РНБОУ National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine

Serhiy Demedyuk took part in the Fourth International Forum “Cybersecurity. Protect business – Protect the state”

Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhiy Demedyuk took part in the Fourth International Forum “Cybersecurity. Protect business – Protect the state”.

The forum, held by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in partnership with the National Cybesecurity Coordination Center at the NSDC of Ukraine, is dedicated to discussing the current state of cybersecurity, effective mechanisms for countering cyber threats, and developing steps to create secure cyberspace.

Opening the forum, Mr. Demedyuk noted that “there are no vaccines in cyberspace, but there are tools that protect the state and business from computer viruses, which are distributed by the secret services of the aggressor’s country, criminals and their accomplices”.

According to the Deputy NSDC Secretary, the main target of cyberattacks is the private sector, where the tools of attack are honed and “according to ready-made algorithms, state bodies are further attacked”. Therefore, according to Mr. Demedyuk, the sustainable operation of critical infrastructure depends on effective public-private partnership and well-established interaction of all stakeholders.

“We plan to launch a joint platform for information exchange, so it is important when detecting  a cyberthreat not to keep it secret in one’s organization but to share specification data, - he said. - Negotiations are also underway with American and European antivirus companies to involve them in the coverage of cyber incidents detected through their software”, - Mr. Demedyuk informed adding that the private sector “should also see cyber incidents recorded by law enforcement and special services protecting the cyberspace of the state”.

During the plenary session, Head of the Service for Supporting the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center at the NSDC Staff Serhiy Prokopenko made a report on the strategic goals and mechanisms for implementing the Cybersecurity Strategy of Ukraine for the next five years.

“Ensuring cyber resilience in the context of digital transformation is the major task, where the state together with business should make every effort”, - he said.

The participants of the forum in four sections discussed the issues of cyber resilience as a basis for business continuity, building cyber protection systems given the requirements of Ukrainian legislation, risk management in a modern organization. The participants also touched upon the topics of modern security technologies, information systems protection standards, cybersecurity during COVID-19 and after.

During the forum, it was emphasized that public-private cooperation is an important component of ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Cybersecurity Strategy of Ukraine “Safe Cyberspace – Key to Successful Development of the Country”. At the same time, trust between the state and companies cannot be a directive, it is built on interaction through cooperation, common standards, providing businesses and citizens with information, recommendations and tools needed to improve their security and protection in the digital age.