High-level opening ceremony of the Montenegro GSOC
On 26 October, the Montenegro Government Cybersecurity Operations Centre (GSOC) was formally opened in Podgorica in the presence of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Montenegro´s Prime minister Milojko Spajic and Minister for Public Administration Marash Dukaj.
The security operations centre is dedicated to monitor, prevent, detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats in the Montenegro government cyber systems around the clock.
eGA has supported the procurement of necessary equipment through the EU-funded regional project Cybersecurity Rapid Response for Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro 2.0, managed by the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) and implemented by eGA with a total budget of €4.4 mln.
“This cutting-edge cybersecurity centre protects the public sector from attacks, like the one the country had in 2022. The European Union is proud to support in this fight, which concerns the whole of our continent,” said Ursula von der Leyen.
In August 2022, Montenegro experienced the biggest cyberattack in its history. The cyber assault targeted government’s online platforms and took down much of the public administration’s digital infrastructure. This resulted in rapid response from national stakeholders to improve cybersecurity posture, notably the capacities and interagency coordination of national institutions.
“The role of the SOC team is to monitor the cybersecurity ecosystem, solve cyber incidents in a 24/7/365 regime, and work to improve policies, practice and education in the field of information security for employees in the public administration,” emphasised Minister for Public Administration Marash Dukaj.
He added that the staff has undergone numerous trainings organized by international partners to strengthen the spatial and technical capacities of GSOC. “Activities will be undertaken to strengthen the human capacity of the GSOC team by filling vacant and systematized positions, as well as continuing specialized trainings,” Minister Dukaj noted.
„Cybersecurity prevention and continuous monitoring of malicious activities is important in countering cyber threats and we are happy to work with our partners in Montenegro,“ said Merle Maigre, Project Lead and Head of eGA´s Cybersecurity Competence Centre.
eGA has supported Montenegro´s cybersecurity capacity building through various EU-funded projects since 2022. eGA has worked closely with Montenegro public institutions and advised on election-related cyberthreats, as well offered numerous trainings for Computer Security Incidents and Response teams.
The opening of the GSOC underscores the strong partnership between Montenegro and the European Union in addressing shared cybersecurity challenges and ensuring the resilience of public services across the region.