One profession, one specialty. That is the strength of this MCG company from Louvain-La-Neuve
MCG is celebrating a quarter century of cybersecurity. A rare, if not unique, position in the market. A specialization that can be considered an asset.
“In general, it’s harder for companies when there’s a crisis… except for MCG,” explains Gregorio Matias, CEO of MCG. We’ve always grown during difficult times. That was the case in 2009, during the financial crisis, and more recently between 2021 and 2024, after the health crisis! “In the field of cybersecurity, problems with phishing and hacked VPNs will emerge in 2020. We still remember the attacks on Belgian hospitals, CHwapi Tournai and Clinique Saint-Luc Bouge, to name but a few…
Twenty-five years ago, MCG (Matias Consulting Group) was founded. A single field of expertise: cybersecurity. “That’s our strength! We have grown to become a major player in Wallonia and Brussels, mainly among SMEs, but we also attract large accounts that, disappointed with the services of large general service providers, come to us. Cyber is in our DNA! “
The era of the first strategies
In the 2000s, sophisticated attacks made their appearance; they became not only more frequent, but also more complex and targeted. It was the era of advanced attack strategies, such as DDoS attacks that overload servers and paralyze companies. At the same time, malware evolved and spread: Trojan horses, ransomware, and other spyware.
“We are beginning to understand that sensitive business data is becoming a strategic asset that hackers want to exploit or monetize,” continues Gregorio Matias. We are becoming aware that installing an antivirus program to protect ourselves is not enough. The first cybersecurity strategies are emerging, combining VPN, advanced anti-malware software, and employee training… “There is a shift in the source of attacks: 50% of them come from outside, compared to 20% in the 1990s.”
War in Ukraine
It is clear that the health crisis of early 2020 marked a turning point in the way cyber threats are approached. A milestone for MCG. “There was an explosive increase in cyberattacks on healthcare institutions, large companies, all supply chains… The victims, already disrupted by the pandemic, sometimes struggled to recover. But this year was also an opportunity to realize the importance of IT security, particularly in the public sector.”
Another milestone is February 24, 2022, the start of the war in Ukraine, which will have an impact on inflation: wages will be indexed by 11% in January 2023 in the CP200. MCG continues to grow and is structuring its sales team. Cyberattacks are on the rise and are targeting Belgian institutional websites. Cybercriminals are adding additional extortion techniques to “cryptoransomware.”
A doubling of cyberattacks in five years
Not only are cyberattacks on the rise, they are also becoming more targeted and automated. “The most common crime in Walloon Brabant is currently cyber fraud, which indicates that this is a major problem! The threat can come from anywhere and be accompanied by physical or IT sabotage. It is a multifaceted problem,” explains the governor of Walloon Brabant, Gilles Mahieu, who is also the police authority. He was recently a guest on an MCG podcast on Spotify. Another guest on the podcasts, Tanguy Gavroy, responsible for mergers and acquisitions at CBC, explains that “if a company is not up to scratch in terms of cybersecurity at the time of sale, it may lose some of its value, with a discount of between 20 and 25%…”
The cybersecurity landscape has changed significantly over the past five years, with a direct impact on Belgian SMEs. At the end of 2020, Check Point Software, a partner of MCG since 2015, reported an average of around 650 attacks per week on Belgian organizations; today, that number has almost doubled.
A matter of trust
More data means more risks. Now, a new generation of threats is emerging as a result of the rise of artificial intelligence. “AI poses as much of a threat as it does potential in the field of defense, making it a double-edged sword,” continues Gregorio Matias. In their race to implement AI, many organizations are ignoring the risks of cybercrime and becoming vulnerable to attacks. “
Today, an SME with 14 employees and a turnover of €4.5 million (at the end of 2024) is celebrating its 25th anniversary. . MCG achieves year-on-year growth of more than 20%. “Strategically, the policy will not change. We do not want to compete with the biggest players in the market, but prefer close relationships with our customers. Knowing them well, starting with their activities, is an important asset in terms of security. Cybersecurity is and remains a matter of trust!”
