Serhiy Demedyuk: Without the interaction of the state and the private sector it is impossible to build effective cyber defense

Without the interaction of the state and the private sector, it is impossible to build an effective system of cyber defense. Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhiy Demedyuk emphasized this in his speech at the Third International Forum “Cybersecurity. Protect business - Protect the state” on Tuesday in Kyiv.

Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov addressed the participants of the Forum in a video format with a welcoming speech. He notices that issues of cybersecurity and cyber defense are key on the public policy agenda today, with public-private partnerships being a priority.

Speaking about the achievements in developing public-private cybersecurity partnership, Mr. Demedyuk stressed that the leading role in this direction is given to the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity at the NSDC of Ukraine.

“The NCCC is the first working body of the NSDC to be established after the powerful attacks that Ukraine has suffered in recent years, - he said. - We have proved that when needed, we can involve the private sector in the defense of the state without bureaucratic obstacles. Since without business, it is impossible to build effective cyber defense”.

According to the Deputy NSDC Secretary, key cybersecurity entities perform their functions, but due to legal restrictions, they provide services mainly to the public sector. The NCCC should unite the efforts of the state and the private sector in one platform for joint and effective cooperation and overcoming such restrictions, he said.

“The NCCC has become the only national hub for interaction between the state and the private sector. The Center has full-time positions for private sector professionals who can share their knowledge and skills to protect the state”, - he said, adding that joint efforts “will help not only repel attacks but also develop a product that we can offer to partners”.

According to Mr. Demedyuk, it is business that should form the rules “according to which we have to live in cyberspace”, and the state is tasked to ensure compliance with these rules. “The more specialized cybersecurity centers we build, the sooner we will pass the stage of formation of the cybersecurity market”, - he pointed out.

The Deputy NSDC Secretary noted that many challenges for cyberspace arose during the coronavirus pandemic. “It was the pandemic that forced most actors to move quickly to the digital platform and implement innovations”, - he said noticing the efforts of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which provides a “strong impetus to cybersecurity projects”.

Mr. Demedyuk also stressed the importance of spreading digital literacy and cyber hygiene, on which the Ministry of Digital Transformation is also actively working. “If a person does not have the necessary digital knowledge, he will not be able to detect threats at an early stage”, - he said.

In order to establish more effective cybersecurity cooperation between the state and business, Deputy NSDC Secretary Serhiy Demedyuk and President of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Gennadiy Chyzhykov signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Staff of the NSDC of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.