News archive

30.04.2020 - The 30th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) addresses the most important cyberincidents of the second half of 2019 both in Switzerland and abroad. The latest report focuses on handling personal data on the internet and the problems involved.

29.10.2020 - The 31st semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) addresses the most important cyberincidents of the first half of 2020 both in Switzerland and abroad. The current report focuses on the coronavirus pandemic.

14.03.2020 - Since Friday lunchtime (13 March 2020), cybercriminals have been exploiting public anxiety related to the coronavirus. They are attempting to spread malware using emails purporting to be from the FOPH. The Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance MELANI is therefore warning the public. Delete such emails immediately.

19.02.2020 - In recent weeks, MELANI / GovCERT has dealt with more than a dozen ransomware cases in which unknown perpetrators encrypted the systems of Swiss SMEs and large companies and rendered them unusable. The attackers made ransom demands of several tens of thousands of Swiss francs, in some cases even millions.

29.10.2019 - The 29th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) addresses the most important cyberincidents of the first half of 2019 both in Switzerland and abroad. The main focus of the current report is cyberattacks with encryption Trojans, which caused considerable damage worldwide during the first half of the year.

09.05.2019 - Since the beginning of 2019, there is an increase of reports from SMEs and larger companies in Switzerland and abroad which have been attacked by ransomware. In some cases the attackers were able to encrypt the backup as well.

IoT devices can be misused to a large extent for cyber attacks, successful blackmail attempts (e.g. fake sextortion) as well as money transfer fraud with Office 365 access data and the main topic "Dealing with purchased risks in hardware and software". The 28th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI) published on 30 April 2019 deals with the most important cyber incidents of the second half of 2018 in Switzerland and abroad.

Blackmailers claim in an email to have access to computers and webcams and threaten to publish pictures and videos with sexual content if no ransom is paid. This scam is called fake sextortion and typically requires payment in bitcoins. With the help of this fraud method, over the past six months criminals have obtained bitcoins worth approximately CHF 360,000 in spite of the small sums demanded. As long as the victims pay the ransom, this procedure will be invigorated and will continue to be used. Help stop this scam and refrain from paying any ransom. On the website www.stop-sextortion.ch, which was launched by the authorities today, you can find information and report fake sextortion emails.

08.11.2018 - The 27th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI), published on 8 November 2018, addresses the most important cyber incidents of the first half of 2018 both in Switzerland and abroad. The key topic is dedicated to the vulnerabilities in hardware. The focus is also on targeted malware attacks, for which the name of the Spiez Laboratory was misused, as well as various data leaks and the problem of multiple use of a password.

26.04.18 - The 26th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI), published on 26 April 2018, addresses the most important cyber incidents of the second half of 2017 both in Switzerland and abroad. Among other things, the focus is on the widespread use of crimeware and attacks on industrial control systems in the medical technology sector. The spate of data leaks and their repercussions are examined in the main topic.

20.04.2017 - The 24th semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI), published on 20 April, addresses the most important cyber incidents of the second half of 2016 both in Switzerland and abroad. The focal point of the report is the internet of things, which is becoming increasingly significant.

The 23rd semi-annual report of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI), published today, highlights the main national and international cyber incidents of the first half of 2016. In its key topic, the report analyses the increased numbers of attacks using cyberextortion. The report also focuses on various data leaks.

23.05.16 - The Reporting and Analysis Center for Information Assurance (MELANI) was tasked by the Federal Council to produce a report about the technical findings concerning the RUAG Incident. It is targeted towards network security professionals and is meant to support those responsible for security identifying risks within their own networks, as well as implementing additional security measures.

19.05.16 - Together with partners, the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance MELANI is organising an awareness day for ransomware today. The participants include organisations from various sectors, software manufacturers, federal offices and a range of Swiss associations and consumer protection organisations.