Its main goal is to strengthen the protection of citizens against cybercriminals.
The National Cyber Security Coordination Center under the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine together with the National Bank of Ukraine launched a project to counter cyber fraud in the financial sector.
Its main goal is to strengthen the protection of citizens against cybercriminals, who significantly intensified their activities during the martial law period in Ukraine. In order to steal funds, criminals conduct phishing campaigns, which aim to extract data to access bank accounts. The fraudsters’ promises vary depending on current news, especially those related to the provision of state and international financial assistance to citizens, and they also organize fake fundraisers to provide assistance to the Armed Forces.
The task of the project is simple – to reduce users’ transitions to fraudulent sites by redirecting them to a page with a warning that the site was created by criminals. The results are impressive: in the first month, about 120,000 unique visits to this page were recorded. In other words, tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens every month will be protected from falling on the “hook” of cyber fraudsters and the potential possibility of being defrauded.
“One of the key goals of the Cyber Security Strategy of Ukraine is to effectively combat cybercrime. Phishing is one of the most common methods of fraud on the Internet, which is used by cybercriminals to embezzle funds and collect personal data. And with the beginning of full-scale military aggression, this has also become one of the directions of hybrids. war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. After all, dozens of malicious groups that conduct phishing campaigns against Ukrainian citizens are coordinated by Russian criminals, and the FSB covers their actions. As a result, the funds that Ukrainians lose are used to support the terrorist country.” – said Serhii Demediuk, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
“Even during the full-scale war in Ukraine, payment fraud did not disappear. On the contrary, in 2022, we observed a significant increase in its manifestations. The most common type was fake social assistance from state or international organizations to Ukrainians affected by the war. In 2022, the NBU detected about 4,500 phishing scams. resources, for comparison – in 2021, this figure was an order of magnitude smaller, which prompted the National Bank to introduce a measure against malicious websites, which will contribute to the strengthening of the financial system of cyber protection, will allow to protect Ukrainians from fraudsters, and in the future – to reduce the number of phishing attacks and, in general, the volume of financial fraud in Ukraine”, – said Oleksiy Shaban, Deputy Chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine.
Last fall, the NCCC created a working group, which included representatives of state bodies and providers with the largest infrastructure. The financial phishing protection system was successfully tested. The first major provider to actively join the project was the Kyivstar company, which always pays great attention to issues of cyber security and protection of its subscribers from cyber threats.
“Kyivstar systematically supports the state and subscribers, providing communication during wartime, investing in the development of the telecom market, participating in the digital development of the country, as well as supporting the direction of countering cyber fraud. We understand that one of the components of strong cyber defense of Ukraine is fruitful business interaction and the state “Having developed a significant expertise in the field of cyber security, the company immediately joined the project of the NCCC and the National Bank of Ukraine to build a system for limiting malicious domains. Financial fraud is one of the manifestations of hybrid warfare, and by joining forces, we will be able to effectively protect Ukrainians.” –commented Oleksandr Kogut, director of regulatory support of Kyivstar.
Analysis of the activity of hacker groups engaged in such fraud indicates that they operate not only in Ukraine, but also in EU countries. That is why negotiations are currently underway regarding the exchange of information with the relevant authorities from the partner countries, to which a large number of Ukrainians left after the start of the full-scale invasion.
Help about Kyivstar
Kyivstar is the largest Ukrainian electronic communications operator, which as of June 2022 served 24.4 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million “home Internet” subscribers. The company provides services based on a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G. The company’s clients have access to mobile, fixed line and Internet options, convergent solutions, as well as innovative Big Data services, Cloud solutions, cyber protection services, digital TV, etc. Kyivstar actively helps subscribers, society and the country overcome the difficulties of wartime. For the year 2022, the company transferred UAH 130 million in aid to charitable funds for the society’s humanitarian needs and provided subscribers with free services and bonuses in the amount equivalent to UAH 577 million. Kyivstar supported the initiative of the President of Ukraine to attract funds for the restoration of Ukraine and allocated UAH 300 million for the restoration of digital infrastructure. The company also connects bomb shelters and modular houses for displaced people to high-speed Internet at its own expense. Kyivstar’s shareholder is the VEON international group. The group’s shares are listed on the NASDAQ (New York) and Euronext (Amsterdam) stock exchanges. Kyivstar has been working in Ukraine for 24 years and is recognized as the largest taxpayer in the telecom market, the best employer and a socially responsible company.
Additional information: pr@kyivstar.net, www.kyivstar.ua
