Cyber polygons for training IT specialists launched at the forum in Moscow

How to make the digital environment even safer is being discussed in the capital. A special forum dedicated to protecting information from cyber attacks opened in Moscow on April 14. This is a new annual platform where experts, business and government representatives share their experiences, discuss legal aspects and look for the latest mechanisms to counter modern digital threats. This was told by Izvestia correspondent Alexander Orlov.

You can't see these attacks with your eyes, but it's easy to feel the consequences. Every day, Russian information resources are bombarded by a hail of blows. Russian IT companies are holding the line of defense on this front. And their coalition has its own name — the State System for Detecting, Preventing and Eliminating the Consequences of computer Attacks (GOSOPKA). In the 13 years since its foundation, GosSOPKA has united the forces of 7 thousand companies. Today, its largest representatives gathered at the first forum.

"The intensity of computer attacks, their scale, and their sophistication have increased, and the attacker's goals have changed dramatically. Previously, the goal was data mining, but now the main goal is the physical destruction of information resources," said Petr Belov, Deputy Director of the National Computer Incident Coordination Center.

In 2025, 217,000 cyber attacks were prevented. Taxi services, marketplaces, banks and government websites are the main targets of criminals. Security circumvention methods are mutating like a virus. Criminals are using new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI).

"We are now feeling quite confident about the current level of attacks due to hyperautomatization, due to the response at the endpoints. We see how attackers are already using AI, and there will definitely be many more attacks, there will be spikes," said Artem Sychev, First Deputy General Director of RT-Information Security.

Preparations are already beginning to be made for this threat. A real training camp was set up right on the forum.

The digital space has its own cyber polygons for training future specialists. Yaroslav Nemtsov, an information security specialist, told Izvestia about working out one of the prepared scenarios.

"The participants were offered an attack on a multifunctional center — a typical organization, a government structure. We are fighting off the attack, closing vulnerabilities and, accordingly, restoring the entire infrastructure so that the organization can continue its activities in the future," he shared.

This technique is already used in Russian universities. On this battlefield, it is important to anticipate the enemy's move. Modernization of protection is a key topic of the forum. Today, cybersecurity is no longer a matter of technology, but of maintaining the resilience of the entire country. And the more difficult the attacks become, the tougher the response must be.

New code: hackers are twice as likely to use AI for attacks

They create phishing emails and deepfakes, as well as write scripts for malware.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on March 4 that the number of cybercrimes in Russia has decreased, including against pensioners. As the head of state noted, the reduction in the number of crimes became possible thanks to the work of law enforcement agencies, special services and law enforcement agencies. Putin also noted the need to strengthen efforts to compensate victims, especially those who have lost their savings and become debt-dependent.

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