Ukrtelecom has announced a Cisco partnership that aims to reinforce cybersecurity in Ukraine's territorial communities. The first project to kick off upon signing of MoC gives people access to Cisco Umbrella DNS, a cloud service for cyberprotection at DNS layer, which is part of Cisco Security Service Edge (SSE) suite.
Cisco Umbrella DNS protects against malware, viruses, phishing attacks and other threats by blocking DNS access requests from malicious websites and applications. The service has an extensive and well updated database of dangerous websites. Initially, Cisco Umbrella DNS will be free.
The two companies have joined forces under Cisco Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) programme rolled out in Ukraine. This initiative brings together the government, industry, and scientists, aiming to build safer, more sustainable and inclusive communities based on the ethical cutting-edge technological solutions.
"Amid constant cyberattacks and power grid instability we focus on providing the energy-independent optical internet access and enhancing the cybersecurity of Ukrainian communities. Ukrtelecom is constantly investing in its network upgrades and the latest technologies for improving the service quality and meeting our customers' increasing needs. Cooperation with Cisco in deploying its Cisco Umbrella will strengthen cybersecurity in 550 territorial communities that are among our customers,"
said Ihor Yaremchuk, CCO at Ukrtelecom.
Cybersecurity is an ever more pressing matter in Ukraine due to the full-scale invasion, which drastically increased the attacks on the national information systems, digital resources, and websites. According to Ukraine's State Cyber Protection Centre, the number of cybersecurity incidents recorded in 2023 grew by 62.5% compared to 2022. This trend continues in 2024, and 10% of attacks come from Russian special services, while the rest of attackers are their affiliated criminal groups, according to the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
"The Memorandum of Cooperation between Ukrtelecom and Cisco is an important step towards better cybersecurity for territorial communities. Having joined our efforts, we seek to enhance the communities' resilience against cyberthreats. We are confident that Cisco Umbrella will provide a strong foundation for their complex cybersecurity systems,"
said Serhii Martynchuk, CEO of Cisco Ukraine.
