Switzerland to tighten up defences against cyber attacks

Several key Swiss infrastructure targets have been hacked. Keystone / Lino Mirgeler

The Swiss government wants to beef up the country’s defences against cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.

In the future, the Federal Council wants the power to ban purchases from suppliers of IT solutions that are considered problematic for Switzerland’s security.

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On Friday, the government commissioned the responsible communications ministry to submit a draft revision of the Telecommunications Act. In short, the security of telecommunications systems and digital infrastructures in Switzerland should be increased.

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The Federal Council wrote in a report that the geopolitical risks associated with digital infrastructures are high despite measures that have already been taken. Many processes today ran over digital networks and systems that had security gaps or could be the target of cyberattacks.

The EU should serve as a model for the additional measures. There have recently been security concerns in EU countries, particularly with regard to the technology of the Chinese Huawei group.

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