ING becomes first bank in Europe to launch training platform to combat cybercrime

Tuesday 9 November 2021 - Brussels - ING is proud to announce a unique partnership in the fight against cybercrime. ING, Microsoft and the Open Web Application Security Project^® (OWASP) are set to launch a common digital platform aimed at training future experts in IT risks and security. The platform will go live in early 2022 with the support of the Open Source Security Foundation (OSSF). The aim of this initiative is to remedy the structural shortage of skilled labour in the domain which, according to a recent study, impacts 57% of organisations in Belgium. The partnership was announced at the “Risk & Security in the New Normal” conference in the presence of Minister for Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne.

Cybercrime currently affects all private and public organisations. The number of computer viruses and cyber-attacks has never been higher. Banking sector statistics showed that some 67,000 fraudulent phishing transactions were perpetrated in Belgium in 2020 at a cost of 34 million euros.¹

The impact of this scourge weighs on the entire economy.

“The financial cost of cybercrime is no longer just impacting businesses but the global economy. Different sources estimate the cost of online crime on global GDP at USD 1 trillion,”Philippe Ledent, economist at ING in Belgium

ING becomes the first bank in Europe to launch a training platform

In order to fight this form of crime, organisations need IT risk and security specialists. However, a recent study^[2] has revealed that 57% of organisations face a shortage of skilled personnel in this domain. Three quarters (76%) of professionals questioned also mentioned having persistent difficulties in hiring qualified profiles. It is in this urgent context that ING, Microsoft and OWASP have decided to join forces to launch a series of training courses aimed at preparing future IT risk and security experts to anticipate and counter cyber-attacks. This will take the form of a shared training platform to be launched by all 3 partners in early 2022. Based on an open source infrastructure developed by OSSF, the platform will be universally accessible. The content of the training tool will be designed by the partners themselves based on their experience and needs. Virtual classes will be supplemented with videos and assessments will be carried out at regular intervals throughout the course.

“In recent years, we have seen an exponential increase in the various forms of cybercrime. And the coronavirus pandemic has only served to accelerate this trend. The police and the courts, citizens, businesses and the banking sector must work together to fight cybercriminals on all fronts. We are providing additional specialist personnel at the disposal of the justice system and the police and are investing in the tools required to track down and prosecute these criminals more effectively. It is a good thing that companies like ING, Microsoft and OWASP are also standing up to the plate. It means we’ll be able to better arm citizens and businesses against online crime,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne

“As a bank, our role is to protect our data and those of our customers against cybercrime and fraud. However, the problem today goes well beyond the banking sector and affects all private and public sectors. This is why the talent war must give way to a common fight against cybercrime. We are therefore very proud to announce that ING is the first bank in Europe to launch an online programme to train IT risk and security experts,”Rik Bobaaers, Chief Information Security Officer at ING Belgium

Candidates must pass an examination in order to complete the course successfully. Once certified, the trained experts will form part of a "common pool" of qualified resources which any organisations can draw on.

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More information

• Press department - Renaud Dechamps, spokesperson for ING in Belgium
  • [email protected]
  • + 32 497 47 16 04

About d'ING

ING Belgium is a universal bank that provides financial services for private individuals, businesses and institutional customers. ING Belgium S.A./nv is a subsidiary of ING Group N.V. via ING Bank N.V. (www.ing.com).
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​ING is a global financial institution with a strong European base, offering banking services through its operating company ING Bank. The purpose of ING Bank is to empower people to stay a step ahead in life and in business. ING Bank’s more than 57,000 employees offer retail and wholesale banking services to customers in over 40 countries.

ING Group shares are listed on the Amsterdam (INGA NA, INGA.AS), Brussels and New York (ADRs: ING US, ING.N) stock exchanges.Sustainability forms an integral part of ING’s strategy, evidenced by ING’s leading position in sector benchmarks by Sustainalytics and MSCI and our ‘A-list’ rating by CDP. ING Group shares are included in major sustainability and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) index products of leading providers STOXX, Morningstar and FTSE Russell. In January 2021, ING received an ESG evaluation score of 83 ('strong') from S&P Global Ratings.

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¹ Source: https://www.febelfin.be/fr/communique-de-presse/phishing-en-2020-les-chiffres.

²Study carried out in early 2021 by the Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) and ISSA (Information Systems Security Association): https://2ll3s9303aos3ya6kr1rrsd7-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/ESG-ISSA-Research-Report-Life-of-Cybersecurity-Professionals-Jul-2021.pdf.