Azerbaijan moves up 15 positions in cybersecurity index to 40th place

In the latest cybersecurity index prepared by the International Telecommunication Union in 2020, Azerbaijan has risen by 15 positions, ranking 40th among 169 countries.

Elmir Valizade, Head of the Department for Work and Communications with Non-Governmental Organizations of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, mad the relevant remarks at the conference "Barometer of cybercrime and cybersecurity in Azerbaijan", APA reports.

"For comparison, Israel took 36th place, Switzerland - 42nd, Georgia - 55th," Valizade stressed.

Addressing the event, Head of the Cybersecurity Center of the State Security Service Davud Rustamov said that security service providers have been operating in the Azerbaijani market for several years, APA reports.

"In connection with measures to combat cyber threats, the intelligence agencies fight against them. We, as the SSS, monitor this activity and immediately share the information we receive with critical information infrastructures. In March, there were cyberthreats that resulted in the interception of 300,000-400,000 YouTube channels. There were free programs posted on these channels, as a result people were infected by downloading these programs," Rustamov stressed.

In the same vein, Farid Ahmedov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport, said that it is necessary to include the study of the basics of cybersecurity in the education system of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

“Whatever measures and resources the state authorities use, they are not able to prevent all threats. No state has such unlimited resources. Therefore, I think it is important that citizens have knowledge and skills in this area. At the same time, it is necessary to develop such competencies and skills in the business sector. We attach great importance to the formation of a secure system in the private sector. In 2022 alone, cyberattacks caused $8 trillion in damage to the global economy,” he said.