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Are we prepared for a cyberpandemic?

6 episodes
  • 1
    Computer virus vs biological virus, similarities?
  • 2
    “We need preventive measures to prevent cyber crises”
  • 3
    Four thousand soldiers to defend cyberspace
  • 4
    Ethical hackers in the service of business
  • 5
    Cyber-attacks: the financial service sector fights backs
  • 6
    Quantum computers: a data security risk?
Épisode 1/6
Sophy Caulier, Independant journalist
On March 3rd, 2021
3 min reading time
Jean-Yves Marion
Jean-Yves Marion
Professor at Université de Lorraine and director of Loria

Key takeaways

  • We owe the expression “computer virus” (1983) to Leonard Adleman, a bioinformatician renowned for his work on “DNA computing” (computation using DNA sequences).
  • A cyberpandemic would show similarities to the Covid-19 pandemic, but the human body – especially thanks to its sophisticated immune system – is far more ingenious than computer systems.
  • Computer viruses, much like their biological counterparts, are capable of mutating to evade detection. Out of the 63 antiviruses tested by Jean-Yves Marion’s laboratory, only 7 were capable of detecting the intrusion of the banking Trojan called “Emotet”.
Épisode 2/6
Sophy Caulier, Independant journalist
On March 3rd, 2021
3 min reading time
Cécile Wendling
Cécile Wendling
Director of Security Strategy and Security Awareness for AXA Group

Key takeaways

  • According to Cécile Wendling, Head of Security Strategy, Anticipation of Threats and Research, for the AXA group, a “cyberpandemic” is possible.
  • Like a health pandemic, it would lead to a cascade of all sorts of crises and would have a significant impact on the economy.
  • Insurance companies such as AXA are now considering covering cyber risks.
  • However, cyber-protection is a field still little-known by citizens. Prevention efforts and education on digital protection measures must be implemented so that insurance companies can cover these risks.
Épisode 3/6
Sophy Caulier, Independant journalist
On March 3rd, 2021
3 min reading time
Didier Tisseyre
Didier Tisseyre
Commander of cyber-defence in the French Armed Forces

Key takeaways

  • According to the Minister for the Armed Forces (Florence Parly), France was targeted by more than 800 cyberattacks during the first 9 months of 2019.
  • Attackers can be both independent hackers as well as other states.
  • To defend itself, the French government created ComCyber in 2017, an army corps specifically dedicated to cyberspace.
  • By 2025, France will have 4000 “cyber-soldiers”, with a total budget of €1.6bn.
  • All conflicts, such as the fight against jihadism, have a digital scope.
Épisode 4/6
Arrah-Marie Jo, Researcher at IMT Atlantique and David Massé, Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation (i3-SES, UMR CNRS) and co-director of the economy-management group at Télécom Paris (IP Paris)
On March 3rd, 2021
4 min reading time
Arrah-Marie Jo
Arrah-Marie Jo
Researcher at IMT Atlantique
David Massé
David Massé
Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation (i3-SES, UMR CNRS) and co-director of the economy-management group at Télécom Paris (IP Paris)

Key takeaways

  • Bug bounties allow companies to let "ethical" hackers (white hats) look for vulnerabilities in their computer systems and pay them if they find any.
  • The world's largest bug bounties platform, HackerOne, is used by more than 7,000 companies, which has distributed more than $100 million in bounty between 2013 and May 2020.
  • The challenge for companies is also to recruit these hackers, to internalise the fight against cybercrime and spread these valuable skills within their teams.
Épisode 5/6
Sophy Caulier, Independant journalist
On March 3rd, 2021
3 min reading time
Amanda Creak
Amanda Creak
Head of EMEA technology risk at Goldman Sachs

Key takeaways

  • Some figures show that up to 90% of cyber-attacks are motivated by financial gain: banks must therefore be particularly attentive to “technological risk”.
  • Attackers are interested in all the sensitive information they can find, from simple logins or passwords to patents.
  • As an investment bank, Goldman Sachs holds a lot of confidential, and therefore sensitive, information, which it seeks to protect by correcting areas of vulnerability such as the use of USB keys by employees.
  • According to the firm Wavestone, ransom attacks can expect 746% profitability. Reducing the profitability of cyberattacks is therefore one of the priorities of cybersecurity companies.
Épisode 6/6
Sophy Caulier, Independant journalist
On March 3rd, 2021
3 min reading time
Youssef Laarouchi
Youssef Laarouchi
Cybersecurity project manager at EDF R&D

Key takeaways

  • Big companies like EDF are now partnering with the world of academic research to design better cyber-protection systems and anticipate technological change.
  • Nowadays, some computer viruses are capable of evading all forms of detection by firewalls and intrusion detection systems. Companies must now resort to artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify them.
  • New quantum technologies will soon be capable of “breaking” the encryption keys currently used in cryptography. As such, EDF is working on “post-quantum” cryptography techniques to protect its sensitive data.

Contributors

Sophy Caulier

Sophy Caulier

Independant journalist

Sophy Caulier has a degree in Literature (University Paris Diderot) and in Computer science (University Sorbonne Paris Nord). She began her career as an editorial journalist at 'Industrie & Technologies' and then at 01 Informatique. She is now a freelance journalist for daily newspapers (Les Echos, La Tribune), specialised and non-specialised magazines and websites. She writes about digital technology, economics, management, industry and space. Today, she writes mainly for Le Monde and The Good Life.

Arrah-Marie Jo

Arrah-Marie Jo

Researcher at IMT Atlantique

Arrah Marie Jo’s research focuses on the architecture of cybersecurity markets and the economics of information security. She is particularly interested in the interactions between the different actors involved in system security and their behaviour. Arrah-Marie holds a PhD in economics from the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (Télécom Paris) and is a researcher affiliated to the “Governance and Regulation” Chair of Université Paris Dauphine. Her 4 years of experience in IT management in firms such as Deloitte and CGI business consulting allows her to add to her academic approach to a more operational knowledge of the field.

David Massé

David Massé

Researcher at the Interdisciplinary Institute of Innovation (i3-SES, UMR CNRS) and co-director of the economy-management group at Télécom Paris (IP Paris)

David Massé holds a doctorate from École polytechnique and worked for five years as a researcher at Ubisoft's Strategic Innovation Lab. His work focuses on innovation management and in particular: the organisation of the creative industries, the impact of digital technology on innovation processes and the different business models and action logics of the collaborative economy. He is co-author of the PiCo report which analyses the social and environmental utility of collaborative digital practices, the conditions of their diffusion and the levers of action of public authorities. He has published several articles in journals such as Research Policy, the Revue française de gestion and the International Journal of Arts Management. He acts as an expert for numerous public and private bodies (National Assembly, ministries, general councils, chambers of commerce, trade unions and various companies).