Baghdad: The Women’s Affairs Department at the National Security Advisory, in collaboration with the Women’s Affairs Department at the Ministry of Defense, organized a significant workshop titled “Ways to Protect Against Online Extortion.” The event took place at Al-Nahrain Center for Strategic Studies over two days, from September 20-21, 2026, and was aimed at empowering female employees and personnel from the Ministry of Defense with crucial knowledge and skills.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the workshop was conducted in cooperation with trainers from the Joint Information Operations Center. It extensively covered the security and psychological aspects of online extortion, focusing on digital protection methods, safe browsing practices, and appropriate mechanisms for dealing with extortion attempts. These efforts are part of a broader initiative to mitigate cyber risks that specifically target women in both professional and social environments.

The workshop was divided into two primary themes. The first theme addressed the technical aspects, offering insights into methods for safeguarding personal accounts, securing digital data and information, and avoiding vulnerabilities and hacking risks. The second theme emphasized awareness, underscoring the necessity of raising societal consciousness and enhancing institutional cooperation to curb online extortion and protect vulnerable groups.