KNUBA will teach cyber protection of critical infrastructure and industry

KNUBA specialists, together with USAID Cybersecurity Activity, have updated the educational program “Security of Information and Communication Systems”, adding elements of cyber protection for critical infrastructure and industry. The first intake of students will begin studying under this program as early as September 1. This was reported by associate professor of the Department of Cybersecurity and Computer Engineering of KNUBA Maksym Delembovskyi during his speech at the Kyiv International Cyber Resilience Forum 2025, a key cybersecurity event in Central and Eastern Europe.

“The distinctive feature of the university program is that we have provided educational components aimed at the cybersecurity of industrial systems. Before this, we trained only universal cybersecurity specialists who can easily work in IT. But now we have begun to transform the training and have included a specialization for working with industrial systems,” – said Maksym DELEMBOVSKYI.

Graduates will be able to obtain about six international certifications, including certificates from Cisco and EC-Council, which increases their professional competitiveness.

Maksym Delembovskyi added that the digitalization of construction, architecture and industry creates new requirements for cyber protection – it is necessary to guarantee the security not only of data but also of equipment, which can become a target of attack.

“It is no secret that Russia is creating relevant units in its military and improving its cyberattacks. Industrial cyberattacks can have catastrophic consequences – from the destruction of equipment and the shutdown of registries to the leak of sensitive data. Attacks on critical infrastructure are especially dangerous, when, for example, large cities can be left without heating in winter due to equipment being disabled,” – he said.

According to forecasts by the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center, the shortage of cyber protection specialists in Ukraine may last at least 15–20 years. In Europe the situation is not much better – the shortage currently stands at about 900 thousand specialists.

Kyiv International Cybersecurity Forum – a large-scale event that attracts world-renowned industry leaders, influential politicians and government officials, and representatives of business, industry, think tanks and media every year. This year the forum’s expert participants include the leadership of the National Security and Defense Council, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity, the Hybrid Threats Center (Finland) and a number of other leading global institutions.

This year the forum’s speakers included KNUBA scientist Maksym Delembovskyi, an internationally certified EC-Council instructor. KNUBA became the only institution of higher education whose expertise was presented at the event.