeutic effect of the cannabis trials and the coverage they received in the media and academic journals. Measurements were made using Altmetric, a method that encompasses the broadest possible range of responses in blogs and social media. Academic impact was measured in terms of citations from other researchers.

136 News analyzed

The analysis of media exposure included 136 news stories in traditional media and blogs and was classified as positive, negative, or neutral depending on how the results were presented regarding the efficacy of cannabis for pain management. The researchers found that cannabis trials received much greater media attention than other trials. Coverage was independent of the extent of placebo's effect.

Source: Presstext.com

A complaint by Swisscom against a Ruling of the Federal Administrative Court of 2021 was rejected by the Federal Court. Originally, Swisscom's strategy was to no longer rely on a four-fiber model for the expansion of the fiber-optic network, but to lay a so-called single-fiber model with a tree structure.

However, this would have denied the other telecommunications providers physical access to fiber optic lines between Swisscom's access center and the connection of individual subscribers.

In February 2020, Winterthur-based telecommunications provider Init7 filed a complaint with the Weko when Swisscom announced its new strategy for expanding its fiber-optic network.

According to sources from "inside-it.ch"Swisscom must pay the costs of the proceedings in the amount of CHF 10,000. In addition, the telco must meet Init7 with a party compensation in the amount of 10,000 francs.

Init7 welcomes the ruling, it says in a communication of the competitor. However, Swisscom is expected "to finally comply with the Cartel Act". The main proceedings at the Comco are still pending.

Source: Editorial office/SRF

Mr. Sonderegger, what do you see as the most defining technological megatrends currently benefiting both the military environment and private industry?

Within the Federal Office of Armaments, Armasuisse, employees of the Science and Technology Division track and assess current and future technology trends. They have identified a total of 13 megatrends that are central to the development of armed forces. Many of these have a dual-use character, i.e. they are of interest for civilian as well as military applications. Particularly noteworthy in this context are: secure networking of cyberspace with physical components; the handling of big data and artificial intelligence; applications of robotics in civilian and military scenarios; and the development of green energy to achieve the Confederation's climate targets.

Technology change and proliferation are taking an exponential form. How does the "acceleration factor" affect military procurement cycles?

Military systems are usually in operation for several decades. However, it is often their technological components that rapidly become obsolete. This development can only be partially addressed by accelerating the armament process. On the one hand, when procuring new systems, attention must be paid to their development potential and open interfaces. On the other hand, new approaches are needed to integrate modern technologies into systems. In this context, the term agile development is often used. The Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) has been working for a good year on establishing innovation processes, whereby these are to be designed as openly as possible in the sense of a broad idea generation. Among other things, the Swiss Society for Technology and the Armed Forces (STA) is holding innovation days with the support of Armasuisse Science and Technology. These days give private industry the opportunity to actively participate in these innovation processes. The aim of this approach is to bundle the necessary state-of-the-art competencies in Switzerland and to make the process of finding solutions to the challenges facing the armed forces more agile. In this way, we gain experience in dealing with new technologies in our environment and save time when introducing them.

What trends from security-related industries are shaping development and how are federal steering tools being used to strengthen the security-related technology and industrial base (STIB)?

In principle, the trends can be related to the future requirements of the armed forces. To assess these, Armasuisse has compiled the associated technologies on a list and assigned them priorities. Technologies from the areas of sensor technology, communication and information processing are in the foreground. However, technologies and industrial core capabilities that strengthen the Army's sustainability are of course also important. This list has been published as an annex to the offset policy and can be downloaded from the Armasuisse homepage.1 It helps, for example, in the allocation of multipliers in offset deals, with which counter deals in the area of security-relevant core technologies can be promoted even more strongly. STIB can also be strengthened via the newly revised federal law on public procurement. For example, targeted domestic procurement can give better consideration to domestic companies if they are important for national defense or for safeguarding Switzerland's public interests.

How are academia and private industry involved in promoting innovation for the Army?

Involving universities and private industry is a matter of course in an open innovation approach. To this end, we use various innovation spaces, such as competitions or Idea Labs. However, industry should also be actively involved in the implementation of innovative solutions. This starts with the production and integration of prototypes and the execution of test runs. Armasuisse also organizes events where industry can present its solutions, such as last year in the field of drone defense at the Bure armory in the canton of Jura. In addition, Armasuisse also seeks partnerships with industry and universities in selected areas to promote innovation. The Cyber Defense Campus in Lausanne, for example, allows students from EPFL, employees from companies and from the DDPS to work together in shared spaces. The same is currently being realized in Zurich. The involvement can therefore be manifold. Both universities and industry are important partners for the innovation process.

The development of robots and autonomous weapons systems is advancing rapidly. Modern warfare is likely to undergo striking changes as a result. What developments is the Swiss Drone and Robotics Center (SDRZ VBS) working on?

The Swiss Drone and Robotics Center monitors international developments on a broad scale. Although it does not itself advance any research and development projects in the direction of autonomous weapon systems, an assessment of such systems in current conflict areas remains an important task for assessing the threat they pose. For this reason, the SDRZ DDPS is focusing, among other things, on defense against micro and mini-drones. However, the focus will be on support tasks where humans can be kept out of dangerous situations or relieved of dirty and monotonous work through the use of robots. In concrete terms, this could be in the area of disaster control or genius and rescue. Robots can search buildings in danger of collapsing, rescue injured people, clear away debris at danger points, monitor areas or secure supplies. To this end, an annual event is held in a military environment, where new technologies from robotics are presented to an interested public in a rubble village. Both universities and private companies participate in this event.

