Supreme Council for National Defence convened to assess possible risks to national security

The Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) will meet on Thursday, starting at 14:00, at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace, under the leadership of President Klaus Iohannis.

The Presidential Administration announced that the agenda of the CSAT meeting includes an analysis of possible risks to national security posed by the actions of state and non-state cyber actors against IT&C infrastructures that support the electoral process.

The National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC) reported on Wednesday that, at the request of the Cybersecurity Operational Council (COSC) last year, it officially recommended that public institutions ban the TikTok application due to significant cybersecurity risks and data manipulation, especially in the context of risks to public opinion and decision-making processes through social media.

Furthermore, the DNSC said that monitoring social media accounts and investigating the tactics and techniques used to propagate social media posts through algorithm manipulation is not within the institution's responsibilities.

DNSC representatives mentioned that throughout the election period, they actively collaborated with national specialist authorities - the Permanent Electoral Authority, the Special Telecommunications Service, and the National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications - to prevent cyberattacks on electoral infrastructure and ensure a transparent and secure electoral process.

The first round of the presidential elections took place on Sunday. According to the final results published on Tuesday by the Central Electoral Bureau, Calin Georgescu (independent) received 2,120,401 valid votes, representing 22.94%, while Elena Lasconi (Save Romania Union - USR) garnered 1,772,500 valid votes, representing 19.18%. The second round of the presidential elections will take place onDecember 8.