Ukraine restricts use of Telegram by military and government agencies - NSDC
The National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC) has decided to restrict the use of Telegram on the official devices of government officials, military personnel, security and defense sector employees, as well as enterprises operating critical infrastructure.
According to Ukrinform, the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) reported this on Facebook.
“On September 19, a meeting of the NCCC, a key body for coordination and control in the field of cybersecurity, was held. The meeting was attended by representatives of the leadership of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection, the National Police, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the National Bank of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, intelligence agencies, the leadership of regulatory bodies in the field of electronic communications, as well as MPs of Ukraine,” the statement reads.
At the beginning of the meeting, NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Lytvynenko emphasized the importance of joining forces to strengthen national security and effectively counter threats in cyberspace.
The key topic of the meeting was the discussion of threats to national security related to the use of the Telegram messenger, especially during a full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
Kyrylo Budanov, Chief of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, provided substantiated evidence that Russian special services have access to personal correspondence of Telegram users, even deleted messages, as well as their personal data.
“I have always advocated freedom of speech, but the issue of Telegram is not a matter of freedom of speech, it is a matter of national security,” he emphasized.
Representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the General Staff noted that Telegram is actively used by the enemy for cyberattacks, spreading phishing and malware, establishing user geolocation, adjusting missile strikes, etc.
In order to minimize these threats, it was decided to ban the installation and use of Telegram on the official devices of government officials, military personnel, employees of the security and defense sector, as well as enterprises operating critical infrastructure.
The only exceptions will be those persons for whom the use of this messenger is part of their official duties.
In addition, the participants of the meeting paid considerable attention to ensuring the stable operation of mobile communications and the Internet under martial law. Companies in the telecommunications sector are constantly subject to cyberattacks by Russian hackers.
In order to improve cooperation in responding to such threats, the participants supported the initiative to create a center for the exchange and analysis of information on cyber threats in the industry using the best European practices, in particular, the ISAC model.
They also considered issues and made decisions to ensure the continuous operation of electronic communication networks during power outages.
A number of decisions were made aimed at developing the cybersecurity sector in the country, including the launch of a national initiative to promote the role of women in cybersecurity and gender equality, as well as the introduction of an automated platform for monitoring the implementation of the Ukrainian cybersecurity strategy (CyberTracker), which will improve strategic planning in this area.
Certain issues aimed at strengthening national cyber resilience were considered in a closed session.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, according to the results of the Omnibus nationwide public opinion poll, only 9% of Ukrainians support a complete ban on the Telegram messenger. Instead, the majority - 54% - believe that certain restrictions and controls should be imposed on it.