According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), attacks on data centres revealed shortcomings in banks’ business-continuity testing protocols, although the system as a whole was largely unscathed.
NBU governor Andriy Pyshnyi said the banking system must prepare for such incidents and ideally should not feel their impact. He added that during wartime it is difficult to guarantee zero damage and that the regulator and banks work through various scenarios on a daily basis.
Pyshnyi called for regular testing of procedures: “My appeal to my fellow bankers has always been the same as to the staff of the National Bank: test, test, test,” said Andriy Pyshnyi. In his view, testing should be a focus for the head of an institution, and the protocol should be operational routine.
The NBU chief added that the system must be able to absorb a potential shock from intensified attacks, although “some temporary inconveniences related to limitations in functionality of certain network elements are possible,” said Andriy Pyshnyi. He also emphasised the need to discuss strategic autonomy and mentioned a “sovereign cloud” as one of the first topics.
Government decisions to strengthen the protection of data centres and to allocate funds for backup information systems have already been made: the Cabinet of Ministers allocated 518,3 million UAH from the reserve fund of the state budget to strengthen the backup information systems of state bodies.
