Three weeks ago, there was already a fire at a cell phone antenna in the vicinity of Thun. Also in February, a suspected attack had been committed on a 5G antenna in Uttigen BE. Now, according to the news agency SDA, there was another fire last Sunday morning at 00:30 on the Seestrasse in Thun.

When the emergency services arrived, the transmitter mast was already fully alight. Initial indications point to arson, the investigation is already underway, said a spokesman for the Bern cantonal police at the request of SDA.

At the 5G antenna in Uttigen, which belongs to Swisscom, the police also found a few scribbled notes with the request to Swisscom, Sunrise, UPC and Salt to donate several million to children; otherwise there was a threat of further arsons. In the case of the current event, no letter of confession had yet surfaced.

Source: SDA/AWP

Because more than half of all Covid 19 transmissions occur through people without symptoms, the federal government has adopted an expanded testing strategy. If possible, people should be able to test themselves repeatedly. In addition to hygiene and distance regulations as well as vaccination, regular testing should open up another possibility to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Canton Schwyz and Canton Zurich rely on Hirslanden IT platform

The cantonal councils of Zurich and Schwyz decided on their expanded testing strategy and commissioned the Hirslanden Private Hospital Group with its IT platform "Together We test". Hirslanden handles all repetitive testing processes via the platform and arranges the delivery of goods and services to the partner companies involved, such as laboratory institutes, logistics or material service providers.

How the Hirslanden writesBefore the approval of the Schwyz government council, where the platform was first used, there was a two-week test phase in which the procedural, organizational and logistical aspects were tested.

Source: Hirslanden

According to the Department of Home Affairs (DHA), the vaccination campaign is already running successfully. After all, since the beginning of January, 1.25 million vaccine doses have already been given to people who are particularly at risk. This has already led to a significant easing of the situation, at least in old people's and nursing homes, according to a statement from the FDHA.

At least one vaccination per person by the end of June

However, it is still necessary to administer many more doses of vaccine to those in the population who are willing to be vaccinated. By the end of July, Switzerland is expected to receive a total of 8.1 million doses of the vaccines already approved (Moderna, Pfizer and Biontech). An application from Astra Zeneca is still under review by Swissmedic, he said. The federal government is also counting on the willingness of various companies to carry out vaccination campaigns themselves.

A quarter of the population does not want to be vaccinated

The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) remains confident that it will be able to offer at least one vaccination to all persons wishing to be vaccinated by the end of June. Already after the first two weeks, there should be a high level of protection against symptomatic infections. For complete protection, however, the second dose is essential with vaccines such as Moderna, Pfizer and Biontech.

According to surveys, around half of the population currently wants to be vaccinated. Around a quarter are still unsure and a quarter do not want to be vaccinated. Currently, vaccination is not recommended for children and adolescents up to the age of 16. However, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) continues to make the duration of the vaccination campaign dependent on various factors: significantly on the effective availability of vaccines, logistics and the willingness of the population to be vaccinated.

Source: General Secretariat FDHA

For a good year now, everyday life for most people has been characterized by a lot of time spent at home, while the public sphere has been avoided more. The Corona pandemic has also created new challenges in living together in cities. It's all about hygiene and distance rules. According to a survey by Dutch market research company Multiscope, commissioned by Axis Communications, only 31 percent of respondents feel safe enough in public spaces that they would dare approach people who do not observe hygiene and distance rules. Only about a third of the population would be willing to approach a passerby about not following the Corona rules, another third undecided and a third not daring to do so.

Video camera to raise awareness on corona measures

Against this background, it is not surprising that about 40 percent of the Swiss respondents advocate technologies such as video cameras and audio applications, which could help with covid compliance. The study also showed that one-third of the population is willing to share personal data to ensure safety in public places; in Germany, the figure is as high as 44 percent of respondents. However, responsible and secure handling of image data and reliable data protection through video cameras are also central to trust in the technologies.

However, just over a third of the Swiss also consider video cameras to be an invasion of privacy. This means that the Swiss are the most skeptical about the use of cameras compared with five other countries surveyed. In the Netherlands, for example, only 18 percent of the population see the use of video cameras as an invasion of privacy.

In Switzerland, half of the respondents would like to see additional camera surveillance, especially at events. When it comes to the use of body cams on officers, 68 percent of survey participants think they make life easier for security officers at major events.

