Since its emergence, the Cluster, which is a joint initiative of the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center (NCCC) under the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) and CRDF Global, has become Ukraine’s main platform for discussing and solving important issues in the cyber sphere.
Despite the difficult conditions and new challenges caused by the war, the initiative continues to implement its mission, fulfilling key tasks, namely: exchange of best practices and information, development of public-private partnerships and coordination.
“Our meeting today begins on the eve of the anniversary of Russia’s war against Ukraine – almost 365 days of active confrontation both on the physical and cyber fronts. But, at the same time, one day closer to victory. Despite all the challenges, today we mark the third year of the Cluster’s activity. During this time, we were able to prove that it is the coordination and development of partnerships that build a reliable foundation for the sustainability of the national cybersecurity system. Together with our partners, we continue to work tirelessly on building effective ways to strengthen Ukraine’s cyber defense,” said Mykhailo Verych, Senior Operations Manager, CRDF Global.
The 17th meeting of the Cluster was held online and brought together about 340 participants from 188 organizations. Among them are representatives of government structures, central and regional authorities, the donor community, foreign agencies, academia, and private sector.
Government of Ukraine was represented by the specialists of the NCCC and the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
“In 2022, thanks to the coordinated joint work of the public and private sectors and international support, Ukraine has proven its resilience in cyberspace. We are now seeing a decrease in the number of cyberattacks compared to last year, but the level of threats has not decreased. After all, enemy attacks have become more sophisticated and complex, and carry greater risks. Therefore, the issue of cybersecurity remains on the agenda and in focus at all levels – from technical specialists to managers of all cybersecurity entities,” said Serhii Prokopenko, head of the NCCC Support Department.
A special focus of the event was on an overview of new opportunities in the field from representatives of NATO, Internet 2.0, WithYouWithMe and the Cyber Defense Support Cooperation (CDAC).
Last November, CRDF Global became a platform for CDAC’s activities in Ukraine. This is an effective initiative that brought together the leading private sector players for effective assistance to Ukrainian institutions. The cluster will serve as the entry point for support requests to the organization.
A fruitful discussion at the end of the meeting made it possible to delve deeper into the issues raised by the speakers and contributed to building new partnerships on the basis of the Cluster.
Background:
The National Cybersecurity Cluster is a joint coordination effort of the NCCC at the NSDC and Representation of U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation in Ukraine, CRDF Global, with the support of the U.S. Department of State. The platform unites key Ukrainian and international players in the sphere of cybersecurity and related areas to address key needs of the cyber community in Ukraine.
