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UK aids Ukraine with £6 million cyber defense package

Updated on: 02 November 2022

Anna Zhadan
Contributor

UK Ukraine programme — Image by Shutterstock

The United Kingdom will help safeguard Ukraine’s critical infrastructure from cyberattacks with a £6.35 ($7.31) million package, according to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

The government’s press release reveals details of the UK’s Ukraine Cyber Programme, which was previously kept secret – it was created shortly after the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is not limited to its horrific land invasion. It has also persistently attempted to invade Ukraine’s cyberspace, threatening critical information, services and infrastructure,” Cleverly announced. “[..] Together, we will ensure that the Kremlin is defeated in every sphere: on land, in the air and in cyber space.”

The program has already provided incident response to support Ukraine’s state entities, limited attacker access to vital networks, as well as delivered frontline cybersecurity hardware and software, such as firewalls, DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) protection, and forensic capabilities.

Although Ukraine has constantly suffered from cyberattacks throughout the years, their speed has accelerated following Russia’s illegal invasion. Recently, the new Prestige ransomware has been observed targeting Ukraine’s and Poland's transportation and logistics industries.

In the past, Ukraine’s metro, airport, electricity grid, and commercial operators have been attacked by threat actors associated with Russia.

“The NCSC is proud to have played a part in supporting Ukraine’s cyber defenders. They have mounted an impressive defence against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield,” Lindy Cameron, Chief Executive Officer of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), commented.