The GEIGER Horizon 2020 innovation project develops a "Geiger counter" for cybersecurity. This counter helps SMEs and micro-enterprises to become aware of their risks related to data protection, privacy, and cybersecurity, and get help in reducing them. GEIGER dynamically shows the status of the current cyber threats and can be used from the web or installed on a computer or smartphone. Small businesses can react immediately and take simple measures to significantly lower their risk level.
The project is also building an ecosystem of competent individuals and organisations that offer their support to small businesses, by collaborating with schools and partners to develop a standardised learning programme, the "Certified Security Defenders". GEIGER is piloting in Switzerland, the Netherlands and Romania. In Switzerland, apprentices can have themselves certified as “Security Defenders” at their vocational school, in The Netherlands the training programmes target accountants, and in Romania small business and startup owners. As part of the certification, they learn how a company can protect itself with the help of the GEIGER. The Security Defenders will pass on their awareness of cyber risks and the knowledge of possible countermeasures to the company in or with which they are working.
With this framework, the GEIGER approach addresses the problem of cybersecurity for small businesses with regard to awareness, motivation, self-efficacy, and usability.
