Xhavit Gashi External Advisor at the American Chamber of Commerce in Kosovo
Kosovo cyber security capacity building and the urgency for better protection with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
36
Cyber security has been accepted to be an existing international security issue since 2004 when it was decided that October of each year was to be marked as cyber security awareness month. In a post war Kosovo, particularly after the declaration of Kosovo Independence, a lot of work has been done in building law enforcement, security, and defence capacities as processes of institutional building. With unfailing support from its allies, Kosovo has achieved considerable progress in building up its capacities to meet National Security Challenges, including the progress made in cyber security. Not unlike any other area, building cyber security capabilities requires considerable time and resources. Colossal advancement and development in Information Technology has been made during the last two decades globally, in regard to communication, education, production, defence, security, finance services, energy, but also in other areas including IOT (Internet of Things). In this regard, we should not forget the revolution with 5G and cloud as a new norm. This rapid digital transformation at a global level has positively impacted our lives beyond imagination. With interconnection of different communication devices reaching billions of users worldwide, it has transitioned the use of internet from a secondary platform to a primary platform for many of our services and activities. This undoubtedly brings many challenges to our society as well. The newfound threat presented by cyber-attacks or cyber-crimes, directed to ordinary citizens, private & public companies, and institutions, that targets critical infrastructure, and even governments, makes us aware of the need for better preparedness of defensive measures.
AMCHAM KOSOVO