A training on cybersecurity was held for the management of state institutions operating in the autonomous republic, jointly organized by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center operating under the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDIA) under the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

At the event, held at the Agbulag Recreation Center, they first got acquainted with the exhibitions and stands, and obtained information about modern technologies and innovative solutions applied in the field of cybersecurity. Then, Azer Mammadrahimov, Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Transport of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, acting minister, emphasized that such trainings are of particular importance in the modern era and noted that in a situation where digitalization is rapidly increasing, strengthening the cybersecurity of state institutions is of particular importance. He drew attention to the fact that ensuring information security is not only a technical issue, but also a matter of management and responsibility.

Speaking next, the rector of Nakhchivan State University, Elbrus Isayev, emphasized the importance of continuing awareness-raising activities in the field of cybersecurity. He said that in modern times, information security should be on the agenda of all managers, not just IT specialists, and increasing knowledge in this area directly affects the effectiveness of management.

Shahmar Hajiyahyayev, head of the Information Security Department of IRIA, emphasized during his speech that ensuring cybersecurity is a very important factor in parallel with the digitalization of institutions. Great work is being done in this area as the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center. Thus, cyber awareness trainings have been conducted for more than 200 managers and about 6,000 employees of more than 50 institutions in the last 2 years. This is a serious step taken towards increasing the cyber resilience of these institutions.

Presentations and practical workshops were held on various topical topics in the fields of digitalization, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity by the external training staff of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center and foreign experts invited by IRIA.

The main concepts of the field of cybersecurity, modern global challenges and the main risks encountered in the public sector were explained in detail. Then, targeted attacks on executives, especially CEOs and high-ranking officials exposed to phishing, social engineering and other cyberattacks, were analyzed based on real examples.

At the same time, the causes of information leaks, including the human factor, weak security policies and technical gaps, were discussed, and preventive measures and effective management approaches to minimize these risks were brought to the attention of the participants. Detailed information was also provided on open source intelligence (OSINT) and the threats it can pose to organizations.

During the desktop sessions held in the second half of the day, participants worked on real-life scenarios and applied their cyber incident response, decision-making, and crisis management skills in a practical way. These sessions aimed to strengthen the ability of managers to make prompt and sound decisions in critical situations.

The training also covered contemporary and topical issues such as analyzing user behavior during web activities, identifying user intent and potential risks through browser artifacts, and assessing digital footprints from a security perspective.

The event concluded with a question-and-answer session and final discussions.