Cyber security and national security awareness initiatives in Albania: A synergy approach

Abstract

Technological advances have changed the manner in which ordinary citizens conduct their daily activities. Many of these activities are carried out over the Internet. These include filling tax returns, online banking, job searching and general socializing. Increased bandwidth and proliferation of mobile phones with access to Internet in Albania imply increased access to Internet by the Albanian population. Such massive increased in access to Internet increases vulnerabilities to cyber crime and attacks and threatens the national security. As a result, Albania remains one of the countries that are targeted by phishing attacks. As a response, various entities engage in cyber security awareness initiatives and trainings with the aim to create cyber security awareness (CSA) among the citizens and the state institutions that operate in Albania. In the absence of a worthy national cyber security policy, however, these awareness initiatives and programmes are delivered through a variety of independent mechanisms. Various entities engage in cyber security awareness training each with its specific objectives and focus areas. It is argued in this paper that cyber security is complex and multi-faceted. No single solution can effectively address it and none of the participant actors can fight it by it's own. While the current means to create cyber security awareness does make impact, the fragmented and uncoordinated nature thereof have a potential to create its own dynamics. The focus of organizations and different institutional actors is, to deliver on their own objectives translates to some extent into the optimization of the behavior of individual entities as opposed to the optimization of the national cyber security awareness as a whole. This paper evaluates the extent to which the current cyber security awareness initiatives address the cyber security threats and risks. The assessment is based on the initiatives objectives, alignment of the program to the cyber threats, and the target audience.