How Ukraine Has Resisted Russia's Cyber Offensive


(MENAFN- Asia Times) Paul Chichester, Director of Operations at the UK's National cyber Security Center (NCSC), describes the cyber war between Russia and Ukraine as“the most sustained set of cyber operations coming up against the best collective defense we have seen.”

Ukraine's cyber defenses have proven to be exceptionally robust, effectively preventing what could have been Russia's“cyber Pearl Harbor” – a devastating surprise cyberattack intended to cause widespread disruption.

Ukraine has effectively countered Russia's cyber threat by demonstrating a level of defensive strength and resilience that mirrors its tenacity on the battlefield. It has been reported that Russian hackers conducted at least 260 million attempts to break into Ukrainian systems between the start of the full-scale invasion and June 2023.

Learning from past experiences, Ukraine has been able to develop a robust cyber defense to withstand Russia's onslaught. However, it is important to note that a critical factor in this success has been the extensive cyber support provided by Western governments. This support extends beyond mere diplomatic backing, encompassing technical and strategic assistance to bolster Ukraine's cyber capabilities.

Equally important has been the role of technology companies. These entities have provided vital resources and expertise, contributing significantly to the strengthening of Ukraine's cyber defenses. In March 2020, the Cyber Defense Assistance Collaborative for Ukraine (CDAC) was established to coordinate assistance from Western tech companies to support Ukraine.

The organization helped to establish an“inventory of the potential services and products and tools foreign companies can offer to Ukraine and then also coordinate with different Ukrainian agencies and understand their needs as quickly as possible.”

In December 2021, a few months before Russia's full-scale invasion, the US military Cyber Command sent a team to Ukraine to analyze Ukrainian systems and whether Russian hackers had already penetrated them.

Their mission was to“hunt forward” and identify computer networks that had already been penetrated to help bolster Ukraine's defense amid heightened Russian aggression. As a result, Ukraine has fared better on the cyber front than many expected in the initial days of the war. Much of the cyber support provided by the West is done in secrecy and is likely to be far greater in scope than has been reported in the news.

Ukraine's experience 2014–2022

Ukraine has had extensive experience fighting Russia on the cyber battlefield since 2014. As one Ukrainian official put it:“With their nonstop attacks, Russia has effectively been training us since 2014. So, by February 2022, we were ready and knew everything about their capabilities.”

Russia's constant cyberattacks against the country have also increased societal awareness of cybersecurity and the role that civil society would need to play in cyber resilience.

Russia also underestimated Ukraine's cyber abilities to resist. As Yurii Shchyhol, head of Ukraine's State Service of Special Communications and Information Protection, explained:

The role of the West's private sector

The private sector in the West has played an important role in helping keep Ukraine online. The involvement of Western private sector entities, primarily major technology and cybersecurity firms, has played a significant role in helping keep Ukraine online.

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Asia Times

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