In a period of heightened geopolitical tension, Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region are facing a sharp rise in cyberattacks, the escalation of AI-driven threats and changes that are transforming cybersecurity into a critical pillar of national and operational security.
In an exclusive interview with “Naftemporiki”, Artur Kuliński and Boris Georgiev explained during the Google Cloud Day Greece event on November 19 the risks, the changes triggered due to Artificial Intelligence and the immediate priorities for businesses and the public sector. They also made their estimates for the future.
The rapid increase in attacks and the new reality
Boris Georgiev, Director of Google Cloud for Central & Eastern Europe, underlined that the region is recording a continuous increase in attacks due to the geopolitical situation.
“We see about a 35% increase year-on-year in the number of attacks,” he noted, clarifying that the attacks hit “critical infrastructure, the private sector and public services that are subject to denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks.”
According to Georgiev, cybersecurity “has never been just a technical issue,” but is now part of a nation’s defense arsenal: “Investing in cyber defense is now as important as investing in equipment and ammunition.”
Artur Kuliński, Security Customer Engineer at Google Cloud, added that the level of awareness has increased significantly: “Everyone now understands that the world is not only at risk from missiles, but also from malfunctioning ATMs or water systems. There is awareness, but there is no time for delays – we need to invest and keep up with the attackers.”
Artificial Intelligence is changing everything — for everyone
The rise of AI has two sides: it increases the capabilities of attackers, but also of defenders.
Kuliński described the moment as “unique in history”: “With AI we can really overturn the so-called ‘defenders’ dilemma’. In the past, we had to be successful all the time, while the attacker only had to be successful once. Now we can transfer the work to the machines and focus on the security strategy.”
However, he warned that AI also creates new risks. He gave the example of AI agents: “Agents are amazing, but when we give them access to our systems, they can be compromised. In our recent analyses, we saw that over 18% of tools using AI agents are malicious.”
Google’s approach, he explained, is not to “solve the problem,” but to “eliminate the source of the problem,” as was done with security keys and passkeys that essentially eliminate phishing.
Major Threat Trends
Systematically monitoring the Greek threat landscape, Kuliński described three major trends:
1. Escalation of disinformation operations
“Disinformation operations can now be produced on a much larger scale and with better quality.”
2. Activity of state-backed groups
“State-backed actors are constantly testing the resilience of critical infrastructure, even without us knowing it.”
3. Discussions about controlling critical infrastructure on dark forums
“We are even seeing discussions about controlling. We need to know what is being discussed and react immediately.”
The importance of the cloud for resilience
Kuliński pointed out that the conversation in Europe has changed: from “keep everything in-country” to “ensure resilience.”
“The question is no longer ‘where is the server’, but how we continue to operate if the server goes down. The technology is there, it is compliant, it is dominant — it needs a change of mindset.”
AI-based defenses: Practical examples from Google
Kuliński explained how Google detects malicious AI agents, how it protects the open-source ecosystem, and why it shares public frameworks and best practices.
Georgiev emphasized the importance of the human dimension: “Most breaches start from the inside. Someone clicks on something they shouldn’t. That’s why it takes continuous education and a change in mindset.”
He cited as an example how easily disruption can be caused today: “With a drone, you can disrupt an airport or the traffic of a country, if it’s organized. It’s that easy now.”
Three immediate steps for Greece — businesses and the state
When asked about priorities, the two leaders summarize:
1. Serious, immediate and increased investment in security
“Don’t rely on old technologies. Attackers are already using the most modern ones.”
2. Education and mindset change
“The biggest risk lies in people — not in technology.”
3. Strong fundamental defenses + AI integration on top of them
“The strongest central lock is pointless if the basement window is broken. First the foundations — then AI.”
At the same time, Kuliński considers the education of citizens to be crucial: “Nothing is more important than critical thinking. And they must know how to protect their digital identity. Cyber hygiene is fundamental.”
Georgiev added that education must start in school: “If we don’t educate children from an early age to be critical, to protect themselves and to be aware of the dangers, they will always be vulnerable.”
The “AI bubble” debate — and what the data really shows
Addressing concerns about a potential “AI bubble,” Boris Georgiev draws a clear distinction between demand and monetization.
He presents figures that illustrate the explosive growth in AI usage:
“In April we announced 480 trillion tokens per month. In October, we announced 1.3 quadrillion tokens per month. That’s more than a hundredfold increase in just twelve months,” he says.
“The demand is unquestionable,” Georgiev notes. The real challenge is how this demand translates into sustainable revenue and profits — but he does not believe we are facing a bubble.
Artur Kuliński adds that the current moment is closer to a historic technological leap than to a speculative frenzy:
“These technologies are more like the introduction of electricity or personal computers — not like blockchain,” he stresses.
A major leap for companies that are ‘behind’
Later in the conversation, Kuliński draws a parallel from Poland’s own experience: “Because our banking sector was once less developed, we made a huge leap — we skipped an entire stage and became very advanced. Companies can do the same with AI. It’s a tremendous opportunity.”
What to expect from Google: AI, AGI and… ‘magic’
So what should we expect from Google in the coming years?
Georgiev points to the company’s latest announcement: the Gemini 3 Zero models, which have already received “excellent feedback,” as he puts it. He sees a continued surge in AI investment across industries, as well as significant progress in quantum computing.
Kuliński adds a more visionary note: “We’re not simply building ‘AI’. We’re giving humanity tools that unleash their creativity and make them limitless in what they can achieve. I’m expecting pure magic — even more than we see today.”
A little magic, undoubtedly, is something we could all use.
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