CYBERSECURITY LANDSCAPE IN MONTENEGRO: CURRENT RISKS AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES
CYBERSECURITY LANDSCAPE IN MONTENEGRO: CURRENT RISKS AND MITIGATION STRATEGIES

Summary/Abstract: Objective: This study examines Montenegro's cybersecurity landscape, analysing how geopolitical tensions and domestic vulnerabilities shape the nation's evolving cyber threats and their mitigation. Goal: The research aims to document cyber threats targeting Montenegro from 2016 to 2025, evaluate governmental responses across policy, legal, institutional, cooperation and awareness dimensions, and assess whether these countermeasures achieve meaningful cyber resilience or reveal critical implementation deficiencies requiring urgent remediation. Methodology: The research relies on qualitative analysis of 67 primary sources, including academic studies, international cybersecurity indices, investigative journalism, and official government documents. It applies a chronological framework to map threat evolution and mitigation efforts, and its scope is limited to state-level incidents, institutional developments, and national policy responses. Findings: Montenegro experienced significant threat escalation, progressing from politically motivated attacks attributed to Russian APT28 during NATO accession to the devastating 2022 cyber attack that paralysed government infrastructure for weeks. Despite comprehensive strategic frameworks and robust international partnerships, severe implementation gaps persist: only 16 cybersecurity personnel staff national response entities, merely 6 per cent of citizens understand cyber threats, and the promised Cyber Security Agency remains unestablished due to political disputes, demonstrating a critical disconnection between ambitious policy architecture and inadequate operational capacity.

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