The British Government has revealed it secretly deployed cyber security experts to support authorities in Ukraine from Russian hackers.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion this year, cyber specialists contracted by the British government have been working alongside Ukrainian counterparts to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks.

Known as the Ukraine Cyber Programme, the £6.35m government initiative was launched shortly after the invasion began and has only just been made public.

The programme has been led by the Foreign Office alongside the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), part of GCHQ.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said it has provided crucial aid to repel Russian attacks in cyber space as the physical war rages on.

“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,” he said.

“The UK’s support to Ukraine is not limited to military aid – we are drawing on Britain’s world-leading expertise to support Ukraine’s cyber defences,” Cleverly added. “Together, we will ensure that the Kremlin is defeated in every sphere: on land, in the air and in cyber space.”

The Ukraine Cyber Programme

To date, the programme has provided vital incident response support to Ukrainian government entities, protecting them against an array of cyber-attacks including the notorious Industroyer2 malware.

This, the government said, has helped prevent Russian-backed threat actors from stealing sensitive information related to the war effort.

Recommended

• Five things you need to know about the OpenSSL patch
• Why it’s important to exercise your cyber defences
• Calls for probe after reports that Liz Truss’ phone was hacked

Similarly, the Ukraine Cyber Programme has delivered high-tech cybersecurity hardware and software, including firewalls to repulse attackers and DDoS protection to keep public services running and ensure that citizens can access information.

And the latter of these has proven critical.

In February this year, Ukrainian authorities were struck by a massive DDoS attack which the NCSC said was the work of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency.

Russian Cyber Aggression

Throughout the conflict, stats show that the tempo of Russian cyber-attacks has increased markedly, with attacks on Ukrainian web assets surging by more than 300%.

Russian cyber-attacks have consistently targeted the country’s telecommunications infrastructure. An attack on web provider Viasat, for example, had a serious impact on internet services across Ukraine and in other parts of Europe.

Lindy Cameron, CEO of the NCSC said the organisation is “proud to have played a part” in supporting Ukraine’s cyber defences during the conflict.

“They have mounted an impressive defence against Russian aggression in cyberspace, just as they have done on the physical battlefield,” she said.

“The threat remains real and the UK’s support package is undoubtedly bolstering Ukraine’s defences further,” Cameron added.

DIGIT Expo 2022 | Join the Conversation

DIGIT Expo is Scotland’s largest gathering of senior technology personnel and an unmissable opportunity for knowledge exchange, networking and business opportunity.

The conference will feature an array of tech leaders, innovators and world-class speakers exploring key themes such as AI, DevOps, cyber security, digital leadership, cloud computing, Web3 and data innovation.

Find out more at: www.digit-expo.com