GENEVA, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss government said Thursday the country is to boost its cybersecurity in response to increasing attacks on its computer systems with the formation of a special army unit.
"The number of attacks against information systems and computer networks has increased dramatically and will continue to grow," said the government in a statement.
It said it had approved a new law coming into force on March 1 on military cyber-defense, under which the army is to get a cybersecurity unit.
"The army can also become the target of cyberattacks. That is why it needs effective instruments to protect and defend itself in cyberspace," said the statement.
The unit will consist of between 100-150 professional IT experts and 400-600 serving soldiers.
Any cybersecurity measures that require hacking into the computer systems of a third party remain subject in peacetime to government approval via the defense ministry, which has a new head Viola Amherd.
Former defense minister Guy Parmelin had wanted to dispense with government approval, but backed down following opposition from parliament, the Swiss news agency SDA-Keystone reported.
If, however, the army acts in a case of serious threat to Switzerland's security, a decision by the army chief is enough.
The new measures followed a defense ministry internal audit that said in 2017 the Swiss military was poorly equipped to deal with persistent, long-term cyber-attacks.
