Tag Archive for: Digitisation

TIBER-DE
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TIBER-DE | Increasing the cyber resilience of the financial system

Digiti­sation of the financial sector — Chances & cyber risks

The increasing digital­i­sation of the financial sector not only provides new oppor­tu­nities, but also leads to increased cyber risks. In particular, attacks on the financial system can have serious conse­quences not only for the affected company, but also for the entire public. For this reason, the central banks of the European System of Central Banks have already launched the TIBER-EU (Threat Intel­li­gence-based Ethical Red Teaming) programme in 2018. TIBER-EU serves as a framework for threat-based penetration tests.

In the summer of 2019, the Deutsche Bundesbank and the German Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) decided to implement TIBER-DE as a national framework for financial companies to test their own resis­tance to cyber attacks. This imple­mention has now taken place.

To whom is TIBER-DE addressed?

TIBER-DE partic­u­larly addresses critical companies in the financial sector, such as large banks and insurance companies and their IT service providers and payment service providers. In its TIBER imple­men­tation, the Deutsche Bundesbank empha­sises that the purpose of conducting TIBER-DE tests is to “establish a network of national companies belonging to the target group in order to improve the cyber-resis­tance of the financial sector in a sustainable and cooper­ative way, together and by conducting TIBER-DE tests.

What happens in a TIBER-DE test?

In a TIBER-DE test, commis­sioned hackers (“Red Team”) use infor­mation from a threat intel­li­gence provider (“spy”) to test the cyber resis­tance of a company. The primary goal is to identify security gaps in the production systems (“critical functions”) within the framework of an attack scenario that is as real as possible. The TIBER-DE test consists of three phases, which are presented here in a shortened form:

  • In the prepa­ration phase the initi­ation, the kick-off, the deter­mi­nation of the test scope and the procurement takes place. In particular, the corre­sponding contracts with all parties involved are concluded, the test scope is deter­mined and the financial super­visory authority is informed about the intended TIBER-DE test.
  • In the test phase, infor­mation on the threat situation is collected and the Red Team penetration test is conducted on the basis of the previ­ously defined test scope.
  • Finally, the final phase includes the prepa­ration of the test reports, a replay and feedback, a remedi­ation plan for found vulner­a­bil­ities as well as a final report and the attes­tation including the transfer of results.

Risks of the TIBER-DE Test

The TIBER-DE test targets the productive systems with the “critical functions” of an institute in order to realis­ti­cally evaluate their cyber-resis­tance. However, this is also accom­panied by risks, e.g. regarding the confi­den­tiality, integrity or avail­ability of the data or systems. In any case, the institute has to perform a detailed risk analysis and take appro­priate measures to minimise the risks before a TIBER-DE test is performed.

Furthermore, companies are confronted with organ­i­sa­tional, technical and data protection challenges. Critical business processes have to be identified, defensive measures have to be estab­lished and documented. In addition, TIBER-DE tests must be coordi­nated with the various stake­holders concerned, e.g. service providers. Furthermore, a confi­den­tiality oblig­ation must be observed by all parties.

Currently the partic­i­pation in TIBER-DE tests is based on a voluntary basis. Along with the not incon­sid­erable risks this seems to be the reason for the hesitation to perform a TIBER-DE test.

Team up for a successful TIBER-DE test

The experts of SRC can prepare a TIBER test together with you. This includes the company-wide scoping of the critical business processes to be tested and support in estab­lishing compliant reporting channels and processes to control and execute TIBER tests. This means that the internal prepa­ra­tions are now in place to have a TIBER-compliant penetration test performed by a service provider. With the experience gained from countless penetration tests, bank compliance and infor­mation security management projects, we are happy to support you through the entire process of a TIBER test.

IT Sicherheit in Krankenhäusern
Janine Wolff

How secure is IT in our hospitals?

Digiti­sation poses IT security challenges for hospitals

Cloud computing, networked commu­ni­cation, virtual teamwork — digiti­sation offers hospitals and other healthcare facil­ities enormous potential for optimi­sation. The effects on the profitability of medical facil­ities and on patient care are sustainably positive. If it weren’t for IT security. How well protected are healthcare networks? Can sensitive data be lost during trans­mission or in the course of collab­o­ration? Or even worse: be inter­cepted? Can IT security in hospitals keep pace with the tempo of digitalisation?

Protection of sensitive patient infor­mation is required

If one thinks about the most sensitive data of a society, then patient infor­mation certainly belongs to it. The need for protection is therefore partic­u­larly high. In the meantime, the legis­lator has also recog­nised this and created a clear legal situation. At the latest, IT security in the healthcare sector will become a playing field for liability risks and claims for damages. This is why IT security is a top priority in hospitals. Several hospitals have already painfully discovered that absolute security can hardly be achieved. In particular, the attack with the ransomware “Wannacry” in 2017 had an enormous impact on hospital IT worldwide. Exami­na­tions had to be postponed, opera­tions had to be cancelled and the financial damage was immense.

The electronic patient file, telemed­icine and cross-sector infor­mation logistics make it extremely demanding to manage data securely. But IT security is no longer just a technical issue. It also concerns the awareness of the employees, the inten­sified data protection and the growing require­ments of the legis­lator. Examples are the Medical Devices Ordinance (MDR) and the audits according to § 8a of the BSI Act.

SRC expert Dr. Deniz Ulucay talks to the KU Gesund­heits­man­agement Magazine

In an interview with Birgit Sander, editor of KU Gesund­heits­man­agement Magazine, Dr. Deniz Ulucay, SRC expert for IT security in healthcare, gives detailed insights into potential threat scenarios and adequate defense strategies. The title of the article asks: “How secure is IT in our hospitals? It can be downloaded here (German).

Tag Archive for: Digitisation