Future cybersecurity experts undergo training in Latvia / Article

Baiba Kaškina, head of the information technology security incident prevention institution “Cert.lv”, said that the number of so-called “hacktivists”, who use internet skills to achieve political or ideological goals, has decreased, but the overall number of cybercrimes in Latvia is increasing:

“We have seen a huge variety of new scam campaigns, changing almost hourly. There are active attempts to defraud citizens of their banking access data, personal data and various other information. For businesses and organisations, attacks that try to gain access directly to infrastructure are more acute. Encrypting viruses are still rampant in Latvian cyberspace, as are various attempts to change, for example, invoice details and to defraud companies and institutions of their financial resources.”

RTU researcher Rūta Pirta said that the training of cybersecurity specialists is funded by Google.org and aims to strengthen the cybersecurity capacity of regional companies:

“If we look at Rīga and large companies, it is a better situation, both in terms of available specialists and in terms of the maturity of cybersecurity itself. If we look at the regions, I would say that the competences are not as well available. Also, the existing capacities of companies need to be significantly strengthened. So they have been positioned as key groups where help is needed.

“We are primarily targeting local government organisations, but also schools, libraries, regional media, but we are certainly open to absolutely any application. We also plan to talk to each company individually to find out what services and specialists would be most suitable for their needs.”

She added that in March, training started in Liepāja and Rēzekne to prepare cybersecurity specialists specifically for the Kurzeme and Latgale regions. The new specialists will also receive a stipend.

“The project also reimburses the young specialists with a stipend of €450 per month for the two months they are with the company, so there are no additional costs expected from the company. There will also be an experienced mentor to support them throughout their traineeship,” said Pirta.

Last year, a new Cyber Security Law was adopted. Cert.lv’s Kaškina said that this means that all companies and institutions need to think more seriously about cybersecurity, appoint a manager and assess the risks. 

“It is important to stress that the legislation has changed, and that is why it is important for every company and institution to think about these additional forces, so that all the documentation is also in place in accordance with the regulatory framework. And in order to implement this complex task, the offered opportunity to attract specialists either in the field of cybersecurity management for an internship period, or in the field of incident management, as well as in the field of education is a very good opportunity to supplement the existing staff with people who can help to organise this documentation in the company, institution and implement processes in practice,” said Kaškina.

RTU will organise training for cybersecurity specialists until the end of 2026, with a training course in Rīga starting in May.

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