Cyber ​​attack - ten or 15 years ago it was a rather fictional scenario from a blockbuster film from Hollywood.

In times of digitization, hacker attacks are now part of everyday life.

Cybercrime is ubiquitous and active around the world.

Many attacks are ruthless and even life threatening.

A chilling example is the attack on the Irish health system in June.

When it was paralyzed, no one had access to the digital patient files.

Medical appointments and even operations had to be canceled as a result.

Not to forget the attacks on the American company Colonial Pipeline and the meat processing giant JBS in Brazil, both of which ended up paying millions in ransom to regain control of their own computer systems.

There is also a long list of lesser-known companies, universities and charities that have been victims of cyber attacks in recent years.

Cyber ​​attacks cost millions and reputation

Whereas cybersecurity used to be dismissed for the majority of PC users with the use of virus software, today the topic has become much more complex. Many corporations around the world have recognized this. It has become a billion-dollar market for providers. Because cyber attacks can permanently damage brands that have been built up over decades in just an instant. Even the big players in the industry are apparently not safe and protect themselves, as the example of Google shows. The recently attacked search engine company recently added a data protection dashboard to its latest version of Android.

Investors who find the topic of the Internet of Things interesting cannot avoid cybersecurity in the same breath.

Here, too, an exciting investment topic is likely to be hidden for the next few years.

According to an analysis by the Jefferies investment bank, global spending on IT security is likely to increase by around 10 percent per year to US $ 158 billion by 2023, significantly exceeding global IT spending.

According to the American analysis company Tematica, the need for investment in cybersecurity has never been greater.

Investment opportunities for investors

"As much as it hurts many institutions and private individuals when cyberattacks reveal vulnerabilities - this situation ultimately means great investment opportunities for investors," says Rahul Bhushan, co-founder of Rize ETF, a European provider of thematic exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

According to Bhushan, the cybersecurity megatrend is likely to grow even further due to the expanding Internet of Things (IoT) for both companies and private individuals if, in addition to smartphones, tablets, wearables and smart home devices, cars, hospitals and medical devices will also be available in the future are docked online and via IoT.

The expansion of 5G technology will also continue to fuel the issue of data security.