Hybrid threats and cyberattacks against Albania were the focus of a workshop organised by the National Cyber Security Authority with the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats. National Cyber Security Authority head Bledar Kazia said authorities had detected external attacks on systems during the latest protest. He stressed the need for stronger cyber protection and institutional coordination.

Kazia said the authority had gathered data through legally required monitoring of open sources. He said the attacks mainly involved disinformation, false claims about the scale of the protest and related news. He also reported the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate videos and photos from the scene. Kazia said the interventions were real and supported by evidence. Meanwhile, Hybrid CoE expert Martha Turnbull said Albania and other European countries continue to face hybrid threats, particularly in the information environment. She cited concrete examples of cyberattacks in Albania linked to Iranian activity. Turnbull said hybrid threat actors across Europe continue to target the information environment through disinformation.

The experts also discussed disinformation and foreign interference during election periods. They examined ways to identify and counter hybrid threats.

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