Source: Multiscope/Axis Communications

20 Minuten has been appearing in a new guise since last spring. In order to ensure optimum security on the new news platform, the TX Group is launching its own bug bounty program to put bounty hunters on its news portal to ensure greater transparency and cyber security. After one year, external security researchers will now also be invited to search for security vulnerabilities on the new platform. Vulnerabilities found are usually rewarded in a bug bounty program.

Ethical hacking in demand

In terms of security, the platform has already been raised to a very high level, TX Group writes in a statement. In addition, 850 hackers and security researchers have already spent a year looking for security vulnerabilities as part of a closed bug bounty program. For this purpose, the Tamedia publishing house has launched a cooperation with Bug Crowd. Now the TX Group is going on the offensive and wants to make the program available to all security researchers and hackers. Andreas Schneider of the TX Group was quoted in a press release as saying that the company is playing a "pioneering role" in cyber security in Switzerland.

As the portal with the widest reach, "20 Minuten" places very high demands on the security and stability of its platform, which is why it relies on the ethical hacking of security forensic experts who deliberately penetrate systems and specifically search for vulnerabilities. "Such programs not only improve our cyber security, but also create trust as well as transparency and thus make an important contribution to the digital transformation of TX Group," explains Schneider.

Source: TX Group

With the Swiss Covid App, Switzerland has had its own proximity tracing app since last June. Up to two million users have already downloaded the app. The latest update of the app is now also compatible with the German Corona-Warn-App. The extension is based on a signed agreement with the German Robert Koch Institute. According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the aim of the agreement is to simplify operation for users of the respective apps so that information about a possible infection can now also be provided across national borders. This will also improve international contact tracing, which will benefit the 60,000 cross-border commuters in particular.

Further optimizations include compatibility with older iPhone devices. The app now also runs on iOS version 12.5, meaning that even the iPhone 5s, which was launched seven years ago, is still supported.

Further innovations 

Source: BAG

While more and more people are able to get vaccinated, security forensics experts at Checkpoint Research are noticing a new trend on the darknet. The security researchers have found that fake government vaccination certificates are being sold for around $250 each. Interested parties simply send their details and money, and the seller emails back fake documents. In addition, travelers can have a negative Covid-19 test automatically generated in less than 30 minutes for as little as $25.

A new trend: fake vaccination certificates

In order to prepare society for the resumption of tourism and air routes again, the European Commission has proposed a vaccination certificate that can act as a "door opener" in all countries, so to speak, once most people are vaccinated. The executive of the EU proposed a green certificate to prove that they have been vaccinated against the virus, or that they have recovered from infection with the coronavirus.

The vaccination certificate will therefore probably become a bilateral passport between the countries for the foreseeable future, so that live shows and cultural events can be attended again. It seems that hackers have already sensed the potential market for fake documents and are already using it for monetization purposes. In one example Check Point Research came across, an official certificate from a clinic in Russia is being offered for $110, allowing passage across the Russian border. In one advertisement, various vaccination certificates from several countries are being hawked at a price of $135.

The detailed findings of the Check Point researchers can be found at on the blogpost.

Source: Check Point

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) has opened formal proceedings against the operator of the www.meineimpfungen.ch platform. Previously, the online magazine "Republik" had uncovered possible data protection violations by the platform and filed a complaint. After the data protection commissioner was informed on March 21, 2021 by the online magazine about its clarifications regarding possible data protection violations of the vaccination platform www.meineimpfungen.ch, he summarily reviewed the allegations raised by the medium and the information available to him. After consultation with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), he has come to the conclusion that the reported violations are plausible.

Particularly sensitive personal data affected

On March 22, 2021, the FDPIC initiated and opened a clarification of the facts pursuant to Art. 29 of the Federal Data Protection Act (FADP) against the foundation meineimpfungen, which has its registered office in Gümligen, Bern. In addition, it has worked towards the immediate discontinuation of the processing that has been reported as inadequate. The data processing of the vaccination platform is likely to violate the personal rights of a large number of persons, especially since in this case it concerns personal data concerning health that is particularly worthy of protection.

Those responsible at the foundation are now called upon to comment very quickly to the commissioner on the accusations made and the complaint filed by "Republic". In addition, the commissioner expects information about any data losses.

