Germany Fires Cybersecurity Chief ‘Over Russia Ties’ — And the Lessons Business Leaders can Learn from it
Nations, especially in Europe, are implementing policies to strengthen their economies and secure their territories as the Russia-Ukraine war lingers. In addition to strengthening the military and securing physical borders, there are actionable steps geared toward protecting digital ecosystems.
As part of digital security reinforcements,?Germany has fired its cybersecurity chief?over alleged ties with Russia. This article will explore what actually played out, what it means for the cybersecurity industry, and the lessons business leaders can glean from the incident. Let us dive right into it!
Why Exactly Was the Cybersecurity Chief Fired?
The cybersecurity Chief, Arne Schonbohm, has been in charge of the Federal Cyber Security Authority (BSI) since 2016. The institution is responsible for protecting government communications. He was relieved of his duty after the allegations of having close relations with Russia — via an agency he was involved in setting up.
German mainstream media accused the former security chief of having had close relations with persons linked to the Russian intelligence services. Even though he is considered innocent until proven guilty, he is immediately removed from the position. Firing him was based on the fact that his position is delicate and requires high public trust.
The interior ministry has launched an investigation into the allegations levelled against Mr. Schonbohm. His potential association with a Russian company was revealed by a popular German television star, Jan Bohmermann.
The former security chief was caught up in this scandal due to his previous role in the Cyber Security Council Germany. Mr.Schonbohm, before heading the BSI, was involved in establishing and running the Cyber Security Council Germany, a privately-held firm that provides security consulting services to businesses and policymakers.
He has been reported to maintain a close relationship with the agency to date. Cyber Security Council Germany had a member, a cybersecurity company known as Protelion. The security firm, Protelion, is a subsidiary of a Russian organization. Protelion’s parent company is reportedly established by a former KGB agent who is honoured by Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin.
Protelion was removed from the Cyber Security Council Germany, which has stepped forward to say that the allegations of ties with Russian intelligence are false. While an investigation into the allegations is ongoing, Berlin is concerned about securing and upholding the reliability of its critical infrastructure.
Humans are the Weakest Links
The human factor is the weakest link in security threats. It has been shown that most data breaches are caused by human error, negligence, or lack of awareness. More than?90% of cybersecurity?issues come from human error within an organization — not externally.
This further explains why people in high-profile cyber security positions are removed when they can longer be trusted. In the case of Arne Schonbohm, he was relieved of his responsibility because trust in the neutrality and impartiality of his position as the leader of the most sensitive German cybersecurity institution had been damaged.
Protecting your organization’s infrastructure requires a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy. Since the human factor is the weakest link, a good security framework should involve actionable policies to put humans under control.
How do you significantly boost the reliability of your systems? You need?Advanced Digital Reliability Engineering!?Digital reliability engineers help to institute robust human-based and software solutions you need to ward off cyber threats and protect your infrastructure from data breaches.
The Role of Advanced Digital Reliability Engineering in Securing Digital Infrastructure
Digital reliability engineering uses engineering concepts to ensure the dependability of a digital product, process, or system under standard conditions for a given period. It is a branch of digital systems engineering that focuses on providing products or processes that are reliable and function optimally at all times.
Digital reliability engineers help to maintain the integrity of digital ecosystems in two significant ways:
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Development of High-end Cybersecurity Software
Digital reliability engineers develop programs capable of securing your systems. Due to the massive acceleration in digital transformation — increased reliance on technology, the proliferation of blockchain-based applications, and the gradual transition to Web 3.0 — ensuring the security and dependability of digital infrastructure is getting more sophisticated.
This is because cyber malicious actors consistently discover new ways to compromise systems and networks. Reliability engineering helps to create ‘immutable’ software using contemporary technologies — helping organizations to stay ahead of cybercriminals.
Implementation of Strict Cyber Security Policies
This focuses on creating regulatory policies to put the human factor under control. Organizations, where employees and key leaders are not mandated to comply with cybersecurity best practices, can easily be compromised. This is because humans are bound to take things for granted or make mistakes if there are no defined measures to curb excesses.
Examples of strict policies include regulating the powers of top executives, severe consequences for potentially being the weak link, limiting employees’ access, compulsory awareness training, multi-factor user authentication, etc.
No matter how advanced your security software is, you need well-informed humans to keep the integrity of your infrastructure.
Why is Advanced Digital Reliability Engineering Important in 2022 and Beyond?
Cyber threats are expected to rise as reliance on technology continues to grow. Cybercriminals are evolving and finding new, sophisticated ways to deploy attacks and compromise sensitive databases. It takes reinforcement of human and software factors to keep away adversaries.
Reliability engineering is essential as it helps you secure your systems. A security breach costs a lot of money and damages your brand’s reputation. In some cases, victims never recover fully. To avoid damaging your company’s reputation in the face of a global economic crisis, work with digital reliability engineers to develop custom programs and implement robust policies your organization needs to thrive profitably.
Conclusion
Considering how Berlin is handling the allegations against Mr. Arne Schonbohm, business leaders should understand that humans are the weakest links and strict measures must be taken when an executive or low-level employee becomes a potential threat to the company’s security.
The best approach is to be proactive with the help of reliability experts. Do you want a super secure infrastructure? You can trust Bredec for top-notch advanced digital reliability engineering services. Get rid of attack-prone systems and policies with Bredec’s comprehensive solutions and products. Contact us today!
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Contributors; Gray Oshin (content creator),?Melanie Matt (concept and strategy)?&?Ralph Schneider (Advanced Digital Reliability Engineering)