SMG: First Cybersecurity Day promotes exchange against cybercrime

With the SMG Cybersecurity Day, held for the first time, the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group promotes the exchange between business, politics and authorities. The aim of the event was to share insights, openly discuss challenges and jointly develop measures against cybercrime. Christoph Tonini, CEO of SMG, kicked off the event. He emphasized that trust is the foundation of digital marketplaces and that security must be continuously strengthened to ensure this. Cyber security is also a prerequisite for innovation because it creates the basis for implementing new solutions responsibly and sustainably.

SMG's practical insights into the protection of online marketplaces

The SMG Group Security, Safety and Trust team gave an insight into the interplay between technology, processes and prevention when protecting online marketplaces. Group CISO/CSO Mostafa Hassanin made it clear that cyber security is a matter for the boss. The decisive factor is not the level of investment, but maximum, risk-based and clearly prioritized protection in the right places. No matter how much is invested, there is no end state. Attackers are constantly evolving and you have to continuously improve.

The dual role of artificial intelligence was also discussed. Attacks are becoming more scalable, while at the same time AI can relieve the burden on security teams and support detection, provided it is embedded responsibly in processes. A second presentation focused on digital identity. Examples were used to show how identities and access on SMG's platforms can be protected in a more phishing-proof and context-dependent manner in order to reduce account takeovers and attempted fraud, for example through passwordless logins and registrations.

Situation from the perspective of the federal government

Florian Schütz, Director of the Federal Office for Cybersecurity (BACS), provided an overview of the current threat situation. He categorized cyber security as a task for society as a whole. With increasing digitalization, crime is also shifting into the digital space. Attacks, dependencies on infrastructures and rising security costs not only affect individual organizations, but also the resilience of the economy and society as a whole. This makes cooperation between the state, business and local institutions all the more important. Schütz cited investment in product security and high minimum standards as further levers.

Perspectives from authorities, prevention and business

In the panel discussion that followed, Florian Schütz, Fabian Ilg (Managing Director of Swiss Crime Prevention), Mostafa Hassanin and Jessica List (Chief Corporate Officer SMG) discussed key issues relating to cyber security and the roles that business, authorities, prevention actors and the media can play in this. A common denominator was found: Reaction alone is not enough - prevention must start earlier. At the same time, criminal prosecution and professional management of incidents remain crucial.

Education and comprehensibility were also emphasized: cyberattacks are often successful not because they are technically particularly complex, but because risks are misjudged in everyday digital life, reinforced by increasing AI-supported social engineering methods. The media was cited as an important multiplier for classification, everyday protection tips and reliable expert voices. At the same time, it became clear that cybersecurity requires continuous work. The protection of digital platforms is an ongoing process and requires a balance between user experience, data protection and security measures.

Mostafa Hassanin summarizes: "Cybercrime is a lucrative business model as long as the return is high and the risk is low. Prevention is therefore crucial. We need to detect attacks earlier, make monetization more difficult and raise people's awareness so that they recognize warning signals more quickly and react correctly. This is exactly what we work on every day at SMG."

SMG is further expanding the protection mechanisms on its online marketplaces through improvements in technology, processes and education. At the same time, cooperation with authorities and prevention partners is to be intensified in order to contain cyber risks even more effectively.