The Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications and Postal Services (RATEL), in the capacity of the National CERT of the Republic of Serbia, and the Serbian National Internet Domain Name Registry Foundation (RNIDS), on 24 October hosted their third joint National Cyber Conference. During the event, current topics in the area of information security were addressed, with the aim of further informing the public about modern threats and risks on the Internet, the importance of preventive responses, methods of protection, education and safer use of the Internet.

The conference was opened with a welcoming speech by Duško Kodžić, Director of the Cyber Security and IT Department at RATEL. In his address, he highlighted the fact that the number of incidents reported to the National CERT in the previous year had increased by more than 70% compared to 2023. He also warned about the growing number of frauds, increasingly sophisticated due to the misuse of artificial intelligence, but also added that the National CERT was working to raise awareness of the general public through education and collaboration with relevant institutions and organizations.

In the opening remarks, the attendees were welcomed by Filip Pavlović, Assistant Minister for International Cooperation and European Integration, and Plamena Halacheva, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia.

The opening speeches were followed by two presentations. The Head of the Cybersecurity and National CERT Affairs Division, dr Marko Krstić, emphasized in his presentation the importance of sharing timely and relevant information, announced the development of a section of the web portal dedicated to ICT systems of special importance and presented the activities of the National CERT in the fields of education and awareness-raising, additionally outlining this organization’s further tasks following the adoption of the new Law on Information Security.

In the second presentation, Adel Abusara, Director at PwC Serbia, presented current trends in risk analysis in the area of information security and pointed out the challenges that different types of organizations may encounter in the entire process, from risk monitoring to decision-making.

In the following panel titled Cyber ​​security & AI, participants discussed the dual nature of artificial intelligence: on the one hand, it can be an ally, and on the other, a cyber security challenge. Everyone agreed that artificial intelligence significantly helps in detecting and preventing cyber attacks, but that it can also pose a risk if used without control and supervision. It was also stressed that Serbia is not lagging behind in the trends of AI misuse, a foul practice that makes it ever more difficult to detect scams.

Dijana Milutinović's (RNIDS) interlocutors at the panel Cyber Security Startups in Serbia shared their experiences on the challenges faced by startups in the field of information security in Serbia. The panel concluded that startup success comes through learning, adaptation, and the courage to take risks, which, as they stated, is often more important than technical perfection itself.

The representative of the National CERT of Serbia, Daniela Andrović, presented the annual report on statistical data on all incidents in ICT systems of special importance for 2024, with a review of key statistical indicators and a comparison to the previous year. An analysis of reports to the National CERT in the previous year was also presented, which concluded that there was a surge in phishing campaigns and scams, especially via SMS messages, social networks and messages via communication apps (Viber, Whatsapp).

Vladimir Vujić of the Technical Directorate for Information and Communication Technology of the Ministry of Interior spoke about the state and trends in high-tech crime in the Republic of Serbia. He said that in the future, every form of crime was bound to become high-tech crime, given the widespread digitalization in all areas of life and work. The presentation also featured the most common forms of high-tech fraud, including online scams, ransomware, threats to personal security, and child abuse via the Internet.

The following panel, Capacity building in the field of information security in Serbia, presented the results of cooperation within the ''Cyber Balkans'' project, based on private-public partnerships, where the emphasis was placed on organizing and holding combined cyber exercises in collaboration with the National CERT. Milan Sekuloski's interlocutors presented the conclusions of the exercises held, as well as the perceived challenges that the participants encountered during the training.

In their inspiring stories, the speakers addressed the challenges still persisting in the field of information security, such as the need for greater involvement by the cyber community, the creation of cases dealing with the legal aspects of information security, as well as further investment in youth development.

The recording of the National Cyber ​​Conference is available at the following link.

The conference was organized with the support of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, the e-Governance Academy (eGA), and the Cybersecurity Network Foundation.