Lukashenko: it’s necessary to create cybersecurity system at facilities of potential attack
Issues of cybersecurity were brought to the meeting with the President of Belarus at the Palace of Independence. Andrei Pavlyuchenko, the Head of the Operations and Analysis Centre, presented a draft decree that should determine the legal basis for creating a national cybersecurity system.
Starting the conversation, Aleksandr Lukashenko drew the attention of its participants to the relevance of the topic, “It may not be so typical for us but there is an increase in cyberattacks all over the world. These so-called cybernetics attack primarily strategic targets. They attack state bodies, enterprises, and banking system. That is, their goal is to hit the main life support points of any state, including of our country. This is one of the elements of hybrid warfare. A very dangerous element. The goal is to cause maximum damage to the economy and destabilise society as a result.”
According to the Head of State, many states are currently facing similar challenges. It is typical not only for Belarus, but also for any states that this attack is directed at. With this in mind, some time ago, the Operations and Analysis Centre was instructed to make proposals for the maximum counteraction to cyberattacks on facilities of the Republic of Belarus, “It was instructed to attract the necessary specialists and prepare appropriate proposals. If you are ready, let’s consider these proposals. However, I’d like to warn you about the establishment of some additional centres, structures, some other hacker and cybernetic structures. First of all, you must tell me how to secure our state, taking into account what we have.”
At the same time, the President drew attention to the need for rational use of available resources, “There is no extra money to follow each other and observe something. Let’s proceed from the fact that we have defined the goals, we know what cyber war is (to the maximum, if we talk about cyber war) and we know what cybersecurity is. All this is determined in the corresponding National Security Concept.”
The next aspect that the Head of State draws attention to is that it is necessary to understand what the cyberattack will be aimed at, “So, probably, these facilities must be protected onsite! We will proceed from this rather than establishing new governments and ministries or, as we usually do, security centres in order to observe. What to observe? It is necessary to create a security system at those facilities that will be attacked in the event of a cyber war.”
The President clarified whether there were other developments on this issue and asked to refute his arguments if the meeting participants did not share his point of view.
