Cyber attacks during parliamentary and local elections in Kosovo aim to damage reputation, reduce citizens’ trust, alter the results of the electoral process, and compromise the integrity of election data.

This was made known during the second session on “Elections and Security,” part of the forum organized by the Institute for Hybrid Warfare Studies “Octopus,” where the main focus was the discussion on “Democracy under threat: Elections as a Geopolitical Battleground.”

It was also said in this session that cyber attacks threaten national security and weaken the economy.

The Director of Central Operations and Security at the Information Society Agency, Gani Zogaj, stated that the main sectors targeted by cyber attacks are the financial and governmental sectors.

Regarding the latter, Zogaj said that the purpose is to undermine trust and damage reputation.

According to Zogaj, cyber attacks in Kosovo usually occur on important national dates, because, as he put it, the impact is greater.

Legal professor and cyber security expert, Enver Buqaj, said that cyber attacks threaten national security and weaken the economy, adding that their main goal, especially in Kosovo, is to erode or diminish citizens’ trust in institutions.

According to Buqaj, Kosovo’s non-membership in important international organizations is one of the main challenges that make the country vulnerable to cyber threats.

He also mentioned drone movements, stressing that greater caution is needed in general to ensure security.

Meanwhile, university professor and Security Studies expert, Gjon Culaj, said that Serbia’s aim through cyber attacks is to portray Kosovo as a dysfunctional state.

According to Culaj, another goal of Serbia is lobbying against the recognition of Kosovo and denying the country’s statehood.

Among other things, it was noted in this panel that cyber attacks also include fake news, disinformation, and propaganda by Serbia and Russia against Kosovo.