Cybersecurity in Luxembourg: combating DDoS threats
Getty Images
Luxembourg's Cyber Emergency Plan includes innovative measures to protect against DDoS attacks, the key of which is the Scrubbing Centre. This tool is activated when threats reach a national scale and primary defence measures are insufficient. However, the use of the centre is limited: organisations are required to first implement their own security protocols.
On 23 October 2024, a DDoS attack knocked out government websites, including 112.public.lu, demonstrating the vulnerability of even protected systems. This echoed incidents that occurred earlier in March and forced authorities to review and strengthen defence mechanisms. The CTIE national operator is actively working to eliminate such threats, learning from each case.
Cyberattacks today resemble a never-ending standoff between attackers and defenders. Attackers seek to circumvent defences by introducing innovations that force cybersecurity services to constantly adapt. In this race, the CTIE regularly updates its technologies and strategies in an effort to anticipate the enemy's moves.
Luxembourg plans to expand the capabilities of the Filtering Centre to handle more sophisticated attacks, including those that occur at the application layer. These measures are aimed at preventing crises of a national scale, while maintaining a balance between transparency of actions and the need for secrecy.
