Strengthening cybersecurity: Ukraine’s government approves response mechanism

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution in early April, which defines the country’s cybersecurity procedure for responding to cyber-incidents and cyber-attacks. The number of cyber-attacks against Ukraine has grown since the conflict with Russia began. The new resolution will make it possible to react in time and plan cyber-defence measures. 

According to articles by Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) and online newspaper The Guardian, the ongoing war with Russia has triggered a change in Ukraine’s ‘cyberthreat landscape’. Cyber-attacks against Ukraine are said to have trebled in the past year, with online attacks sometimes timed in combination with missile strikes. 

The determined order in Ukraine’s new procedure will enable the country’s cyber-resilient response to:

• quickly identify and defend against cyber incidents or cyber-attacks;
• report on risks, prevent negative consequences or minimise them;
• identify and fix vulnerabilities;
• restore the stability and reliability of the functioning of information systems, electronic communication systems, information and communication, technological systems and other objects of cyber protection. 

The procedure for responding to cyber-attacks and cyber-incidents includes several stages: preparation, detection and analysis, containment, elimination, recovery, and analysis of the effectiveness of the response measures. The resolution also defines the criticality of cyber-attacks and cyber-incidents. 

The document was developed by the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine in terms of the implementation of the Cyber Security Strategy Implementation Plan of Ukraine. 

See this story on the website of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.