Google has awarded a $500 000 grant to Kyiv National University to create a cybersecurity course

This was reported on the KNU website. It is noted that the university was chosen by the Virtual Routes organization (formerly known as the European Cyber ​​Conflict Research Incubator CIC), which organizes and conducts the Google.org cybersecurity seminar program.

What will the Google-funded cybersecurity course be like?

The developed cybersecurity certificate program is designed for one year and consists of the following parts:

• The fall semester provides for mandatory basic training for students on the following topics: cyber hygiene, social engineering, OSINT, practical aspects of operating systems, network technologies, cryptography, protection against computer viruses and antiviruses, malware analysis and reverse engineering, ethical hacking, web security threats, OWASP, risk analysis and management.
• In the spring semester, students will use the knowledge and skills they have gained to consult with local community organizations on increasing their ability to resist cyber threats.
• In parallel, an optional one-year advanced course on ethical hacking is organized. This course provides students with deeper experience from the best cybersecurity practitioners and experts.

Students who successfully complete the program and complete the project will receive a certificate.

«I love this program. It covers a wide range of topics, including cyber hygiene, OSINT, risk analysis and management, and cryptography basics. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the basics of cybersecurity. The program is a great starting point and a useful guide for shaping a future career,» said Yulia Mezher, co-author of the program, lead security engineer at Cossack Labs, former director of Women Who Code Kyiv.

The KNU believes that this program is especially important for Ukraine, because due to the full-scale Russian invasion, the frequency, and strength of cyberattacks has increased sharply.

Earlier, Kyivstar President Oleksandr Komarov reported that a large-scale cyberattack by Russian hackers in December 2023 «ate up about 3% of the company’s annual growth.»

On December 20, 2024, the Ministry of Justice announced a large-scale cyberattack by the Russian Federation on Ukrainian state registers, which took place on December 19. As a result, about 20 services became unavailable in «Diya», including booking.

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