Cisco secretly sends modified switches to Ukraine to protect against cyber attacks

At the end of November 2023, it became known that the American Cisco corporation secretly sends To Ukraine specially modified ones switchboards to protect against. cyber attacks Such equipment is supplied, in particular, by the national energy company Ukrenergo.

According to CNN, specially modified devices are designed to counter "Russian attacks using electronic means." Cisco engineers "spent weeks" on creation and stress (load) testing in a laboratory in Austin (Texas). The equipment was then delivered to Ukraine using a US Air Force aircraft with humanitarian aid.

Cisco secretly sends Ukrenergo specially modified switches to protect against cyber attacks

After conducting tests in the field, as noted, Cisco shipped dozens of such hardware kits worth approximately $1 million in the interests of Ukrenergo. Moreover, the devices were provided by Ukrenergo for free. It is assumed that the equipment will help increase the stability of the Ukrainian energy system.

It is noted that in the zone of a special operation, special installations are used to interfere with the GPS navigation system, which interferes with the targeting of guided missiles. However, these same installations affect the operation of electrical substations, disrupting their interaction with other elements of the power system. Modified industrial-grade Cisco Ethernet switches have received additional protections. The devices are equipped with their own internal clock, which is capable of making accurate time measurements even if the GPS signals are plugged. This provides a redundancy element and allows the various components of the power system to communicate correctly with each other. It is noted that the introduction of such switches in the infrastructure of Ukrenergo is especially important in the winter of 2023-2024^[1]

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