The Institute of Physics and Technology of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (KPI) opened the first educational "Cybersecurity Industrial Control System Laboratory" with the support of the USAID Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity.
Currently, the USAID Cybersecurity Activity focuses on helping Ukraine eliminate cybersecurity vulnerabilities, develop its cybersecurity industry and expand its pool of skilled cyber professionals. Training of specialists in the information and cyber security field, the leader of which in Ukraine is KPI, is an important element in the formation of a personnel reserve in the field of cybersecurity.
Julie Kohnen, USAID Mission Director in Ukraine, attended the laboratory’s opening: “USAID is investing in cutting-edge equipment and software to protect Ukraine’s real-world critical infrastructure. This is important because the digital infrastructure, which cybersecurity experts are protecting, controls vital services — power grids, water supplies, and transportation networks. By providing hands-on experience with this equipment, we're ensuring Ukraine develops new cyber experts equipped to detect, neutralize, and outmaneuver cyber attacks targeting Ukraine’s most critical systems.”
State-of-the-art Cybersecurity Industrial Control System (ICS) Laboratory will help 200 future and existing operators responsible for critical infrastructure to learn how to identify, reduce and eliminate cybersecurity vulnerabilities in various ICS systems. This becomes possible because the newly created laboratory actually simulates the real environment of the industrial control system in various sectors, such as production, water treatment and utilities. This makes it easier to conduct hands-on experiments and expand learning opportunities.
"Today, such specialists are desperately needed at enterprises in various industries of Ukraine. Therefore, the state-of-the-art laboratory and its equipment will help future specialists master advanced methods and solutions in the field of cybersecurity with an emphasis on assessing the vulnerabilities of public and private critical infrastructure. Also, thanks to the creation of this laboratory, separate training modules will be developed at our university within the framework of educational and certificate programs," said the rector of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Anatoliy Melnychenko.
Deputy Minister of Education on Science and Innovations Denys Kurbatov, Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Serhiy Demedyuk and Head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine (SSSCIP) Yurii Myronenko also joined the opening of the laboratory. NSDC and SSSCIP will popularize and facilitate the upskilling of cyber experts from the critical infrastructure operators (CIOs) at the Cybersecurity ICS Laboratory.
Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhiy Demedyuk stressed that shortage of cybersecurity personnel is becoming a serious challenge for most countries worldwide, including Ukraine, especially in the face of constant cyberattacks from Russia aimed at destabilizing essential state sectors. "The opening of the Cybersecurity ICS Laboratory at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute is an important step in overcoming this challenge and strengthening Ukraine's cyber resilience. This laboratory provides opportunities for training specialists capable of effectively countering modern threats and ensuring the reliable protection of the country's critical infrastructure."
“My sincere gratitude to USAID, especially for implementing such a large-scale activity as Cybersecurity for Critical Infrastructure in Ukraine Activity. We are pleased to see firsthand today the state-of-the-art systems that will allow cyber specialists to experience and work with the software and industrial control systems of critical infrastructure facilities in a coordinated manner,” - said the Head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, Yurii Myronenko.
Cooperation between Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the State Special Communications Service, and USAID contributes to the training of future cybersecurity specialists and improving the skills and competencies of cyber specialists in OCI so that they protect industrial control systems from cyberattacks.
