IPKO, in collaboration with Telekom Slovenije, organized the third Cybersecurity Conference, an important event that brought together local and international experts to discuss the latest challenges and innovations in digital protection.

The conference aimed to promote regional cooperation in the field of cybersecurity and to offer concrete solutions for businesses and institutions facing the ever-growing risks of the digital world.

In his opening speech, IPKO’s CEO, Andras Pali, emphasized the importance of strengthening cybersecurity in the age of artificial intelligence. Pali stated that IPKO understands that its role goes beyond providing internet, mobile, or television services, also encompassing security.

“The landscape of cyber threats is no longer an abstract possibility; it is today’s risk for businesses, citizens, and nations. The connected world we serve in Kosovo and the region is only as strong as our weakest digital link. The rapid growth of AI, including generative AI, is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it empowers defense, detection, and automated responses. On the other, malicious actors exploit it for sophisticated phishing, adaptive malware, deepfakes, and automated attacks… Supply chain vulnerabilities, IoT devices, and the expansion of 5G networks all require high vigilance, especially in regions like ours that are building 5G infrastructure and smart devices… At IPKO, we understand that our role is more than just providing internet, mobile, or television services,” Pali said.

He also revealed that IPKO has established a new Cybersecurity Operations Center, operating 24/7 to monitor and respond to threats in real time.

“Over the past year, we have established our new Cybersecurity Operations Center, which operates 24/7 in real time, monitoring, detecting, and responding quickly to threats. We have expanded our total protection solutions, DDoS protection, DNS security, and we are packaging these for business clients, guided by the risk landscape. We have begun integrating our 5G network with solar-powered stations and small edge deployments, meaning the infrastructure is modern and built with resilience and security in mind. We have launched a public campaign to raise awareness about phishing, ransomware, IoT hygiene, and identity protection,” he emphasized.

Meanwhile, the cybersecurity product manager at Telekom Slovenije, Metod Platise, highlighted the critical role of infrastructure and the need for continuous protection.

“We are part of critical infrastructure in Slovenia, and also in Kosovo, so we have the responsibility to ensure this infrastructure is always available and secure. This is our top priority. We do this 24/7. We operate one of the largest and most advanced cybersecurity and resilience centers in the region, powered by over 100 professionals with multidisciplinary expertise… Usually, we say that users are the biggest threat in most cases, which is quite true. Users are exposed to social engineering, phishing, zero-day scams, stolen accounts, and so on,” Platise said.

Meanwhile, the head of the security engineering team at Check Point, Marko Ostanek, presented the latest threat monitoring and intelligence platforms.

“Infinity ERM is a SaaS platform composed of different modules. One of the modules is Attack Surface Monitoring, which continuously scans and attempts to penetrate an organization’s assets. The second is targeted threat intelligence, which includes research on the dark web, Telegram groups, Discord, etc. Third is global threat intelligence. Then comes brand protection, which analyzes what is happening with an organization’s brand online. Most importantly, there is supply chain intelligence, which assesses how secure the suppliers we use are,” Ostanek added.

Meanwhile, IPKO’s communications director, Afrika Zyferi, highlighted the importance of this event in raising awareness about digital security.

“This is actually the only conference in Kosovo and the region that addresses this topic. It is very important in the era we live in, where digitalization is constantly increasing, AI is growing continuously, its use, digital security is extremely important. Cyberattacks are also on the rise, personal data, security, personal finances, as well as company and organizational client data, are being threatened. We provide comprehensive protection for organizations, large and small companies, for everyone. For this reason, we have invited our partners today to speak directly with our clients so they can see how to protect themselves better, why it is important, and what solutions are offered,” Zyferi said.

In this conference, which is taking place today, there will also be panels on topics such as: the financial impact of cybersecurity, investment or necessary expenditure?