SYNTHESIS OF THREATS AND RISKS OF CYBER SECURITY OF MONTENEGRO - THE VULNERABILITY ASPECT OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Abstract

That there are no untouchables and that cyber threats are entering Montenegro through the big doors, is indicated by the hacker attack on the Government of Montenegro. Fortunately, the hackers did not get hold of confidential data, but their act itself caused a serious act of endangering state security, especially because they breached the system that is networked with all state bodies. It was not the first time in 2022 that hackers broke into Government IC systems and state and private companies and organizations. Experts from the IT sector have been warning about the vulnerability of the system for a long time, but not loudly enough to be taken seriously. Let’s also mention the attack on Montenegro on the eve of joining NATO, where Montenegro was under increased cyber attacks, and the Ministry of Defense says that it is similar today.Cyber is no longer the world of gamers and geeks, it is increasingly becoming a prefix for terrorism, crime, and other types of threats (Kazerić 2017). Internet trade and the use of electronic services such as e-government are also on the rise. To the global trend, almost everything that was only tangible and materialized in the real world is moving to the virtual community. This brings with it many advantages, but also disadvantages, and one of them is certainly the vulnerability of critical information and communication infrastructure and the danger of cyber attacks. In such circumstances, the issue of security partially shifts the focus to cyber, that is, cyber security. Precisely for this reason, it is necessary to take a critical look at the existing information and communication infrastructure and analyze the existing threats and risks brought by the modern, cybernetic age. The synthesis of threats and risks is necessary so that we can adequately face them and predict the difficulties that may come our way, which could have significant consequences for national security.