Where does Switzerland stand in the environment compared to the international environment?

Thanks to consistent research and innovation promotion by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation, Switzerland is well positioned in the international arena. In an international comparison, Switzerland is repeatedly attested to have a high level of innovative strength. Among other things, it has succeeded in attracting research institutes of very innovative companies to Switzerland, such as IBM, Google or Pixar. ETH Zurich is also considered one of the world's leading research centers in the field of robotics. The promotion of start-ups is bearing fruit in Switzerland. The conditions for Switzerland to get involved in the field of "emerging technologies" and to exploit them commercially in the form of market-ready products are therefore very good. Opinions differ as to the extent to which this will actually happen. Despite all the prophecies of doom, Switzerland's economic growth has been very good, which is probably due to both a high level of innovation and a liberal economic model.

1) Offset register

Offsets or industrial participation are all types of compensation transactions in connection with defense procurements abroad. To further strengthen transparency on the subject of defense procurement, informs Armasuisse, the Federal Office of Armaments, now also reports annually on the implementation of the DDPS armaments strategy.

Lasers are used in many areas such as research, medicine, industry and commerce. Therefore, it is important for employees, but also for consumers, to be informed about the hazards. When protecting health, for example, it is relevant to observe some basic rules of conduct. These include, for example, not pointing the laser beam at others, never intentionally looking into the beam, deliberately closing your eyes if you look unintentionally, and moving your head out of the beam. In addition to eye and skin hazards, laser radiation also poses accident risks due to glare, fire and explosion hazards.

Information on hazards due to laser radiation

The standard DIN EN 60825- 1:2015, for example, defines eight laser classes, each of which is briefly described. The German Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) has published an interesting brochure with general information about laser radiation, its application and effect on humans and the currently valid laser classifications. In addition to general information about laser radiation, its application and effect on humans, the brochure also contains the currently valid laser classifications.

Also listed in the knowledge document are some research projects such as active protective responses (eyelid closure reflex, aversion responses), glare from optical radiation sources, including under twilight conditions, and aspects of safe personal protective equipment.

The practice booklet PDF can be downloaded from the BAuA website. be downloaded.

Source: BAuA/Editorial Office

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, must pay a fine of 265 million for breaches of data protection. The reason was data of 500 million users that fell into the clutches of hackers. This was the verdict of the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC), which imposed the fine on the Facebook group after completing an "extensive investigation process" in cooperation with other EU data protection authorities. The data of the affected users circulated in a hacker forum. In addition, the Facebook group will be required to implement a series of measures in the future to better ensure user data protection.

The data set leaked in scene forums contained user data from a total of 533 million Facebook profiles from 107 countries. The captured data included names, Facebook IDs, linked phone numbers, private email addresses, and in some cases information on place of residence and birth. The investigation against Facebook was launched by the DPC back in April 2021. At the time, the data protection officers were interested in whether the meta corporation was adequately protecting the data of its users.

Source: Euronews.com/Computerbase.com

In a Survey by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), people with disabilities in 2020 reported being less satisfied in their current lives. Currently, the satisfaction level is at a mean of 7.2 on a scale of ten points compared to 8.2 points The greater the degree of disability, the greater the differences. According to the survey, this fact applies not only to the general satisfaction in relation to the current life, but also to most of the studied living conditions. Thus, people with disabilities who are severely limited are generally satisfied with their current life, with a score of only 5.8.

Active participation in political life

It also shows that people with disabilities have a moderate but similar political interest to the rest of the population; both groups have an average score of 5.7 on a scale of 0 to 10. People with disabilities who have the right to vote indicate that they would participate in 7 out of 10 votes within one year, which corresponds to a value of 7.0.

Among people with disabilities, the feeling of safety is generally very high, according to the survey. The value in 2020 is 8.2 compared to 2015 with a scale of 7.3. The lowest value is 7.8 for the severely impaired (2015: 7.1). The latter feel more threatened by crime or physical violence.

Source: Federal Statistical Office/BFS 

According to a possible leak report from the source "Cybernews", 487 million phone numbers have been put up for sale on the Internet. The phone numbers are said to originate from WhatsApp users and to be up-to-date. According to the "Cybernews" platform, WhatsApp users from 84 countries are affected. Switzerland is also said to be the source of 1.6 million of the phone numbers. According to the company's own information, the numbers could be viewed and assigned to WhatsApp users. Security experts used a sample to determine that the data was obviously genuine.

One of the thread discussants told "Cybernews" that the phone numbers were traded for around $7000, the records from England for $7000, and those from Germany for $2000.

It remains unclear where the database came from. According to "Cybernews", the seller only states that he got the data sets via "his strategy". The majority of the alleged telephone data (45 million) appears to come from Egypt. Italy (35 million) and France (20 million) and Germany (6 million) are also said to be affected by the data leak.

The parent company "Meta", which was contacted by "Cybernews", has not yet issued a statement on the incident.

Source: Cybernews