Lukáš Kintr
Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished participants of the Future Forces Forum,
je mi velkou ctí účastnit se letošního ročníku platformy Future Forces Forum a jsem vděčný za tuto příležitost, kterou mám jako ředitel Národního úřadu pro kybernetickou a informační bezpečnost letos poprvé.
It is a great honor for me to take part in this year's Future Forces Forum, and I am grateful for this opportunity as the Director of the National Cyber and Information Security Agency, attending for the first time this year.
In recent years, even those of us who are not professionally involved in security have come to realize that security is not something we can take for granted. We all know that the same applies to cyber and information security.
For example, in 2023, our agency recorded a record 262 cybersecurity incidents – an 80 percent increase compared to the previous year. These incidents were largely marked by hacktivism and cybercrime, with many hacktivist groups operating in alignment with the interests of specific governments. In this context, 2023 confirmed the long-term interest of actors linked primarily to the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China in covert activities within the networks of Czech strategic institutions. In the past year, we can talk about at least four separate attempts or successful intrusions into the networks of these organizations. In all these cases, the goal was very likely cyber espionage against the Czech Republic.
And I am not only talking about hard cybersecurity, in the sense that cyberspace is a "domain of operation," or just the security of the basic functions of our state. It also concerns the everyday safety of our fellow citizens, including their privacy, property, and health – all of which form the foundation of their well-being, as well as their trust in state institutions and the state's ability to ensure this basic safety.
The past years have shown us how vulnerable our society can be and the amount of work that lies ahead in its defense. As the director of an agency responsible for both cyber and information security, I would like to emphasize once again how pleased I am to be part of this platform for dialogue and the exchange of knowledge and experience at the Future Forces Forum. I am proud that it is taking place in the Czech Republic, and I believe that we have many inspiring and valuable discussions ahead of us.
Lukáš Kintr
Director of the National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB)