As Chief Information Security Officer at FORVIA, Christopher Herzog has been responsible for protection against cyber attacks since autumn 2022. Prior to that, he was Chief Information Security Officer at HELLA since the beginning of 2020. Here he talks about current threats, effective defense strategies and the dark side of digitalization.​

Tuesday 14.05.2024

Mr. Herzog, when was the last time you were hacked?
(laughs) Luckily, that has never happened to me. Of course, I am always very vigilant and pay close attention to an optimal hardware and software setup as well as effective protective measures at home. In addition, I now have a keen eye for possible threats, so that I can quickly recognize phishing emails and the like.

What are the biggest risk factors in terms of cybercrime?
The biggest risk factor is actually the person sitting in front of the screen, so to say. Most of the damage is caused by human interaction, for example when I click on a phishing email or am browsing a fake website. In addition, the attack scenarios are becoming more and more sophisticated, especially through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) – the threat situation has never been as complex as it is today. Because AI is also used for criminal purposes. ChatGPT, for example, has a dark twin on the darknet: FraudGPT works like ChatGPT, but is trained for criminal content. For example, you can use it to write ingenious phishing emails or generate other sophisticated cyberattacks for little money.

To what extent does such a tool actually increase the threat situation for companies? Isn't that just something for a few criminal nerds?
In fact, such tools have a huge impact. It is important to know that cybercrime has developed into a billion-dollar business with mafia-like structures in recent years. The perpetrators act in a highly professional manner at an entrepreneurial level. With tools such as FraudGPT, they can develop new, powerful attack strategies and implement them quickly. However, as is so often the case in life, there are two sides to this. Because AI can also be used for defense. For example, I can use AI to better detect attacks and, for example, to interrupt them or even prevent them completely. To do this, we must always be at the forefront of technological progress.

That sounds a bit like the story of the hare and the tortoise. How do you manage to stay one step ahead of potential attackers?
As simple as that may sound, it’s teamwork. We work closely together with IT, Physical Security, Communications, Legal, HR and other departments. In addition, we exchange ideas with other CISOs (Chief Information Security Officers) and cyber groups so that we don't have to make any critical experiences ourselves. With my team, we study and analyze the situations - including real cases as well as fictitious threat scenarios - down to the smallest detail in order to derive the risk and develop countermeasures. To this end, we also conduct threat intelligence, using information from the darknet, observing and assessing the activities there in relation to our company and our management team. For us, the Darknet is a kind of early warning system. We use it to get signals before something happens. In addition, swarm intelligence is very important to us. We maintain a lively exchange with each other, but also across the board with the global CISO scene. And last but not least, of course, we always rehearse for emergencies.

What does that mean in concrete terms?
There is a cybersecurity strategy that combines the strengths of Faurecia and HELLA in the best possible way. But of course, we also test ourselves regularly and simulate a wide variety of types of cyberattacks. For example, we repeatedly send supposed phishing emails to the workforce in order to sensitize colleagues to the ever-increasing sophistication of such attacks. By the way, models for these emails are real phishing attacks, which we copy as faithfully as possible and often even exacerbate. We are not doing this to annoy our colleagues, but to raise awareness to this kind of threat. In addition, together with external partners, we simulate targeted hacker attacks on our IT infrastructure in order to test the defences of our digital defence lines and to improve them if necessary.

You said that the human factor is the biggest vulnerability in defending against cyberattacks. What else are you doing to raise awareness among colleagues?
We work with larger and many small measures. One example are our Cybersecurity Lunch Breaks, where we playfully inform colleagues about the topic at our own booth during the lunch break. We have also developed special e-learning courses that provide information about current threats and show ways to deal with them appropriately. Since not everyone has access to a PC, we supplement these digital formats with posters, for example in production. And if the worst comes to the worst or if you have any questions, we are always available in person, our office is staffed around the clock, 365 days a year.

Hand on heart: How well are we armed against the ultimate cybercriminal disaster?
Basically, it has to be said that we have launched many measures to improve cybersecurity. However, we also see that in an environment as complex as we have as FORVIA, risks always remain. There is also no final target state, but we are in a perpetual improvement process and try to fend off the attackers, who are also evolving, in the best possible way. This also means that we all remain vigilant at all times. We still have a lot to implement in order to minimise weak points and to be able to successfully counter new risks in a forward-looking manner.

You have been professionally involved in cybersecurity for many years, previous to FORVIA at various other well-known companies. Can you tell us the secret of your success?
If I have to sum it up very briefly, it's about always being technologically 'on the edge', i.e. up to date, and at the same time taking people with you and making processes effective and efficient. The technical possibilities are changing so rapidly right now, especially due to the dynamic development of AI, that it's not that easy. But I have a lot of fun competing in this race and coming out on top in the end.

Finally, a private question: Are you also looking for maximum safety in your free time? Or are you looking for risk in your private life?
(laughs) In fact, cars are one of my biggest hobbies, for example at the wheel at the Nürburgring. Cars have fascinated me since I was a child. I remember that I used to walk around between shelves full of HELLA headlights at my father's company. That made an impression at the time – and from today's perspective, it was certainly a first indication of my later focus of work here at HELLA and FORVIA (laughs).

Mr. Herzog, thank you very much for the interview.