KnowCyber grantee spotlight: Strengthening cybersecurity for the media and civil society in Kosovo

As digital threats continue to evolve, independent media outlets and civil society organisations (CSOs) have become some of the most exposed and least protected actors in the digital ecosystem. In Kosovo, these organisations play a vital role in safeguarding democratic processes, public accountability, and freedom of expression. Yet their limited resources and growing digital dependence make them increasingly vulnerable to cyber incidents.

To address this challenge, Open Data Kosovo, as a KnowCyber grantee, implemented a project aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity capabilities of Kosovo’s independent media and civil society organisations. The initiative delivered measurable improvements by combining in-depth assessments, tailored technical support, and targeted staff training.

Measuring risks

Rather than relying on assumptions, the project began with a rigorous cybersecurity assessment methodology covering 11 critical domains, including data protection, content security, network security, incident response, compliance, and physical security.

“The questions we asked were not easy and they made many organisations uncomfortable,” says Blerta Thaçi, Executive Director of Open Data Kosovo.

“But that discomfort was necessary. It revealed risks that had never been systematically identified before.”

The assessments uncovered structural weaknesses common across small media outlets and CSOs: lack of incident response plans, limited awareness of compliance requirements, insufficient internal policies, and heavy reliance on informal tools such as personal email accounts for sensitive communications.

Tailored support

Following the assessments, each participating organisation received a tailor-made cybersecurity improvement plan, clearly outlining what needed to be addressed, what required financial investment, and what could be improved immediately through better practices and awareness.

In many cases, significant progress was achieved without major infrastructure changes. Improvements included policy development, basic security configurations, safer communication practices and targeted technical adjustments identified through penetration testing.

“Most organisations don’t have a dedicated IT or security officer,” Thaçi explains.

“They are small teams doing extremely important work under constant pressure. Our goal was to offer solutions that fit their reality and not impose unrealistic standards.”

The importance of training and organisational change

In addition to technical support, the project delivered hands-on cybersecurity training for staff, focusing on practical skills and real-world scenarios. Training addressed issues such as secure information sharing, recognising incidents, responding under pressure, and protecting sensitive sources and data.

A key finding was that employee awareness and leadership engagement played a decisive role in progress.

“When leadership is involved, change happens much faster,” says Thaçi.

“Training creates quick wins, but commitment from management is what makes those wins sustainable.”

Measurable improvement

The assessment framework used a scoring system from 1 to 10 across all cybersecurity domains. Over the course of the project, participating organisations increased their overall cybersecurity maturity score by almost 0.5 points. This is a significant improvement given the short timeframe and the complexity of the challenges.

Notable progress was observed in:

• Data protection practices
• Employee awareness
• Incident response readiness
• Basic compliance and policy development

These improvements showed that with targeted, needs-based support, cybersecurity resilience can be strengthened rapidly, even in resource-constrained environments.

Beyond individual organisations, Open Data Kosovo compiled a public-facing report summarising anonymised findings across the sector. The report highlighted systemic gaps and made the case for stronger, sustained support for media and civil society cybersecurity in Kosovo.

“This project showed us that these organisations are doing the impossible with very limited resources,” Thaçi notes.

“If we want to protect democracy, we need to protect the digital resilience of those who defend it.”

By strengthening the digital foundations of Kosovo’s independent media and civil society, the project contributes to organisational security, as well as to the long-term protection of democratic space itself.