Source: Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner 

The Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner (FDPIC) has opened formal proceedings against the operator of the www.meineimpfungen.ch platform. Previously, the online magazine "Republik" had uncovered possible data protection violations by the platform and filed a complaint. After the data protection commissioner was informed on March 21, 2021 by the online magazine about its clarifications regarding possible data protection violations of the vaccination platform www.meineimpfungen.ch, he summarily reviewed the allegations raised by the medium and the information available to him. After consultation with the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), he has come to the conclusion that the reported violations are plausible.

Particularly sensitive personal data affected

On March 22, 2021, the FDPIC initiated and opened a clarification of the facts pursuant to Art. 29 of the Federal Data Protection Act (FADP) against the foundation meineimpfungen, which has its registered office in Gümligen, Bern. In addition, it has worked towards the immediate discontinuation of the processing that has been reported as inadequate. The data processing of the vaccination platform is likely to violate the personal rights of a large number of persons, especially since in this case it concerns personal data concerning health that is particularly worthy of protection.

Those responsible at the foundation are now called upon to comment very quickly to the commissioner on the accusations made and the complaint filed by "Republic". In addition, the commissioner expects information about any data losses.

Source: Federal Data Protection and Information Commissioner 

InkAt first glance, Empa researcher Evgeniia Gilshtein's idea seems inconspicuous - or more precisely: invisible. What initially looks like a simple transparent film actually conceals a whole new level of security. This is because invisible buttons are printed on the transparent carrier material, the position of which is only known to insiders. Such circuits can be connected to a door lock as an access code, for example. If the buttons on the polymer film are touched with a finger in a defined sequence, the door lock can be opened.

The conductive ink can be applied to the surface using an inkjet printer, for example. "Of course, we don't use ordinary office printers for this, but the highly specialized equipment of Empa's Coating Competence Center," says Evgeniia Ghilshtein.

Elegant detour

The sensor surfaces are invisible to the human eye and can be placed in suitable locations, such as above the door hinge of the first prototype.

To make the metal-containing nanoparticle ink more transparent and conductive than conventional products, the researchers used an elegant detour in the production process: After the circuits were printed on the carrier film, the film was dyed blue in a next step.

Since the blue color, unlike a transparent film, can absorb light, this now enables the ink to be "burned in" on the substrate by means of high-energy light irradiation. Not only does the blue color disappear, the "secret ink" made of indium tin oxide also becomes invisible in the same step. "The result is printed circuits that have significantly higher conductivity than previous solutions," says the Empa researcher.

Source: Empa

As a result of the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Federal Council wants to set up a mandatory ethanol stockpile. The basis for this is the National Supply Act. Until 2018, Alcosuisse considered an ethanol stockpile for around three months of domestic requirements to be realistic. Since the sale and privatization, this compulsory stockpile has been dissolved.

However, experience from the pandemic now shows how important the availability of ethanol is. The Federal Council is therefore proposing the establishment of a compulsory stockpile on the basis of the National Supply Act, as the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) writes in a press release.

According to the draft ordinance, companies that import, produce or process ethanol or sell it domestically for the first time must create compulsory stocks. The proportion of ethanol used for the production of fuels is exempt.

The two types of ethanol envisaged are suitable for all uses that are relevant to the country's economic supply. The production of disinfectants, the overall requirements of the healthcare sector and the production of medicines and foodstuffs are classified as systemically relevant. The extent of the compulsory stocks is to be determined by the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER).

Source: Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER)

The Corona pandemic is also having an impact on students. The restrictions have a detrimental effect on mental health. As part of the ongoing study "Health in Students during the Corona pandemic (HES-C)", researchers from the ZHAW Departments of Health and Applied Psychology surveyed the prevalence of depressive symptoms among a total of 3571 ZHAW students in spring and fall 2020. That the values have increased is shown by a comparison of the sample from the last nationwide federal surveys (2017). At that time, about 10.9 percent of women and 8.5 percent of men in a similar age range reported depressive symptoms. Currently, 27.2 percent of participants exhibit such symptoms, the ZHAW writes in a statement.

Respondents were most concerned about health and the financial situation in the family. This was more pronounced than in the spring. Students were more likely to exhibit health behaviors such as binge drinking or lack of exercise at this time.

According to the ZHAW, the results could be applied to students throughout Switzerland. The researchers conclude that the pandemic represents an enormous psychological burden for many Swiss students.

Source: ZHAW