A campaign must be launched for 5G in order to eliminate the arguments of the conspiracy theorists, said the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiadis, adding that some "instead of watching the evolution of technology and enjoying the fruits of modern media are haunted by ideas, conspiracies, as a result of which they often react in a criminal and illegal way ".
President Anastasiadis, who received today, at the Presidential Palace, the annual report of the Commissioner for Regulation of Communications, George Michailidis, as well as his report on the Digital Security Authority regarding cybersecurity expressed satisfaction with the work of the Office of the Commissioner which is "crucial for the modernization of internet speeds", noting that we are already in the process of bidding for 5G.
He also expressed satisfaction that CYTA has adopted the acceleration of its programming "so that we have the best potential", while in the field of cyber security he said that today it is one of the most important defense weapons in a hybrid war, in what is recorded and are observed ".
He added that "for 5G, a campaign should be made by providers and by you in order to nullify the arguments of the conspiracy theorists".
"It is well known the opposition and the ideas of some who, unfortunately, instead of watching the evolution of technology and enjoying the fruits of modern media are haunted with ideas, with conspiracies, as a result of which they often react in a criminal and illegal way." , he said.
Presenting the reports in digital form, Mr. Michailidis said, among other things, that tools were developed for higher speeds on the internet.
He also referred to the upgraded work of CYTA, as well as the upgrading of the security framework of the infrastructure of the Republic of Cyprus in matters of cyber security.
He added that security measures for 5G have been issued, while referring to the steps to make Cyprus a regional Cyber Security Certification Center.
In his subsequent statements, Mr. Michailidis stated that "we have made the security framework for 5G, ie what measures should be taken by the providers to ensure the security of the information that will circulate within this new infrastructure".
He explained that 5G is not the next generation of 4G but an infrastructure that will change our way of life as we talk about smart cities, new services, tasks that are not on our lists.
He pointed out that the economy and security of citizens will depend on 5G, so it must be ensured that information is circulated in the most secure way. "This is our responsibility in relation to 5G," he noted.
Asked to say how close we are to the full operation of 5G in Cyprus, Mr. Michailidis pointed out that there is a process to give the frequencies and it is in the plans of the various providers for when this will happen.
Asked about the issue of world health security in relation to 5G, Mr. Michailidis said that there are studies adopted by the EU. He said that the European Commission presents studies that do not seem to have any issues.
Asked if the cyber attacks have increased during the coronavirus period, Mr. Michailidis said that in terms of critical infrastructure there was no significant increase but in terms of citizens the numbers were much higher, as with the use of phishing emails, to extract information.
Asked if Cyprus is receiving cyber-attacks from Turkish hackers, the Commissioner said what he wanted to assure was that any attacks were carried out by anyone and an attempt was made to determine which groups were carrying out these attacks, not only from Turkey but and from other countries.
He explained that one could be in one country and make the attack appear to be from another country. "We are receiving attacks from many countries and not only from Turkey," he added.
Asked which service receives the most attacks, he said critical infrastructure is always a target for all hackers.
Asked about the increased use of technology due to telework, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Michailidis said that at the level of communications it should be ensured that the network and infrastructure will withstand the additional burden due to telework.
In terms of infrastructure, there is no problem since we had gone two or three times over the usual use and the networks endured, he said.
On the issue of security, he said that even there they tried to help by giving instructions on how workers work in critical infrastructure and what security measures they should take, so that there is some risk.
He said that the general public should also be careful, because now "is the period when hackers are living a dream", because now everyone is online and trying to unite with services. That's why there are more challenges for the operator in dealing with any attacks or ways by hackers to extract information, he noted.
Source: KYPE