Ukraine plans to create a global cyber defense organization

The head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Yuriy Shchyhol, calls on the international community to create an organization that would help countries prepare for future cyberattacks by Russia. The politician calls the promising agency the «Cyber United Nations».

«We need a 'Cyber United Nations' - nations united in cyberspace. We have to protect ourselves and our world in the future,» Shchyhol said in an interview with POLITICO.

The official noted that after a year of constant Russian cyberattacks on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure, energy systems and satellite communications, there is a need for «a united cyberspace for all countries of the civilized world» — without Russia and its allies.

«Cyberattacks will become as powerful, and maybe even more powerful, than military aggression. The consequences of the enemy’s actions will have a significant impact, so we should not underestimate them [окупантів]. Our allies, in particular the United States, support our aspirations. Together with our partners, we have to rethink the methods of warfare, because now the element of cyber defense is included in any military action,» emphasized Shchyhol.

Christopher Painter, an official who served as the State Department’s cyber coordinator in the administrations of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, supported Shchyhol’s idea: «I agree that our joint response [росії] is absolutely necessary given the threat at hand. And while we have not been successful in doing so in the past, the invasion of Ukraine has spurred unprecedented collective engagement and cooperation among a number of countries.»

Ukrainian authorities are collecting evidence of Russian cyberattacks to present to the International Criminal Court in The Hague as part of a broader investigation into the war crimes of the terrorist state. According to Shchyhol, it includes specific names of hackers and cybercriminal groups.

Even though Ukraine is resisting Russian aggression in the digital field, the occupying country’s hacker attacks are only intensifying. In 2022, Ukraine’s IT army tracked more than 2,000 cyberattacks targeting civil society organizations, civil services, charities, volunteers, financial institutions, energy infrastructure, and more.

The allies are not leaving Ukraine alone to face cyber threats from Russia. Earlier, the UK spent 6.35 million pounds ($ 7.34 million) on cybersecurity for Ukrainians. The lion’s share of the funds was spent on the purchase of hardware and software that prevents hacker attacks and on forensic expertise.