Ukraine deepens NATO cyber partnership
Ukraine brings first-hand knowledge for research and training
The cybersecurity partnership between Ukraine and NATO advanced to a new level last week after Ukraine signed an agreement on accession to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, signed the Technical Agreement to join the Estonia-based CCDCOE on Thursday.
The CCDCOE serves as a cyber-defence information centre and training and exercise facility for members, assisting them with technology, threat-sharing, and policy expertise. It is a NATO organisation but membership is not restricted to NATO countries.
Ukraine submitted its application for CCDCOE membership in August 2021 and a unanimous vote of the steering committee's 27 supporting nations approved the move on 4th March 2022.
Colonel Jaak Tarien, Director of the CCDCOE, said he hoped the inclusion of Ukraine would help improve the sharing of cyber experience between the country and CCDCOE member states.
"Ukraine could bring valuable first-hand knowledge of several adversaries within the cyber domain to be used for research, exercises and training."
The updated agreement will be sent to all of the CCDCOE member nations for signing after being approved by the NSDC Secretary.
"We have been actively cooperating with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence for the last year," Ukraine's Yuriy Shchygol, head of state special forces SSSCIP, said in a statement.
In November Mart Noorma, director of the CCDCOE, and Carolina Leis, head of international relations, visited Ukraine to discuss the country's experience in fighting Russia's cyber aggression, cyber threats for other nations, and other issues.
The Ukrainian delegation also attended a CCDCOE Steering Committee meeting for the first time last year.
"I do hope that our cooperation will become tighter this year," Shchygol added.
Members of the CCDCOE work together on cybersecurity issues but do not commit to the same military actions and collective defence agreements as full NATO members.
Four more nations joined the CCDCOE last year: South Korea, Canada and Luxembourg joined in May, and Japan in November.
More nations are looking to collaborate with NATO and its allied organisations in the wake of Russia's unlawful invasion of Ukraine.
Several Ukrainian institutions, including banks and governmental organisations, were the subject of an increasing number of cyberattacks just before the invasion began.
Russia launched a cyberattack on satellite provider Viasat the day it invaded, to block Ukrainian communications.
In June Microsoft said that, since the start of the war, it had identified more than 100 organisations in 42 countries affected by the attacks.
More than 60% of the activity targeted organisations in NATO states. The USA was the main country targeted, accounting for 12% of the worldwide total.
Threat actors also focused on Poland, the hub for delivering the majority of military and humanitarian goods to Ukraine.
The European Council warned in July that Russian groups were expanding their attacks on 'essential' organisations throughout the globe, raising the possibility of escalation and spillover risks.
In November the UK government revealed that it had spent nearly £6.4 million on an initiative to defend Ukraine's critical national infrastructure and essential public services from Russian cyberattacks.