autumn 2026 When Xavier Buck began building internet businesses more than 20 years ago, protecting a company online was a contained challenge. Domain squatting (regis- tering or using another organisation’s name to profit from their trademark) and cloned websites existed, but the digital perimeter was easier to define. Since then, social media, marketplaces and search platforms expanded the attack surface, and most re- cently, AI is accelerating it further. “AI comes and does things in seconds,” says Mr Buck. “Websites can be scraped and cloned instantly, while bots create listings, buy ads and launch thousands of attacks automatically.”. Based in Luxembourg, EBRAND works with firms globally facing everything from phishing and fraud to counterfeit products. One automotive client recently saw some 5,000 fake listings in a single day, including safety-critical products such as airbags. Mr Buck says modern threats are defined by their scale and speed. “It’s really a cat-and-mouse game,”. he says. “It’s Tom and Jerry. The cybercriminals move first, and we have to catch up.” For EBRAND, domain management has grown into digital risk and brand protection, with AI-driven monitoring deployed across marketplaces, social platforms and other sources. Suspicious listings are scored using signals such as price, location and ac- count behaviour. Yet Mr Buck is adamant that in his line of business, AI won’t render human expertise obsolete. “The system doesn’t remove the need for people,” he says. “What it does is enable them to do more.” Looking ahead, Mr Buck believes the next chal- lenge is speed. AI has only begun its acceleration: “these things move faster every quarter. We’re only at the start of an exponential curve.” While Luxembourg can’t solve that challenge alone, he sees it as an example of what a small na- tion can do: strong connectivity, data-centre infra- structure, international talent and direct access to decision-makers. “We’re able to sit down with the ministries, talk to them and help shape what hap- pens next, together.” Xavier Buck has spent over two decades watching internet crime evolve. Today – as AI accelerates fraud, impersonation and counterfeiting – the EBRAND founder sees digital resilience as a battle for trust, control and technological sovereignty. © Luxinnovation/René Garcia