An old saying in the field of cybersecurity goes, “humans are the weakest link in the security chain.” This is increasingly true as threat actors compete to exploit gullible or negligent employees. However, it is also possible to transform this weak link into a formidable first line of defense. The key to achieving this is through the implementation of an effective security training program. Recent research, featured in Fortinet’s Global Threat Report for the second half of 2023 by FortiGuard Lab, highlights that the majority of data breaches analyzed involved a “human element.” It is an unavoidable fact of modern cyber threats that employees are a top target for these attacks. But if employees are equipped with the knowledge to identify warning signs of an incident and understand when they might be compromising sensitive data, there is a tremendous opportunity to advance risk mitigation efforts.
In this context, the newly established “CYBERCOR” National Institute for Cybersecurity Innovations at the Technical University of Moldova, created with the support of the Future Technologies Project funded by USAID, the Swedish Government, and the United Kingdom, hosted a training session this week. Organized by Dinu Țurcanu, Vice-Rector for Digitalization, in partnership with Cisco Systems, the training focused on “Security Technologies, Prevention, and Detection. The Importance of Cybersecurity.”
The aim of this session was to train 30 public officials with special status from subdivisions under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Moldova and to present a set of practices in the field of cybersecurity hygiene. It is important to note that the responsibility for cybersecurity hygiene does not rest solely with IT security managers, analysts, and technicians. Instead, it is a shared responsibility that all departments and users must observe and prioritize.
“The goal of the training is to change behaviors through better education about where the main cyber risks lie and what simple best practices can be learned to mitigate them. At Cybercor, this process is well-organized and covers a wide range of topics and techniques to empower employees to make the right decisions. Of course, any training program aims to enhance the individual’s skills to make them a better employee. In this case, improving security awareness will not only help the public official with special status in their various roles within the system but also reduce the risk of a security breach that could be harmful to the institution they work for,” said Indricean Ion, the course trainer for Cybersecurity at the “Ștefan cel Mare” Police Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, at the end of the training.
In turn, Mr. Țurcanu thanked Cisco Systems directly for their support and involvement in the training, as well as the representatives of the “Ștefan cel Mare” Police Academy for their openness and the opportunity to organize these important and useful training sessions for their staff.
This training is part of a series of sessions planned for 2024, conducted in partnership with Cybercor and Cisco Systems. Their purpose is to bring expertise to public and private institutions, transfer knowledge to entities, and enable them to implement and use the best practices and solutions in the aforementioned fields.
The establishment of the “CYBERCOR” National Institute for Cybersecurity Innovations at the Technical University of Moldova, scheduled to launch this fall, has been made possible with the support of the Future Technologies Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish Government, and the United Kingdom.
Cybercor aims to improve Moldova’s educational process, infrastructure, and cybersecurity by undertaking the following actions:
- enhance cybersecurity in the public and private sectors of the Republic of Moldova,
- create and leverage cybersecurity professions for students and young professionals,
- invest in cybersecurity as an industry with growth potential for Moldova.
