site.btaInternational Anti-cybercrime Conference Planned in Sofia

An international conference dubbed "E(I)mpact on Cybercrime" will be held in Sofia on September 11, the Interior Ministry reported on Friday. (The name EMPACT, used as a pun on the word "impact" in the title, stands for the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats.) Leading experts from all EU member states, agencies and institutions of the bloc, non-EU countries and international organizations will take part in the conference, which will be hosted by Bulgaria's General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC).

The event has been organized under a project to assist GDCOC in carrying out EMPACT activities. The international anti-cybercrime experts will discuss challenges and share experience relevant to the EMPACT 2022+ priorities such as countering cyberattacks, sexual exploitation of children via the internet, online financial fraud and web-based intellectual property crimes. They will also look at darknet investigations and cryptocurrency fraud.

Deputy Interior Minister Stoyan Temelakiev will give a greetings address at the opening of the conference.

A survey by the Trend Research Centre shows that 64% of Bulgarians feel uninformed about matters of cyber security.