Security can be viewed from two perspectives: that of the defenders or the attackers. Defenders take security measures to protect themselves against attacks, while attackers do everything they can to overcome the security measures.

There is currently an imbalance, as professional attackers are currently operating very successfully. This is primarily due to the fact that companies are generally still inadequately secured. The security mechanisms currently in use at the various levels are generally neither effective nor comprehensive enough to offer adequate and throrough protection. Something needs to change here, because successful attacks cause damage that threatens the very existence of companies.

The security situation is getting worse every year, increasing the risk of damage for all companies and organisations. Although new security technologies are constantly being developed, it has not yet been possible to counteract this negative trend.

Consequently, the conclusion can only be that something fundamental must change in security in order to stop this trend and realise the digital future.

The question is, what approach can help to improve the security situation. As eco, we are trying to make our contribution through appropriate measures, initiatives and our Competence Groups.

Service-Meister

As part of the continuation of the Service-Meister project, various workshops discussed the ideas and necessities of AI security. How can training data be prevented from being manipulated to produce false results? What needs to be done to ensure that deliberately manipulated input data does not lead to different results? The topic of the trustworthiness of AI manufacturers and AI solutions was also addressed.

Digital identities

The topic of digital identities also played an important role in 2023. The Gaia-X Federation Services were presented and discussed at the Gaia-X event in Berlin. The aim is to make the data infrastructure secure, open and transparent.

Prof. Dr. Norbert Pohlmann
eco Board Member for IT Security