Cyber ​​attacks during 2024 have significantly affected businesses and organizations in various sectors demonstrating the critical need for strong measures against them. A cyber security incident in Kosovo would cost the government of our country up to 4.5 million dollars.

This is what was said in the second edition of the Cyber ​​Security Conference, which was organized by the "IPKO" telecommunications company. While the key issues that were presented during this conference are the advancements in the field of Cyber ​​Security, the new transformations in the protection from them and the advanced strategies and cyber threats that can be expected from the technological development.

The executive director of IPKO, Andreas Pali, emphasized that this company's commitment to cyber security is unwavering. He said that threats to security are becoming more sophisticated and widespread, while emphasizing that all businesses should take productive steps for protection.

“Cyberattacks during 2024 have significantly impacted businesses and organizations in various sectors demonstrating the critical need for strong cybersecurity measures... Small businesses have been particularly vulnerable due to limited cybersecurity resources. Cyber ​​incidents, including data breaches and IT disruptions, were reported as the top global business risk of 2024, highlighting the pervasive threat of cyber-attacks across all levels of business operations… Our commitment to security cyber has been steadfast. For the second year in a row, we are funding and organizing these programs to ensure that people across Kosovo understand the importance of cyber security in protecting their personal and professional lives," Pali said.

IPKO's clear mission, Pali mentioned the empowerment of the community, the protection of customers and the promotion of technological innovation throughout Kosovo.

“In today's digital landscape, the urgency of cybersecurity cannot be overstated. As more of our lives and businesses move online, security threats become more sophisticated and pervasive. Cyber ​​threads are not hypothetical risks, they are real risks that affect the security and stability of companies and individuals around the world. That's why it's critical for every business, regardless of its size, to take productive steps to protect itself. While cyber security is at the forefront of our strategy, IPKO's commitment to technological advancement goes even further. This year we have reached important milestones in the expansion of our 5G network in Kosovo. The proliferation of 5G technology presents new cybersecurity challenges due to its architecture and the large number of connected devices it supports. The structure and capabilities of the 5G network inherently make it challenging to separate critical from non-critical components, while entire networks potentially vulnerable to destruction or espionage," Pali emphasized.

Director for the Digitalization and Durability of Critical Infrastructure Program in Kosovo (CIDR), Albulena Xjelili-Berisha said that cyber security incidents are increasing.

She emphasized that the damages from cyber attacks are greater than those caused by all the natural disasters that occurred in 2023.

"Kosovo has done an excellent job in terms of cyber security in recent years... The need for programs like CIDR and others is based on the fact that cyber security incidents are increasing in intensity, in terms of scale and of consequence. If we take it to compare all the damages caused by natural disasters in 2023, all together, the total loss was 202 billion US dollars, which is still incomparable to the damages caused by cybercrimes. Cyber ​​incidents can cause as much as 3 percent of GDP loss, which is the direct cost to the government of somewhere around 30 percent of total losses to the economy. To bring it to the domain of Kosovo, this means that a cyber security incident in Kosovo would cost the Government of Kosovo up to 4.5 million dollars and the economy of Kosovo and the effects that everyone would see would be more more than 30 million dollars", said Xhelili-Berisha.

The architect of the main telecommunications networks at the Ericsson company, Hrvoje Marinović, explained how the 5G network works and how to protect against possible risks.

“Another reason why 5G is moving into the ICT space is that the service-based architecture and service-facing architecture is at the core of 5G. One of the biggest events that is present in 5G is the introduction of API. In this program the network has unparalleled access to the wider world. Developers can come from outside, they can develop specific cases, specific applications that interact with the telecom operators network...You have to make sure that the legacy network is secure so that the improvements to 5G are able to take over and make sure the network is secure. Also, we have the usual risks that come from the legacy system, such as base stations, and even the procedural ones, such as those from disaster recovery, must be exercised regularly," said Marinović.

In the conference on cyber security, organized for the second time by the company IPKO, other important figures in this field participated with their speeches, sharing experiences about the risk from this growing phenomenon, as well as the measures to be taken for protection from them.

IPKO is the main provider of telecommunication services in Kosovo.

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