Cybersecurity in the region's leading industries: NCSCC and CRDF Global held the XX meeting of the National Cybersecurity Cluster in Poltava

On June 29, 2023, the XX meeting of the National Cybersecurity Cluster on "Cybersecurity in the leading industries of the region" was held in Poltava, organized by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center at the NSDC of Ukraine jointly with the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation with the support of the US Department of State and the Poltava Regional Military Administration.

Opening the meeting, Head of the NCSCC Support Service of the NSDC Staff Serhiy Prokopenko, noted that the twentieth meeting of the National Cybersecurity Cluster was held in a new format. "The day before, command and staff exercises were held for the first time at the regional level, where representatives of government agencies and critical infrastructure facilities discussed the issue of improving the mechanisms of interaction in repelling cyberattacks. We will continue this practice, because in this way we will be able to achieve new goals, improve coordination, information exchange at the regional level and together strengthen the national cybersecurity system of Ukraine," Prokopenko said.

About 200 participants from the public and private sectors, representatives of international institutions and the scientific community joined the discussion of current regional cybersecurity needs, both online and offline. Among them were representatives of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine, Poltava Regional State Administration, Naftogaz of Ukraine, local cybersecurity entities, critical infrastructure facilities, and regional enterprises operating in the agriculture, energy, and engineering sectors.

"The energy sector has become the second springboard of warfare, and cyberattacks are a full-fledged component of this aggression. The energy sector of Ukraine was subject to russian cyberattacks before February 24, 2022, but with the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of attacks has increased significantly. Last year, the Operational Security Center of the transmission system operator recorded more than 1.5 million corresponding blocking of attempts to attack the industry," said Deputy Minister of Energy of Ukraine Farid Safarov.

CoOps Manager at CRDF Global Mykhailo Verich emphasized that Poltava region is an important region of Ukraine, with the industrial sector being one of the leading budget-forming components of the national economy. "I am glad that the National Cybersecurity Cluster in Poltava gives us the opportunity to improve coordination in the region, share best practices and cases, and most importantly, provide a tool that allows us to create an important link in the cyber defense system," Verich said.

The Cluster members discussed the current state of cybersecurity in the region's leading industries, the main challenges and threats in view of russia's aggression in cyberspace. They proposed a number of initiatives and projects aimed at improving Ukraine's cybersecurity and strengthening cooperation between the state, the academic community, the private sector, etc.

In his speech, Serhiy Prokopenko thanked the Poltava Regional Military Academy for its proactive approaches to implementing cybersecurity projects and its high level of attention to ensuring the region's cybersecurity. He also thanked National University "Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic" for supporting the NCSCC initiatives.