NSDC asks Cabinet to prepare draft law on limiting use of Russian telecommunications equipment

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) has asked Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers to jointly with Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) prepare and submit to parliament a draft law on measures to limit usage of Russian telecommunications equipment at critical infrastructure facilities. The draft law should be submitted to parliament within three months time.

The task is included in the decision of the NSDC on December 29, 2016, titled "On threats to cyber security of the government and urgent measures to neutralize the threat," according to the document, which was posted to the president's website.

The SBU and the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection are instructed during 2017 to identify and eliminate the use of software products made by the aggressor state [Russia] in state institutions. The use of Russian-made software has been banned in previous government orders.

The Cabinet is also asked to prepare and submit to parliament a draft bill on strengthening responsibility for non-compliance of laws to safeguard information in information-telecommunication systems and abide by demands made by the SBU and the State Service of Special Communication and Information Protection.

In addition, the NSDC requests the Cabinet to submit a draft law to parliament that provides law enforcement agencies with the authority to demand compliance by telecommunications operators and providers the demands on emergency fixation and storage of computer data necessary to solve crimes, for a period up to 90 days to three years.

The draft law should establish demands to telecommunications operators and providers to provide information to law-enforcement agencies for identifying providers of services and the route used to transmit information, as well as to block transmissions by operations and providers of information by court order.

As earlier reported, at the NSDC meeting on December 29, 2016 Ukrianian President Petro Poroshenko said some 6,500 planned cyber attacks had been identified over the last two months at offices of five government institutions and 31 state information resources. The president said Russian special services were involved in the attacks.