Rector Hajrizi Presents Work of UBT’s CSP at International Conference “Cyber Security and Privacy”
18/01/2016Work of the UBT Center for Cyber Security (CSP) and its contribution in educating new staff in the field of cyber security and privacy were at focus of an address of UBT Rector Prof. Dr. Edmond Hajrizi at an international conference “Cyber Security and Privacy,” organized under the auspices of the Economic Development Ministry, in cooperation with the Regulatory Authority of Electronic and Postal Communications (ARKEP), the International Legal Cooperation Department, the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, and other organizations.
The UBT was partner of the conference which was heard by many professors and students of the UBT at which the performance of the UBT’s Center fir Cyber Security attracted huge interest among the Kosovar and international participants. Rector Hajrizi advised that the center had become a reference point for discussions of the field and in providing counseling to the institutions at all of the levels.
Dr. Hajrizi recalled that the UBT had already carried out important activities in the field of security, including through cooperation with international universities, which resulted in gaining of valuable experience and researches of high interest.
The UBT has been accredited studies on a program of security of information and privacy, the first of the kind not only in Kosovo but broader in the region, and on a number of other areas of studies, including information systems, and so on. As a result, a good basis has been created to get professionals of the field.
The UBT has also laboratories as part of the Innovation Center, with considerable equipment and adequate space for good researches in the field. The UBT students have distinguished themselves in activities in the field of security and privacy, both in Kosovo and abroad, Hajrizi said among others.
Addressing the conference, Economic Development Minister Blerand Stavileci advised that a national strategy had been developed 2015 with a goal of enhancing the cyber security in Kosovo. He said the field required educated experts to be able to protect financial and other institutions from the cyber crimes.
“By promoting this field, we seek making the information technology as one of the most important fields of the country’s economic development. This is what the economies of the much more developed countries have also done. It is one of the key topics of economy and it has led to a changed in the structure of economy and transformation of different processes in all economy sectors,” he said.
Stavileci recalled that a building in Germia had been offered for the development of this sector, which will serve as a business incubator in the field of information technology. “In the future, it may become a real technology park,” he said.
The economic development minister went on to say that in cooperation with the World Bank, the ministry was working on the so-called “digital economy of Kosovo,” which is based on three pillars: digital infrastructure, digital education, and digital business.
Bedri Hamza, Governor of the Central Bank of the Republic of Kosovo, said that the advancement of technology also involved high risks as a result of the cyber crime. “If some measure sufficed in the past to protect from the cyber threats, it is not he case today. A more comprehensive protection of the information system is linked to the criminal interests of individuals and different groups,” Hamza said.
Agron Mustafa, Director of the Kosovo Telecom, highlighted some of the experienced of the Vala provider during the 16 years it has been operating in Kosovo. “Today, while we are speaking about the cyber security and information protection, we can imagine what would have happened if the Kosovo Telecom had not been able to secure all information circulating through its services,” he said.
According to him, the Kosovo Telecom has been for years subject to misguided perceptions that it lacked adequate protection of data and information. “We suffered damages as a result of this perception,” he said.
Mentor Hoxhaj, who presided over the “Cyber Security and Privacy” conference, described the event as a very important one. He advised that the conference would last for two days, with panelists from all over the world. Around 30 Albanian hackers are also participating in the conference.