Our next speaker, she will talk about Telco security landscape and strategies in Europe. I would like to invite Silvia Presello on stage and for clicking forward, please use this here. Okay. Thank you very much. Perfect. Hi everyone. I'm Silvia Presello, Lead Analyst at GSMA Intelligence, the research and consulting arm of GSMA. Today I will present a preview from our Telco security landscape and strategy Europe report.
So did you know 65% of operators that we have surveyed in Europe have experienced some sort of security breach over the last three years, with the main impact being data theft and data loss. This report is the last report of a series of five reports focusing on the Telco treat landscape and strategy. These five reports have a regional focus. You will be able to download this report on our website. All these are public research and we are going to publish the Telco cybersecurity report today. For this cybersecurity research project, we have adopted a multi-phase approach.
We have surveyed 120 operators globally. We have leveraged third party data sources, our GSMA Intelligence database, and we have conducted several operators interviews. So increasing connections, increasing mobile connection, especially those on 5G, increasing IoT connections, network software virtualization, network supplier diversity, and advancement in the so-called emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing will create great opportunity for operators' business growth, social and economic advancement, digital transformation.
However, this will create also fertile ground for cyber threats and cyber criminals. Network security is a top investment priority for European operators. On average, European operators invest between 10% and 20% of the network OPEX in cybersecurity. This spending is driven by a rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape, increasing attack surface, but also by the demand for higher security level coming from policymakers and customers, especially enterprise customers. So it's very essential for operators to stay ahead of the security curve. But let's take a look to the threat landscape.
So spam calls are a global problem. During the first half of 2024, our data partner, Haya, has identified around 20 billion on spam calls.
In Europe, on average, a mobile user receives one fraudulent call and two nuisance calls a month. However, there is a lot of variation within the region, with some countries, mobile users in some countries, being more exposed to spam calls than mobile users in other countries. France and Italy are the top two countries where mobile users are exposed to spam calls. On average, a mobile user in France receives five fraudulent calls and 20 nuisance calls a month. Robocalling and caller ID spoofing have worsened this problem.
However, addressing caller ID spoofing can greatly address the problem and decrease the problem of fraudulent calls. We asked operators in Europe to rank the top three cyber threats impacting mobile network. We found out that the top three cyber threats impacting mobile network in Europe are phishing, smishing, ransomware, and a bit farther down the list, but still concerning, supply chain attacks. Supply chain attacks can spread phishing, smishing, and ransomware like wildfire. These cyber threats are set to increase and intensify over the next three years.
However, by understanding the prevalence of these threats, operators and the wide industry can prioritize their defense strategies. For example, to counter phishing, smishing, and ransomware, operators can implement regular software updating, patching, staff training, and staff vetting. In addition, to secure the supply chains, to increase the defense of the supply chain, operators can leverage a wide industry tool, which is the GSMA framework. Under this assurance globally recognized scheme, network equipment vendors and their product are independently tested and audited.
Let's take a look at the network security regulatory landscape. Over the next three years, 100% all operators in Europe survey believe that the network security regulatory landscape in Europe will become either more stricter or significantly more stricter, which is an incredible result because we have hundreds of operators in Europe reply to this. By complying to more stringent regulation, operators can position themselves as leaders in the industry and as a trusted partner.
More stricter regulation, operators' compliance will enable a digital safer environment in Europe and will push digital transformation further. In front of more stricter regulation, ensuring that network equipment complies with the regulatory requirement can be achieved by leveraging the GSMA-NISA scheme. The GSMA-NISA scheme is a universal industry standard for network security. It is unbiased and it complies with the tech neutrality principle. It aligns with the regulatory requirements on network security. Industry stakeholders can all benefit from the GSMA-NISA scheme policy makers.
Network equipment vendors, by leveraging the scheme, can appear on the vendor list, providing assurance to policy makers and customers that their products comply with security measures. Network equipment vendors under the GSMA-NISA scheme don't need to test their network equipment products in each market, as one audit does it all. When mobile operators leverage the GSMA-NISA scheme, they can increase their confidence in the network equipment, they can gain instant visibility on the security level of network equipment products and vendors, and they can reduce their own security testing.
Hyperscalers can also leverage the GSMA-NISA scheme. By leveraging this scheme, hyperscalers can lead by example, can provide assurance that the network equipment, that security is embedded in network equipment from the beginning design phase to the deployment phase, are also likely, more likely to attract and host sensitive application on their platform. Security by design approach and treat intelligent sharing are the key security strategy areas to increase network defense for European operators.
The security by design principle is also embedded in the GSMA-NISA framework, while the mobile cybersecurity knowledge base operates on the principle of sharing, threat sharing, mitigation strategy sharing. The mobile cybersecurity knowledge base is another GSMA industry-wide tool that operators and stakeholders in the industry can leverage to increase their network defense. But let's take a look to the knowledge base. To build the knowledge base, GSMA has conducted comprehensive threat analysis involving industry experts, including mobile network operators, vendors, service providers.
It has also leveraged public resources such as the 3GPP, NISA and NIST. According to the mobile cybersecurity knowledge base, security, 5G cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. What does it mean? It means they're not just network equipment vendors, some mobile operators are responsible to ensure 5G security, but also service providers, enterprise verticals, standards organization and government regulators. The mobile cybersecurity knowledge base provides a layer model. For each layer, a certain stakeholder is responsible to ensure security.
For example, network equipment vendors are responsible to ensure product security. Service providers and application developers are responsible to ensure application security. The mobile cybersecurity knowledge base is an industry effort. It provides an in-depth analysis of the threat landscape, as well as mitigation strategies, security baseline and best practices. It is continuously updated and operators and stakeholders in the industry can leverage its resources. Most of the resources are publicly available, with a few resources restricted to GSMA members.
To conclude, phishing, smishing, ransomware and supply chain attacks are the top main threat impacting mobile networks in Europe. These threats are set to increase within the next three years. Mobile operators and the wide industry will face increasing cyber threats and more stricter network regulation.
To better navigate and create a safer digital environment, mobile operators and stakeholders in the industry can leverage some of the GSMA wide industry tools, such as the mobile cybersecurity knowledge base to better understand the threat landscape, to better understand some of the mitigation strategies, security baseline and best practices, and the GSMA NISAS framework. Under the GSMA NISAS framework, which is an internationally recognized security scheme, network equipment vendors and their products are independently tested and audited. Thank you very much.
From me, it's all. Perfect. Thank you very much, Sylvia, for this great insight into one of the most important things of the supply chain, the network, the underlying network layer. I think it's true, Mr. Professor from the university, right? Perfect. Any questions from the audience to Sylvia, as now is the chance we have two minutes left for something or anything to add from you and Sylvia? Maybe what is a good starting point for an organization to jump into that framework?
Well, so this framework really helps. So basically through this framework, but also through our presentation, we want to help not just mobile network operators to increase their network security, but also the wider industry. Both the GSMA NISAS framework can be leveraged by operators, network equipment vendors, policy makers.
Similar, the mobile cybersecurity knowledge base are two very important tools that stakeholders can leverage to increase their network security posture. Perfect. Thank you again. Clap your hands. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you.
