Getting back on track with all there is to know about the latest state-of-play with digital skills, jobs, and technology has never been easier. The 2024 ‘State of the Digital Decade’ report came out in mid-July this year, with new, hot takes on what are the top skills to boost the continent’s digital transition even further – and may we insist, in a sustainable way. Just on time for us to bring a copy of it to read on the plane.
We hope you had a nice holiday this summer, but things haven’t really been that quiet on our end. While we did take a couple of days off, undoubtedly the scorching heat most EU Member States experienced this summer was hardly something we enjoyed. And since we almost couldn’t get to Greece (where, by the way, some of the most scorching heat was experienced) due to some tech difficulties along the way, we decided to take stock of the main lessons we learned this summer. Hint: they all have a digital flair.
‘The butterfly effect’ of the largest software crash in our history
We may be going on about this interruption to our holiday plans, but let us explain why this is so important this time round. Some records were broken, but indeed they were the *not-so-positive ones*.
An Olympic-worthy internet-breakdown
We only had to interrupt our summer break due to the largest (ever!) software crash in history. It may have been a good day for Apple users, but 8.5 million systems operating on Windows essentially crashed – with huge repercussions that ended up costing us (globally) around 10 billion. A faulty configuration update of CrowdStrike’s key software ended up being deployed, causing an issue with many organisation-owned computers and systems, with virtually all sectors affected.
In case you missed the whole saga, basically, this caused hospitals to halt non-essential surgeries and interventions due to inability to operate certain high-tech machines, manage appointments correctly, or connect to government software to process patients. It led to a ton of issues for banks and their clients, with many unable to withdraw money or perform digital transactions. Ordinary people from all over the world could neither access their bank accounts, nor reach essential public digital services, wreaking a one-day havoc on individual plans for millions.
In case you were affected, accept our sincerest condolences. The silver lining? If anything, this whole chaos made us painfully aware of the vulnerabilities of our own digital infrastructure and security systems.
Cybersecurity A to Z: let’s talk figures
We rarely think about how much from our own pockets ends up lost to cybercrime, but rest assured the amount is far from small. In fact, projections point to a worrying trend, in which the global cost of cybercrime will keep increasing to new highs between 2024 and 2029 (going up in price by more than 6 trillion euros).
By 2029, this figure will most probably stand at over 15 trillion. What is more, for the period from 2015 to 2020, global cost almost doubled to 5.5 trillion (see this infographic of the European Council on the EU cybersecurity developments for that period). In Germany alone, cybercrime in 2023 has costed the economy close to €150 billion – and this number is expected to go up further. Cyber crime is changing too – see the image ENISA, the EU Cybersecurity Agency made, which forecasts the top cyber threats in 2030 and see for your own how experts think online crime is likely to evolve.
With more than 10 terabytes of data stolen monthly, ransomware is currently one of the biggest cyber threats in the EU (and worldwide), with phishing identified as a key foundational step for these attacks, essentially making them possible. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks also rank among the highest threats. Similar trends can be observed worldwide.
“This is Ground Control to Major Tom”: a cyber-powered future for us all
Cybersecurity is a core factor for a successful digital society and economy. Fast-paced developments in key emerging technologies such as AI and digitalisation progress overall, require even more, secure infrastructure and cyber know-how – regardless of the sector we end up finding ourselves in. And legislation has tried to reflect this, too. The EU Cybersecurity Act puts forward a European cyber security certification framework for ICT products, services and processes. It also reinforces the role of ENISA, the European Agency for Cybersecurity, too. The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA), which came into force at the start of 2024, aims to safeguard consumers and businesses buying or using products or software with a digital component. And the EU Cyber Solidarity Act effectively adds another layer of resilience to our digital capabilities and infrastructures.
Policymaking goes hand in hand with financing when it comes to allocating funding to boost the digital and cyber capabilities of the continent. Just in the last 2 years, the Commission opened calls worth over €210 million under the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) for proposals to strengthen cybersecurity and digital capacities across the EU.
For about a year now, the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform is the proud home of the Cyber Skills Academy – a European policy initiative with the goal of building bridges between existing cybersecurity skills initiatives, launched as one of the main activities under the 2023 European Year of Skills. Ultimately, its long-term aim is to close the cyber security talent gap, strengthen the EU cyber workforce and boost EU competitiveness, growth and resilience.
Mind the gap! How large is Europe’s cyber lack?
Why is this necessary? Well, there is an acute shortage of digital experts in Europe, and this includes the more specialised segments of ICT, like AI, cybersecurity, and others. The EU has more than 60 000 cybersecurity companies and more than 660 centres of cybersecurity expertise, but organisations continue to experience difficulties in hiring cyber talent.
Close to half of companies surveyed in the latest Eurobarometer on Cyber Skills (May 2024), 45% of companies surveyed cited difficulty in finding qualified candidates as one of the main challenges in recruiting staff with the right cybersecurity skills. See some other reasons that made this list below.
To tackle head on this shortage, in 2023 the European Commission adopted a ‘Communication on a Cybersecurity Skills Academy’, essentially giving birth to the Cyber Skills Academy. Since March 2024, the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform hosts the Women4Cyber Network, a collaborative effort between the European Commission and the Women4Cyber Foundation, with the goal of achieving gender convergence amongst cybersecurity positions by 2030.
Together with the CyberSkills Academy, make sure you check out these specific pledges, dedicated to making the online world a safer place (and turning citizens into confident users).
Setting the record straight: key cybersecurity activities this autumn
A range of initiatives, events and activities are scheduled for this autumn as per usual fashion (if you didn’t know that October is the month the EU dedicates to cybersecurity, now you do). The European Cybersecurity Challenge, part of the EU Cybersecurity Month, takes place from 7 – 11 October 2024 in Turin, Italy.
It is jointly organised by the Italian National Cybersecurity Agency together with the Cybersecurity National Lab, with the support of ENISA – the EU Cybersecurity Agency, and the European Commission. As every year, in this edition too, teams of youngsters and promising cybersecurity talents between the ages of 14 and 24 from all over Europe will compete for the championship in a range of cyber-themed competitions and games.
The EU Cybersecurity Month is one of the largest campaigns of the European Union, bringing together millions each year in various events, throughout the month of October. Previous campaigns have focused on numerous awareness-raising cyber topics– such as the ‘’Think before U click” campaign in 2021 – against phishing, or the 2022 campaign that ran under the motto of “Be Smarter than a Hacker”. Find out more about the EU Cybersecurity Challenge and how to take part in this year’s edition here.
Not specifically focused on cybersecurity, but incorporating a range of cybersecurity-themed activities is EU Code Week, which this year runs from 14-27 October.
What started as a grassroots-based initiative quickly grew into one of the longest standing annual campaigns of the Commission – bringing a record number of participants every year in activities dedicated to fostering the development of coding and computational thinking for all.
Read more about the story of EU Code Week – we’ve highlighted its main achievements here, in our good practice section on the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform.
Further routes towards skills for cyber
If the above sparked your interest, we have good news – this was really just the tip of the iceberg. On the Digital Skills & Jobs Platform you will find a range of training opportunities on all levels, from beginner to advanced, as well as 2 learning paths (‘Cybersecurity and me: love or hate?‘, meant for those seeking introductory knowledge, and ‘Know yourself, know your enemy, and you will win the battle!’ that caters to more advanced learners).
If reading is your thing, say no more. This digital brief on cybersecurity dives deeper into the essential concepts, frameworks, and principles for a secure online environment. Additional resources and trainings remain available via the CyberSkills Academy.
Source: European Digital Skills & Jobs Platform
