The cyber threat landscape is constantly growing, and cyber attacks on Ukrainian businesses are becoming more frequent. Small and medium-sized businesses are particularly at risk, as business interruption can have fatal consequences. The training program «Safer with Google: Cybersecurity Basics for Businesses» focused on practical skills to protect against cyber threats. The speaker of the business case was our colleague, QA Team Lead and Cyber Security Engineer at Kitsoft, Yaroslav Bezzubets.
Google has developed its program for owners, managers, and employees of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine who want to protect their businesses from cyber threats. Participants gained practical skills in building a cybersecurity system, choosing strategies and tactics to improve business security, and using AI in cybersecurity. The program included 4 training sessions with a practical block, a Kitsoft business case, and consultations with cybersecurity experts.
Based on the State Service of Special Communications, the number of registered cyber incidents in Ukraine increased by 62.5% in 2023 compared to 2022. The landscape of cyber threats is growing, and hackers' use of AI tools allows them to increase the speed and volume of cyber attacks. No wonder that according to the Allianz Insurance Risk Barometer, cyber incidents are the main global business risk in 2024.
Unlike large companies, small and medium-sized enterprises are more dependent on outsourcing IT and cybersecurity services and have fewer financial resources and in-house expertise. This makes them more vulnerable to the consequences of business interruption due to cyberattacks.
Yaroslav Bezzubets and Artem Mikhailov, Director of Corporate Solutions, ISSP Partner
During the training sessions, ISSP information security experts and instructors shared their practical knowledge of cyber hygiene and cyberattack recognition, the first steps and typical tools for building a cyber defense system, and strategies and tactics for improving business security. The participants were told about the impact of AI on cybersecurity by experts and information security instructors from Cyber School and CyberUnit Technologies.
Yaroslav Bezzubets, Kitsoft QA Team Lead and Cyber Security Engineer, presented a case study «Cybersecurity and cyberattack through the eyes of an entrepreneur». He spoke about Kitsoft's experience in surviving the cyberattack on government websites on January 14, 2022 and overcoming its consequences.
Yaroslav shared with the participants an algorithm of actions from identifying the source and method of a cyberattack to analyzing the causes of a cyber incident and the results of the measures taken. He spoke about the secure software development life cycle and pointed out tools that help protect software at each stage.
The training participants also learned how to:
- take an inventory of assets, assess and mitigate cyber risks for each of them;
- implement cybersecurity policies and procedures that will help prepare for, respond to, and overcome cyberattacks effectively
- ensure the organization's resilience and protection against cyber threats through regular cybersecurity training for employees.
At the end of his speech, Yaroslav Bezzubets shared with the participants useful resources that will help them prepare for and recover from cyberattacks and answered questions from the audience.
The stability and development of small and medium-sized businesses in times of war is an important component of Ukraine's economic development. We were happy to share useful tools and practical skills for the cyber defense of Ukrainian businesses!
The program «Safer with Google: Cybersecurity Basics for Business» was developed with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the national projects “Diia.Business” and “Diia.Education”, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, the Cyber Action platform, ISSP, Cyber School, and CyberUnit Technologies.