New agency in the works to shield Greece from cyber attacks

A national cybersecurity authority will be created with a bill to protect the public sector, as well as private companies in sectors such as the manufacturing and distribution of chemicals and food products.

The bill, which has already been introduced by Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, provides for the creation of a central public authority, in the form of a legal entity under public law, called the National Cybersecurity Authority, which until now was a directorate of the Ministry of Digital Governance and is now being upgraded to an agency. 

The impact of a cyberattack is not far removed from the everyday life of the average Greek citizen. For example, a cyberattack can hit the central processor of a large dairy company and block milk production for a few days. 

The NIS1 program, which until now has been concerned with cybersecurity, has been extended to specific sectors such as transport (for example, a hit on an airport), banking, financial market infrastructure or health. 

A European directive has now issued NIS2, which extends to many sectors and is expected to be implemented from October 2024.

From this point forward, over 2,000 organizations will be covered by cybersecurity, including the entire public sector and regions, postal and courier services, waste management, and, of course, private businesses that are involved in vital industries like chemical manufacturing, production and distribution, food production and processing, and the construction sector.

According to the guideline, medium-sized businesses with more than 50 workers and a balance sheet of more than 10 million euros are eligible. Still, it is a given that the requirements for a business to be included in cybersecurity will only broaden with time.