A padlock superimposed over a circuit board pattern.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY: GANNON HORNING, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Dr. Nazar Tymoshyk, CEO at UnderDefense Cyber Security and Ukrainian native, spoke with St. Bonaventure University students and faculty about the cybersecurity inside Ukraine during the Russian invasion.Tymoshyk stated the struggles and misfortune Ukraine has gone through during the invasion.
Tymoshyk highlighted cyberwarfare as his leading reason for his presentation.
“Data is the new gold,” Tymoshyk said.
Showing that data is valued much more than it previously was, Tymoshyk ensured he placed an emphasis on this.
Dr. David Hilmey, cybersecurity program director and dean of the school of arts and sciences, was one of two professors holding the event.
“With the acceleration in the amount of data and frequency of data being taken, we are going to see more examples of data being used for both good and for evil,” Hilmey said. “It is going to be more valuable than it was in the past.”
Agreeing with Tymoshyk that data is a valuable asset to any country, Russia is sending in many armed and cyber soldiers into Ukraine to collect as much data as possible. These soldiers were looking for what both Tymoshyk and Hilmey described as “weak points” in Ukraine.
Russia sent over 140,000 soldiers to disrupt Ukraine’s communication and transportation systems. This led to the start of a war.
“Russia sent over 140,000 soldiers to essentially die,” Dr. Tymoshyk said.
Hilmey empathized with Tymoshyk and felt how he saw things living inside of Ukraine.
“You can see how Tymoshyk felt that the Russian’s plan bordered an attack and sent these soldiers to their death,” Hilmey said.
These Russian cyber teams, known as Armageddon and Sandworm, have been trying to infiltrate Ukraine’s systems. These are only a fraction of cyber groups that the Russians have sent.
“Armageddon has 87 operations in Ukraine and is still improving their skillset to take more information,” Himley said.
Hilmey tried to interpret more of Tymoshyk’s words and the cyber forces.
“He described a series of groups and strategies from Russia and attacked Ukrainian ecosystems,” Himley said.
The invasion of Ukraine started on Feb. 24, 2022. Hilmey stated that not many people would think that Ukraine would hold their own.
“When all of this all started the Ukraine seemed to be done, but seem confident on finding a resolution to this problem,” Hilmey said.
horningl21@bonaventure.edu
