Accusations thrown at Russian cyber-attack use in conflict.
Ukraine has persisted despite repeated cyber-attacks from Russia, and kept its digital ecosystem functioning throughout the war.
According to a joint statement from global governments marking the first anniversary of the Tallinn Mechanism - where donations have topped €200 million for Ukraine's resilience in cyberspace - the governments said that cyber-attacks are now an integral part of 21st century conflict and warfare.
Since the Tallinn Mechanism was established in December 2023, the funds raised will strengthen Ukraine’s ability to address Russia’s malicious behaviour in cyberspace, and will continue to seek new avenues for supporting Ukraine.
Digital Ecosystem
“Russian activity has aimed to destroy Ukraine’s digital ecosystem and cyber capabilities, as well as attempt to destabilize Ukraine’s allies in the cyber domain,” the statement said.
”Russia’s activities demonstrate that it is a persistently reckless, aggressive, and irresponsible actor in cyberspace, in contravention of the consensus on UN framework of responsible state behaviour in cyberspace.”
World Class Cyber
In particular, the Tallinn Mechanism is using world class cyber and digital expertise from both the private and public sector to protect critical national infrastructure and vital services. This is done via bolstered cyber defence capabilities to Ukraine, enabling them to detect and disable the malware targeted at them.
The governments claim this support ranges from frontline hardware and software to prevent malicious cyber activities, and training of cybersecurity officials.
“With its engagement, the Tallinn Mechanism sends a clear message: Ukraine has full support of like-minded nations and partner countries that will continue to assist Ukraine in protecting its civilian critical infrastructure against Russian malicious cyber activity,” the statement concluded.
The announcement came as a cyber-attack hit Ukraine's state registers. leaving citizens unable to access essential services linked to their digital records. This disrupted electronic registration of births, marriages and deaths, with these records are now being processed on paper.
Written by
Dan Raywood
Senior Editor
SC Media UK
Dan Raywood is a B2B journalist with more than 20 years of experience, including covering cybersecurity for the past 16 years. He has extensively covered topics from Advanced Persistent Threats and nation-state hackers to major data breaches and regulatory changes.
He has spoken at events including 44CON, Infosecurity Europe, RANT Conference, BSides Scotland, Steelcon and ESET Security Days.
Outside work, Dan enjoys supporting Tottenham Hotspur, managing mischievous cats, and sampling craft beers.
