Why volunteers collect 50 million UAH for "Cyber Assumption of the Armed Forces" if cyberwar does not exist
There are several divisions that perform different "cyber plants" or even have the word "cyber" in the name. But these tasks do, say gently, not effectively, not sufficiently coordinated, and not at all the fact that they perform. Second. The current legal framework does not allow the Armed Forces to do destructive actions in cyberspace. In addition, national legislation of almost all countries of the world view it as a banal cybercrime.
This is probably why the creators of "IT Army", for example, in every way detract from this role. And about the legalization of "offensive" cyber activity in Ukraine in wartime is not discussed. Even during a full -scale war. It was for the systematization, ordering and legalization of this specific activity that the group of advisers at the Ministry of Defense in 2022 actively worked on a new bill on cyber forces. His fate is unknown to me right now. But there are still no real "cybergical".
Such a sad fact, society. Third. The efficiency of "cyberwar" is not determined by "equipment". This is a typical mistake of people with thinking of the 90s of the last century. The motto of the last two decades is "People - Our Everything. " That is, the strength of cyberwar somewhere by 90-95% is determined by the quantity and the main thing-the quality (!) Of the specialists involved. And to become more or less experienced hacker requires at least 5 years of self-improvement and active practice.
And let the Cyber Offensive guru will take such a small experience, but this is the initial threshold of entry. Not in the highest league, no - just that you are not called a "school" and allowed to participate in cyberwar. In my expert opinion, at least a hundred experienced hackers with confirmed Junior levels are required for the formation of capable cyber -forces in the Armed Forces. Be sure to have a few dozen Middle, with a dozen Senior and 5-7 no less advanced Team Leads (managers).
This is the minimum starting position, I think. The commander must also be a person with a powerful cyber-game. However, it is not necessary to be a military-because enemy military IT goals are virtually indistinguishable from the IT goals of ordinary. I note that experts of the above level earn from $ 3,000 in the private sector. About "tops" - generally silent not to shock. And so the question of motivation of such specialists (except patriotism) arises.
And this question could be theoretically solved by crowdfunding. It is vital to finance cyber forces from the state budget that cannot afford such high expenses, and Western partners are fundamentally refusing to finance such Offensive projections. Fourth. The work of any state institution is based on stable and long-term funding. In addition, only at the expense of the state budget.
If you are a state employee, but pays you someone else: who do you work then? Isn't it corruption or espionage? But it's not even a problem. Theoretically (in an ideal world, not in Ukraine) it is possible to transfer funds to the budget of the MO and from it to pay salaries to cyberma specialists. The problem is just in stability. Today, the money was collected on Hype, well.
And tomorrow? And if the day after tomorrow occurs a Skandal with funding Cybergsil a la "eggs at 17 hryvnias" and the pylpe ceases to be adjusted? What then? Close the project, release people, startups did not take off, are we going? Therefore, it is vital to finance cyber forces from the state budget that cannot afford such high expenses, and Western partners are fundamentally refusing to finance such Offensive projections.
And by the way, "equipment" by our Western partners in recent years has been given a lot (I can even tell you where to look). And it does not matter that the purpose of its provision was exclusively "cyber defense". Servers work equally well for both protection and attack - if they are in the hands of a real specialist.
And fifth: even if you collect a starting budget for salaries (with the prospect "And it will be visible")-who and on what principle will they recruit people? Especially for leadership positions, because these people have to set the initial vector of development. And this is where politics begins. And Ukrainian politics completely rejects professional qualification, replacing it with political loyalty. And this greatly interferes with the creation of effective cyber forces in the Armed Forces.
I do not exclude that the appointment of an experienced ITishnik and manager Vitaliy Deyneh Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine on digitalization will accelerate the long -term issue of creating professional cyberwar. If he is given all the necessary powers if he recruits an adequate team, if he or she has a budget and if politicians do not interfere with his intrigue and idiotic teams. And if the fresh cucumber, when you get into the barrel with salty, will not turn into one of them.
And many more "if-if-if". And I think that the collection of funds "on the cyber -head" from the Foundation "return alive" is somehow related to the expected appointment of his former leader V. Deinega as a cyber government of the Minister of Defense. Although the appointment of an experienced ITishnik and manager D. Shimkiv as the deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine has not somehow led to the creation of effective "Cybersil".
Although the war and the cyberwar were then, and against the same enemy. And the need for Ciberian was also, and they talked about it no less loud. And the intra-political system remained about the same. The only thing that has changed is the scale and openness of military aggression. I hope that real cyberwar in Ukraine will be created this year. As I hoped for a year, and 2, and 3-5-7 volume. Or everything will remain as it is, only with new faces in new positions. I do not know.
Too often we have all been disappointed in beautiful people with pure intentions. P. S. Whether it is worthwhile to get a "cyber -cavity" is not sure, because the corresponding page on the Fund's website contains extremely little useful information. But it is worthwhile to reach specific people from specific units of the Armed Forces. I am sure everyone has such acquaintances, relatives, friends.