Kosovo Tabletop Exercise tested key players in the cybersecurity infrastructure
On 25 March 2024, e-Governance Academy (eGA) organised a Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise (TTEX) in Pristina in collaboration with the Digital Transformation Unit in the Prime Minister’s Office of Kosovo. The event was implemented by Volador Technical Consulting, LLC and the exercise instructors were professional experts Stephanie Widmann and Michael Widmann, former Head of the Strategy Department of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.
The Tabletop Exercise on Cybersecurity Management and Coordination in Kosovo simulated a cascading cyber-attack aiming to test collaboration between various public and private sector stakeholders. The exercise was divided into sessions which focused on interagency cyber threat and incident information sharing practices, and cybersecurity risk management in Kosovo. The new Kosovo legislation On Organization and Systemization of Jobs in the Cyber Security Agency was also integrated into the exercise.
“The tabletop exercise in Kosovo was very useful to clarify relationships and responsibilities between stakeholders during a major cyber incident,” said Merle Maigre, Head of the Cyber Security Competence Center at eGA
The event provided the opportunity for key players in the Kosovo cybersecurity infrastructure to network with each other while working through a fictional scenario. The exercise also sparked discussions about levels of transparency during cyberattacks and policy design for addressing emergent technology, such as deep fakes and AI.
“The exercise offered an important insight into the mechanisms of public and private cooperation to secure Kosovo’s critical infrastructure. It also provided metrics to aid in future cybersecurity training,” underlined Lulezon Jagxhiu, Digital Adviser to the Prime Minister of Kosovo.
Altogether, 20 experts participated in the TTEX from Kosovo public sector cybersecurity organisations, as well as from the private sector critical information infrastructure.
“As the next step, eGA has designated an international adviser for Kosovo to provide support in setting up the structure and efficient organization of the new national Cyber Security Agency. Also, we will continue with regional technical hands-on trainings to increase the operational capabilities of Kosovo cybersecurity experts,” said Merle Maigre.
The TTEX was part of the Cyber Balkans project, an EU-funded cybersecurity capacity-building initiative aimed to enhance the cyber resilience of the Western Balkans in compliance with EU acquis and best practices by improving cybersecurity prevention, preparedness and response of relevant public and private stakeholders.
The project is implemented by the e-Governance Academy, Center for International Legal Cooperation (CILC, the Netherlands), National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB, the Czech Republic), with expert support from national CERTs of Estonia, Latvia, and Slovenia.
