Belgian Government launches Cyberscan to protect small businesses from cybercrime

On Wednesday, the Federal Public Service of Belgium launched Cyberscan, a tool that raises awareness and advises SMEs, micro-enterprises and the self-employed about cybersecurity.

More and more companies are becoming victims of a cyber attack. Almost a quarter (21 percent) of Belgian SMEs have already experienced an IT security incident. As they evolve towards a more digital way of working, including e-commerce, social networks and electronic invoicing, a cyber attack makes them extra vulnerable. Cyberscan, provided by the government, is a self-assessment tool that gives companies practical advice on how to better protect themselves against a possible cyber attack.

Using Cyberscan, companies can estimate their exposure to cybersecurity risks by answering 20 questions among which inventory, analysis, defense system, storing, updating etc.

After the self-assessment, the company receives a series of personalized tips based on their answers, as well as standard templates for documents and checklists. This allows the company to implement the recommended measures necessary to ensure security and business continuity in the event of a cyber attack.

“Companies participating in the scan will be made aware of the risks associated with cyber-attacks and the application of data protection rules,” said David Clarinval, federal minister for the self-employed and SMEs. “The digitization of our economy and the international context as we know it today only amplifies the increased need for such a self-assessment tool. I therefore invite our self-employed and SMEs to use it on the website of the FPS Economy.”