The ten most current risks and threats of techno-social type related to COVID-19 for 2020 are analyzed by scientists at the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of BAS (IICT). Practical protective measures are also proposed. Summarized data from the analysis of Assoc. Prof. Zlatogor Minchev and Assistant Professor Ivan Gaydarski of the “Information Technologies for Security” department of IICT-BAS give current priority to threats and risks related to attacks on key online services and vulnerabilities in the Home Office working organization. Other important ones at the moment are: phishing threats and malware attacks. Growth in significance, but to a lesser extent, is also expected in terms of crypto-virus attacks, vulnerabilities in popular applications, robocall scams, fake applications and news, gray-market scams and malicious domains. [...]

A working meeting with the participation of Commissioner Mariya Gabriel was held by the scientists at the QUASAR Center of Competence "Quantum Communication, Intelligent Security Systems and Risk Management". Academician Chavdar Roumenin and Assoc. Prof. Lachezar Georgiev presented the research activity on the project. Mariya Gabriel got acquainted with the newly constructed laboratory complex equipped with the highest class of specialized equipment which is located at the Institute of Robotics of BAS. Among the highlights of the meeting were Bulgaria's participation in the European Euro QCI initiative and the related challenges. "Quantum technologies are increasingly central to the digital world we live in. I am proud that Bulgaria has also made a major contribution to their development through the QUASAR Center of Competence,” said Commissioner [...]

The Institute of Information and Communication Technologies of BAS has created a high world-level system that has all the elements: scientific infrastructure, proven progressive ideas and methods of scientific research. This was said by the President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev during his visit to the Institute on 10 of December. He pointed out that the most important capital is the people – highly prepared, motivated and committed to success. That is why Bulgaria, with what you have done, is positioned on the world innovation map, the President addressed the scientists. […]

Dr. Mariya Dzhumalieva-Stoeva is one of this year's winners of the national scholarship "For Women in Science" for Bulgaria. The prestigious award was presented to her by Vice President Iliana Iotova at an awards ceremony held in Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski". Dr. Dzhumalieva-Stoeva's is a postdoctoral student at the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of BAS under the National Program "Young Scientists and Postdoctoral Students" funded by the Ministry of Education and Science as well as Chief Assistant Professor of Computer Science at “St. Cyril and St. Methodius" University of Veliko Tarnovo. Her research focuses on coding theory and the study and classification of certain types of codes that are directly applicable to the protection of information, both from tampering and unauthorized access. "If [...]