1,587 reports in one week: cyber security is an issue for Ticino's SMEs too
Switzerland's National Cyber Security Centre received 1,587 reports in a single week, the highest figure since at least early 2025. What it means for small businesses and public bodies, and where to start.
Switzerland's Federal Office for Cyber Security (NCSC) received 1,587 voluntary reports of cyber incidents in a single week. That is the highest weekly figure since at least the start of 2025: the previous peak of 1,353 reports, one month earlier, was exceeded by more than 17%. The figures were reported by Keystone-SDA via swissinfo.ch on 9 October 2026 and by Inside IT.
Most reports concern phishing, scams and unwanted messages. Not every report means a successful attack or actual damage. However, incidents that critical infrastructure operators have had to report since April 2025 are also rising: 173 between April and August, compared with 104 in the same period a year earlier.
The Publica case: the weak link can be a supplier
In the same days, the federal government confirmed a data leak at an external software supplier of Publica, the federal pension fund, which was attacked at the end of September. The Office of the Attorney General has opened an investigation, and Publica has informed its insured members.
The lesson for any business is simple: it was not Publica that was attacked, but one of its suppliers. The data, however, belonged to Publica and its members.
What this means for SMEs and public bodies in Ticino
According to a Deloitte study cited by Keystone-SDA, based on interviews with 281 board members, 41% of the Swiss companies surveyed have already been hit by a cyber attack, 13 percentage points more than three years ago.
For an SME, a municipality or an association, this means three concrete risks:
- More convincing phishing. The NCSC warns that criminals use artificial intelligence to make their messages more personal and credible.
- Supplier dependency. Business software, website, accounting, email: every external service that handles your data is part of your attack surface.
- Targeted malware. The NCSC reports more targeted malware attacks and notes that an infection is often not visible right away.
Five measures to take now
- Turn on two-factor authentication for email, business software, online banking and website administration. It offers the best ratio of effort to protection.
- List every supplier that processes your data. For each one, clarify where the data is hosted, who notifies you of an incident and how quickly. Prefer suppliers who put this in writing.
- Test your backups. According to the NCSC, an infected system often has to be fully reinstalled: actually restore your data at least once.
- Set a rule for payments and IBAN changes. Any urgent request received by email is confirmed by phone on a number you already know, never the one given in the message.
- Decide what may go into AI tools. The NCSC's Cyber Security Month 2026 is dedicated to "Oversharing", including the use of AI at work. Customer data, contracts and internal information do not belong in services whose terms you do not know.
Finally, reporting matters. Reports to the NCSC are free and help identify new waves of scams earlier.
Our approach
ElaraTeq Sagl builds websites, business software and digital services for SMEs and public bodies in Ticino, with Swiss hosting, encrypted connections and protected access. If you want to know which of your digital services handle sensitive data and how they are protected, get in touch: we start with a concrete inventory, without alarmism.
Sources: Keystone-SDA / swissinfo.ch (09.10.2026), Tio.ch (09.10.2026), Inside IT (12.10.2026), Swiss Confederation / Publica (08.10.2026), NCSC (01.10.2026 and 06.10.2026).
