Day: August 8, 2022

The biggest cybercrime problems faced by Cypriot small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the last 12 months were phishing, account takeover or impersonation attacks (16%), higher than the EU average (11%) and viruses, spyware or malicious software (excluding ransomware) (8%) at a rate lower than the EU average (14%), according to a report by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs (DG HOME) published in May, based on the results of a Eurobarometer conducted in November-December 2021 on “SMEs and Cybercrime”.

The most common way in which SMEs fall victim to cybercrime is scams and frauds (52%) with a rate that is the highest in the EU and almost double the European average of 28%, and password cracking (24%) which is the 5th highest rate in the EU where the average is 19%.

In a press release the Digital Security Authority recommends the following to all businesses:

– Beware of emails from unknown senders as well as check correctness of the email address even if the sender of the email is known. Do not open attachments or links received from unknown senders.

– Have appropriate anti-virus software installed, capable of protecting their entire network range and equipment.

– Do not disclose passwords either by telephone or by any electronic means.

– Passwords must be more than 12 characters long and contain a combination of capital letters, small letters, symbols and numbers.

– Passwords should be changed frequently.

– Use password verification (also known as two-factor authentication), adding an extra layer of security to the account in case of password theft.

– Institute control and backup and recovery procedures.

A similar survey on cybersecurity issues in business had been carried out on a national level by the Digital Security Authority in cooperation with the Cyprus Chamber Of Commerce and Industry.

The survey aimed, among other things, to assess the needs of businesses with a view to planning cybersecurity training seminars.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Poland was in June the EU member state which granted the highest number of temporary protection statuses to people fleeing Ukraine (60,125) as a consequence of Russia’s invasion, according to data published by Eurostat, the statistical service of the European Union. The total number of beneficiaries in Cyprus, excluding June for which there is no data, has been 6,575 since March

Poland granted temporary protection status to 60,125 people in June, followed by Romania (10,360), Ireland (6,985) and Bulgaria (6,920).

While the overwhelming majority of persons receiving temporary protection were Ukrainians, there were also citizens of other countries who received such status in EU Member States, e.g. 405 Russians in Poland and 2,400 Nigerians and 410 Moroccans in Portugal.

Compared with May 2022, the number of Ukrainians receiving temporary protection fell in all 19 EU Member States with available data. The largest decreases were observed in Poland (35,960 people less compared with May 2022), followed by Lithuania (13,405 less), Bulgaria (12,945 less) and Romania (10,075 less).

There were no available data for Cyprus, as well as for Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Austria. This is because the data collection is carried out on a voluntary basis, so the completeness of the data may vary.

In the months for which there was data, Cyprus granted temporary protection status to 665 persons in March, to 2,740 persons in April and to 3,170 persons in May.

Based on available data as of the end of June, Poland had a total of 1.2 million Ukrainians benefiting from temporary protection. Bulgaria (118,810 Ukrainian beneficiaries), France (64,970), Lithuania (48,960), Belgium (47,945) and Romania (43,550) were the other Member States with the highest total numbers of Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection.

The total number of beneficiaries in Cyprus, excluding June for which there is no data, has been 6,575 since March.

The highest ratio of Ukrainian citizens granted temporary protection in June 2022 was recorded in Poland (1.6 granted temporary protection per thousand inhabitants), followed by Latvia (1.5), Ireland (1.4) and Lithuania (1.3).

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The decision as to whether producers of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) have made excess profits due to the unexpected increase in the price of electricity, will be taken by the Ministry of Finance beginning of next year.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance Giorgos Pantelis, told CNA that a working group was set up between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry and the Cyprus Energy Regulatory Authority (CERA) to examine all the existing RES plans currently implemented in Cyprus and their pricing.

He noted that for now the producers’ cost is not known. “We need to have the full picture, as we only have data on the revenue of RES producers, who should also submit data on their expenses,” he said.

Pantelis explained that it will be examined and taken into account whether the RES producers had increased costs of either personnel, interest or other costs.

“We will have to wait until the end of the year to have the whole picture,” he underlined, noting that the working group will continue its work until it has all the necessary data before it.

The decision will be taken beginning of 2023, he told CNA, adding that in the event that excess profits are found, then a fee will be imposed on RES producers that will concern the year 2022.

Source: Cyprus News Agency