National Cyber and Information Security Agency - The National Cyber and Information Security Agency will help with cybersecurity during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship

15 February 2024

The National Cyber and Information Security Agency (NÚKIB) will cooperate with the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2024 to ensure cybersecurity. This comes from a memorandum signed by the Director of NÚKIB, Lukáš Kintr, and President of the Czech Ice Hockey Association (from now on CIHA), Alois Hadamczik. The championship will be hosted by Prague and Ostrava this May.

The memorandum outlines the principles of activity and cooperation between NÚKIB and the CIHA during the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2024. In practice, this will mean that the ice hockey federation will determine the group of services necessary to ensure the running of the championship, and NÚKIB will then provide support and cooperation. If a cyber incident occurs during the Championships, NÚKIB will actively assist in dealing with it.

"Several great athletes and their supporters will descend on the Czech Republic, and the event will attract much attention. It needs to be consistently guarded, even in cyberspace. That is why we are glad we can participate in such an important sporting event and contribute our expertise to its successful course," says Lukáš Kintr, the Director of NÚKIB.

CIHA President Alois Hadamczik also welcomes the cooperation: “Safety for all participants of the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2024 - from teams and management to fans in individual arenas - is one of the priorities of the Organizing Committee. I am delighted that we could cooperate with the National Cyber and Information Security Agency. Together, we will do our utmost to ensure the cybersecurity of the championships in Prague and Ostrava."

The IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship will be held in the Czech Republic for the third time. It will follow the 2004 and 2015 championships. Moreover, the 2015 event has a historical record for attendance (741,690 people). According to some estimates, this year's attendance may also approach or surpass the 700,000 spectators supporting their national teams from sixteen countries. This is the first time for NÚKIB to collaborate on such a large-scale sporting event.

NÚKIB was established in 2017 by separating from the National Security Authority. It currently employs approximately 350 people. NÚKIB is responsible for the cybersecurity of the Czech Republic, including protecting classified information in the field of information and communication systems and cryptographic protection. In addition to setting the conditions for the mandatory entities covered by the Act on Cyber Security, it also educates the public in the field of cyber security. It cooperates in the development of legislation within the European Union.

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In collaboration with colleagues from the Albanian National Authority for Electronic Certification and Cyber Security (AKCESK), a scenario was prepared for participants from various government institutions and bank representatives, including the Bank of Albania. The scenario focused on the escalating cyber crisis in the banking sector and highlighted the multidimensional nature of cyber threats. One of the objectives of the simulation was to discuss Albania's new cybersecurity legislation and to focus on cooperation and crisis communication between the institutions involved. The cyber exercise was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, Bellinda Balluku, who expressed her support for the project while emphasizing the importance of cyber security and increasing the resilience of the whole society in cyberspace.

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