FOREWORD BY THE DIRECTOR OF THE NÚKIB Dear reader, You are now presented with the 2020 Report on Cyber Security. It is needless to point out the many twists and turns the Czech Republic and the whole world went through that year. Yet I would still like to mention what the global pandemic has meant for cyber security. considerably stricter security requirements. At the same time, they have the opportunity to use broader services ranging from vulnerability scanning to penetration testing and other activities we offer regulated entities free of charge. Last year showed us all that the limits of what can be moved to cyberspace are far beyond what we previously imagined. Moreover, the transition has revealed how much we depend on information and communication technologies. Furthermore, we have introduced several training courses for both the public and employees of essen­ tial institutions. People are the weakest link in cyber security, and they need to be aware of the risks looming in cyberspace. IT and cyber security experts have been drawing atten­ tion to this dependency for many years. It was not until last year, though, as the Internet became the only place where many people could work, close deals, hold talks, and keep in touch with loved ones, that we realised how overwhelming this reliance truly was. Other unequivocal successes include the approval of two documents critical for developing the cyber security of the Czech Republic and the NÚKIB itself. Had it not been for them and the related collaboration, this 2020 Report on Cyber Security would not have seen the light of day. Nor, most importantly, could cyber security in the Czech Republic have been assured. Let us see this situation as an opportunity. The virus has helped us do what we had not been able to do ourselves: it persuaded the majority of society that cyber security, and the principles of proper conduct in cyberspace per se, are of concern to all of us. The following texts and statistics indicate that cyberspace is not a safe place. No one can be unaware of the ran­ somware attacks that paralysed, among others, the Uni­ versity Hospital Brno during the onset of the pandemic, causing hundreds of millions of crowns of damage. Our statistics also show that the number of attacks has been growing, and more and more institutions – take local authorities as an example – have been falling victim to such attacks. The National Cyber and Information Security Agency (hereinafter the ‘NÚKIB’) worked to give all possible assistance to the affected entities and protect others the attacks could also impact. Let me mention, inter alia, a reactive measure for selected healthcare entities fol­ lowed by a warning issued for the same group of recipi­ ents. We also prepared many supporting materials that anyone may use free of charge to secure their systems. We drafted changes in legislation, effective since Jan­ uary this year, especially for the healthcare sector. As a consequence, significantly more hospitals must meet The first document is the National Cyber Security Strat­ egy, which establishes the direction of activities for the agency and all subjects involved in cyber security assur­ ance in the Czech Republic for the following five years. The other crucial document is the NÚKIB Development Concept, which sets out how the institution will de­ velop going forward, the capacities we would like to have in the future and, last but not least, how much it will all cost. I am very pleased that the work on this document has been completed. The NÚKIB is still a new institution, and so a clear definition of its future development is vital. Regarding the international scene, I would like to em­ phasise the 2nd Prague 5G Security Conference held under the auspices of the Czech Prime Minister and attended by many important foreign guests. The developments last year showed us how dangerous cyberspace can be yet how important it is to all of us. I would like to thank all the 222 entities in various fields that filled in our questionnaires and thereby partici­ pated in preparing this 2020 Report on Cyber Security. I firmly believe that the Report will raise cyber security awareness and improve safety for everybody. Ing. Karel Řehka Foreword by the Director of the NÚKIB 2