BankID highlighted on first Cybersecurity Day

On 23 October, the first Cyber Security Day was held at Science Park Towers in Jönköping with the aim of raising cyber security skills and awareness. BankID was one of the topics raised at the event, which was organized by among others the School of Engineering (JTH) at Jönköping University (JU).

Around 70 participants from companies, academia and other organizations came to the Cyber Security Day. One of the speakers was Robert Carlsson, Product Manager at BankID.

- "It's great to be here and a fantastic initiative. Gaining greater knowledge of both the threats and solutions in cybersecurity and gathering around these issues is important for the whole of society. Otherwise, we stand alone against organized crime, says Robert Carlsson.

He thinks that JTH is well ahead in this area.

- "We have reached out to many universities to try to establish a dialog and cooperation, and we have received several responses from JTH, so it seems promising," says Robert Carlsson.

"Can be safe with BankID"

His message to the participants at the Cyber Security Day was to collaborate, gain knowledge and understand the threat. To users of BankID, he says that they can be safe using that service.

- What you should be aware of is if someone contacts you and asks you to transfer money using your BankID. Also remember in this context that what you see in a message or on a website when you click on links may be a facade.

Changed approach

He thinks the banks did well with the message that they don't call up their customers and ask them to use BankID. The problem was that the fraudsters then changed their approach.

- Instead of calling people, they started sending text messages saying, for example, that a sofa for SEK 45,000 was on its way to your home and that you should call them if you had any questions. Then they called the scammers themselves and the banks' message that they do not call their customers out of the window disappeared.

Robert Carlsson's advice in such a situation is to stay calm.

The only way to get scammed

- When you get stressed, you stop thinking. You see a big threat that you want to protect yourself from, but instead you get caught up in something even worse. It's not easy when the adrenaline and cortisol are flowing, but almost the only way to be fooled with BankID is if you yourself are fooled into sending your money, so try not to," says Robert Carlsson.

He says that BankID itself has introduced ID document checks and facial recognition when issuing BankID, as well as a number of technical security measures "under the shell". This type of fraud has also decreased in number.

"Concerned about small and medium-sized enterprises"

Johanna Parikka Altenstedt, who works on cybersecurity at Afry, was another speaker at the Cybersecurity Day. She mentions that the awareness around cybersecurity is getting better, but that many small and medium-sized companies are a bit worried.

- They usually don't have an internal IT department or security manager, but one or two people wearing all the hats. I can reassure them that they can start with an inventory, because often they have what is required on their premises. If you don't have it, you have to take it in order of priority, because security issues should not eat up companies' resources so that they cannot conduct their business," says Johanna Parikka Altenstedt.

She found it fun and inspiring to participate in the Cyber Security Day and to gain new insights from the other participants.

The Cyber Security Day was organized by Science Park, Jönköping University, Almi, Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and Företagarna.