Q1/2020 - Charter of Trust

In the margins of the Security Conference, the “Charter of Trust” celebrated the 2nd anniversary of its signing. Particularly acknowledged was the progress made in the practical implementation of the ten principles, especially in the fields of education and hardening of delivery chain security. According to Bitkom President Achim Berg, the concern of the Charter was more topical than ever in 2020. “The scope and quality of attacks on companies have increased dramatically,” he said. “The recreational hackers of the past have developed into well-equipped and technologically often highly skilled cyber gangs – sometimes with state resources to rely on.” Infineon, NTT and Hasso Plattner Institute have joined the Charter as new members^[1].

In view of a growing number and increasing scope of cyber attacks on private and business online communication in the wake of the Coronavirus crisis, the “Charter of Trust” network initiated by Siemens published eight guidelines how to work securely from home on 26 March 2020 with reference to Article 6 of the Charter (Education).

1. Bring home only the devices and information that are absolutely necessary,
2. Safeguard your home network and communicate via secure connections,
3. Keep the software on all your devices up to date,
4. Switch off voice-controlled smart devices at your home workstation and cover the webcam when you’re not using it;
5. Don’t mix personal and business use of devices,
6. Proactively identify all participants in online meetings,
7. Log off when you stop using your devices and store them securely und
8. Be extremely wary of suspicious e-mails or attachments, particularly if you don’t know the sender^[2].