COcyber at “Combatting Fraud in the Digital Age”: A Call for Systemic Cybersecurity Approaches

On June 3, Visa and Becom held the event “Combatting Fraud in the Digital Age” at Comet Louise in Brussels, bringing together leading experts to exchange solutions on digital payment security. With Belgium experiencing fraud rates above the EU average, the agenda focused on urgent challenges and practical responses from industry, policy, academia, and cybersecurity fields.

Representing the COcyber project, Georges Ataya, our  Scientific Lead, delivered an incisive talk connecting fraud mitigation with broader cybersecurity resilience. Georges Ataya opened his remarks by acknowledging the exponential evolution of cybercrime, citing drivers such as AI, geopolitical tensions, and a critical shortage of cybersecurity talent in the EU, as recently highlighted by the World Economic Forum.

In response, he emphasized the increasing weight of regulatory frameworks including NIS2 and DORA, and the urgency for organizations across sectors to move beyond technical fixes and adopt systemic risk-based approaches.

From this regulatory context, Ataya turned to the collaborative initiatives he is actively contributing to, notably COcyber, highlighting the project's efforts to connect defence and civilian sectors through practical cooperation.

 “We have already produced a first Need Assessment report identifying more than 30 domains of potential cooperation,” he said, citing examples such as joint cyber incident response teams, real-time threat intelligence sharing, and harmonized cybersecurity frameworks.

Ataya stressed that current approaches to cybersecurity management, particularly in fraud prevention, remain too simplistic. “Common sense is not sufficient anymore,” he noted, especially in a world where attackers exploit psychological manipulation, systemic gaps, and even the very AI systems we trust to protect us.

He also underscored a concept he coined: Protection Transformation. Much like digital transformation, it involves strategic planning, cross-organizational commitment, and proper funding. 

“Cybersecurity implementation is not like buying a photocopy machine,” Ataya remarked. “You pay it on Friday, it’s delivered on Monday, and you use it already at 10:00 on Monday morning.” Instead, he urged decision-makers to understand the operational, financial, and reputational stakes—and to invest accordingly.

COcyber’s contribution to the event emphasized the importance of building stronger cooperation between sectors, sharing knowledge, and improving skills at all levels. “Cybersecurity is not a destination,” Ataya concluded, “It is a continuous process that requires commitment and coordination.”