ZIUR contributed to improving the cybersecurity of 500 Gipuzkoan companies last year
The center has approved its new Strategic Plan, which aims to support industrial SMEs in the adoption of cybersecurity measures and takes three fundamental aspects into account: talent, supply chain protection and incident management.
ZIUR contemplates a series of objectives in its new Strategic Plan that focus on supporting industrial SMEs in the adoption of cybersecurity and bringing them closer to the existing offer in this field so that they are capable of responding to computer threats. In addition, the document also reflects another series of fundamental challenges such as the promotion and attraction of talent, the protection of the supply chain and the need for SMEs to establish an incident management plan so that cybersecurity becomes a more corporate process.
The Gipuzkoa Industrial Cybersecurity Centre, created in 2019, has already become a benchmark for the sector in the territory. So much so that in 2021 nearly 500 industrial companies participated in one of the initiatives organized by ZIUR.
The rise of remote work, driven by the pandemic, has had a direct impact on the cybersecurity of companies and hacker attacks have multiplied. The advice, analysis and awareness-raising work carried out by ZIUR is decisive in reinforcing the protective shield of companies against cyber-attacks in the industrial environment.
ZIUR Fundazioa is one of the reference centers created by the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council within the framework of the Etorkizuna Eraikiz initiative to respond to the future challenges of the territory in collaboration with the private sector, companies, universities and technology centres. In the case of ZIUR, out of concern for industrial cybersecurity, work is being done to strengthen the competitiveness and international positioning of industrial companies and, at the same time, promote the development of the technology sector in Gipuzkoa.
Advice, tests and self-diagnosis
In 2021, it advised 40 companies on how to approach their security needs on the Internet and organized training workshops in which around 100 professionals participated. In addition, another 110 industries used the self-diagnosis tool, available through the website 'https://diagnostikoa.ziur.eus/', to make a real assessment of their cybersecurity capabilities.
Likewise, the industrial cybersecurity laboratory, inaugurated in 2021, has allowed numerous cybersecurity tests to be carried out on components, systems, processes and different technologies in the industrial field. This laboratory has the most advanced technology and is available to companies: it is open to collaboration with different agents from the industrial and technological sector in order to carry out pilot and R&D projects, test solutions from different manufacturers , analyze products, components or systems, give training workshops, etc.
In addition, the ZIUR observatory carries out analyzes and reports on cybersecurity risks and threats for the industrial sector in Gipuzkoa. Last year, eight reports were published with data and recommendations on issues such as incident response, threat intelligence in the industrial sector, or management of external providers. The more than 200 downloads of these reports reflect their interest among managers and managers of Gipuzkoan SMEs.
All ZIUR activity is also available through an App launched last November and used to disseminate report and analysis results, alerts, awareness campaigns, events and news related to cybersecurity.
Attacks rise due to the increase in teleworking
The director of ZIUR, Koldo Peciña, considers that "ZIUR's activity in the field of industrial cybersecurity has had a particularly positive impact in the last year". In this context, he highlights the increase in attack cases derived from the increase in teleworking driven by the pandemic. For this reason, Peciña assures, the center has carried out a special task of disseminating recommendations and procedures so that companies can have the mechanisms of teleworking and remote access of suppliers correctly secured. “Impersonation attacks to intervene in the payment of bills and ransomware, (hijacking of data and information from a company) have put some companies in a delicate situation, despite the fact that we are seeing that awareness and awareness is growing, and many companies are improving their cybersecurity processes,” he says.
Over the past year, ZIUR has strengthened its alliances in the educational environment with the University of the Basque Country, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, and professional training centers, such as Zubiri Manteo or Easo Politeknikoa, to promote training in cybersecurity.
Along with all this, ZIUR has participated in different professional events in Europe, reinforcing its profile as a center of recognized experience in industrial cybersecurity, opening new spaces for collaboration with leading agents in the sector.
Since its opening, in 2019, ZIUR has collaborated with nearly 800 industrial companies, associations, agents in the field of cybersecurity, public bodies and educational centers, and has established itself as a trusted ally for the Gipuzkoan industry in terms of cybersecurity.