Cybersecurity is no longer optional
Increasingly formidable and organised like clockwork, it's a fact that attackers are becoming more numerous and more agile, that they are becoming more professional and are all too often one step ahead of the defenders. The first step in cybersecurity is, therefore, to identify the threats and draw up an appropriate security policy. These threats may target hardware, networks, operating systems, applications or even users themselves.
Having in-depth knowledge of how a system can be attacked is, of course, a major advantage when it comes to putting protection mechanisms in place.
Another vital step in raising collective awareness is continuing to train users in cybersecurity.
This awareness ranges from strengthening authentication and identity and access management to the notion of confidentiality of information and anticipating risks.
Cybersecurity: a strategic issue
‘Cybersecurity is essential to the sovereignty of States, the long-term development of businesses and the safety of citizens, and is a major challenge for the 21st century,’ said Bruno Le Maire, French Minister for the Economy, Finance and Economic Recovery.
This is why, as part of the France Recovery Plan, the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) has been allocated €166 million to strengthen the cybersecurity of the State and its territories over the period from 2023-2025. The main objective is to sustainably raise the level of cybersecurity of the State, local authorities and organisations serving citizens, while developing the French cybersecurity industrial fabric.
Another of the plan's priorities is to transform the economy by investing in the most promising areas to support the French economy:
- Positioning France at the forefront of international competition, in particular, by doubling the number of jobs in the cyber sector and structuring it.
- Stimulating cyber research and industrial innovation by prioritising certain issues of sovereignty, in particular, those linked to the protection of scientific and technical heritage (universities, research laboratories).
