NBU reminds Ukrainian banks of the risks of using Russian software
19 November 2024 11:56
In a telegram, the National Bank has demanded that Ukrainian banks report within 21 days on the resolution of the problem with the use of software of Russian and Belarusian origin. This was reported by the Ministry of Finance, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The NBU asks to report on two points:
– how the bank is implementing an action plan to minimize cyber risks associated with the use of Russian software (financial institutions have previously submitted their plans to the NBU)
– the current state of the bank’s dependence on software of Russian or Belarusian origin.
At the same time, the NBU reminded of the implementation of the strategic goal of “zero tolerance to Russian and Belarusian software in the financial market.”
The fact that the NBU asks banks to provide the above information suggests that the strategic goal has not yet been achieved. And the banking system has unofficially confirmed the use of software from the aggressor country, including in state-owned banks.
Not only banks are still dependent on malware
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 44 software products from Russia were used in Ukraine: “1C, UA-Budget, Moy Sklad, Bitrix, AmoCRM, KommoCRM, Megaplan, Calltouch, iiko, Advego, Mindbox, DrWeb, Signum, etc. Gradually, many of them mimicked “European brands” and continued to pour millions of dollars into promotion on the Ukrainian market.
Energy companies are in the first place in terms of purchases of Russian software, followed by educational institutions. Such data based on the analysis of information on Prozorro were presented a few months ago at the conference “Svoe.IT 2024 – Showroom of Ukrainian Software” by Alexey Shcherbatenko, business development partner of IT-Enterprise group of companies.
What is the reason for the dangerous addiction?
Oleksiy Shcherbatenko states that “there are definitely efforts to replace it, and many companies want to get rid of Russian software.”
“There are more noticeable shifts in big business: these companies are more active in switching, and include such steps in their strategy. But there are not many large companies, so their share in the overall “picture” is small. And in small businesses, accountants are often satisfied with everything and have no desire to change. What do we do? We and our competitors install free software in universities and teach students how to use Ukrainian software,” the expert explains.
What about legal prohibitions?
The Verkhovna Rada is currently considering the draft Law of Ukraine “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On Sanctions’ on the Prohibition of the Use of Software Products and Access to Electronic Information Resources.”
This law should prohibit the distribution and use of software products and their components originating from a foreign country subject to sanctions by legal entities in Ukraine.
The document has already received a favorable assessment from the Committee on Digital Transformation, which asks its colleagues from the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence to recommend that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopt the draft law as a basis following the first reading.
