History

The world has changed dramatically since 1945. The emergence of the Internet has transformed life in the twenty-first century to a degree unimaginable as recently as the 1950s. This technological and social development has brought new opportunities, but also new threats. Most users took up the new technologies but were totally unprepared for these threats. In a mediatized world, information has become a weapon that can be directed at individuals and businesses, for nefarious as well as justifiable purposes.

In 2015, in response to the threat posed by representatives of religious extremism, the first institution studying such threats was founded in Ukraine: the Information Security Institute (ISI). Under the guidance of Dr. Oleg Maltsev, the ISI was formed as a spin-off from the Applied Sciences Association, which already pursued similar research in relation to offline threats and psychological warfare among other topics. From its earliest days, the Institute has cooperated closely with experts from Ukraine, the USA, and European countries such as Italy, Germany and Belgium.

The key tasks undertaken in the early years of the Institute were to study the informational impact of religious extremism and to develop technology to counteract the methods of unfair competition, which were widely used by religious extremists in relation to private individuals and businesses not only in Ukraine but in many countries around the world. Thanks to the titanic work of academician Oleg Maltsev and his colleagues, as well as the active international dialogue between scientists and various human rights organizations, the Institute was able to develop the unique Kavalyer technology and present it to the global public.

Over the next four years, employees of the Institute actively helped to implement and realize the Kavalyer technology in Ukraine, the USA, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic and South Africa. During this time, more than 1000 consultations were held in 6 languages, and more than 1500 meetings and interviews with scientists and business representatives were organized. The Institute used its findings to respond to 130 cases of information attacks which were used as means of unfair competition through reputational damage. In all these cases, the Institute succeeded in repelling the attack, restoring and subsequently protecting the business reputation of the targeted individual or company. The results of the Institute's research and practice were also presented on respected international platforms. In addition, during this period, we began (and continue to) regularly study and summarize the findings of our colleagues from various research institutes in order to enrich and expand our technical and technological arsenal with new tools for countering information threats.

The year 2019 was characterized by active integration of the Institute's intellectual assets in to business. The Institute today is actively approached by representatives of businesses and international organizations with various requests. Close relations are being established with private businesses, with the Institute providing consulting services and transferring research results to the private sector. In addition, research is being conducted on the development of fact-checking techniques, counterfeit detection technologies, and conferences, seminars, and public lectures that foster dialogue and cooperation between scientists and business.

The year 2020 and the general pandemic fever have been a watershed year not only for many fields of the private sector, but also for individuals. The almost complete transition from offline to online activities vividly demonstrates one of the key features of contemporary society – nobody is invulnerable to digital threats. It does not matter who you are - a president, a general, a minister, the CEO of a large corporation, a mother or father of a family, a student, or a schoolchild. Today everyone is vulnerable. Therefore, everyone needs to find a balance in matters of information security, which is to say, to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be in a position of relative safety. Due to active cooperation with partner organizations and the European Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, by this time the Institute could make available an arsenal of advanced methods and tools that provide effective solutions in the field of information security to meet the emerging needs of businesses and individuals in the transition to virtual activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The year 2021-2022 was marked by active research and the further development of innovative solutions. The key task of the Institute was to complete the suite of tools necessary to counter daring attacks on the reputation of an individual or business. To this end, we sought to systematize, classify, and compare the various methods used by attackers around the world. Our research was organized around several topics, including online raiding, social engineering, hacking, communication systems, and artificial intelligence. We have actively monitored and researched information attacks in the U.S. and Europe, and have continuously developed new solutions to neutralize and deactivate information threats on the Internet.

Over the years, the Information Security Institute has made significant contributions to the field through its research and elaboration. Our experts have been published in leading academic journals, and our consultants have held senior positions in corporations and governments. The Institute is also today a source of consulting services to organizations, businesses and business people.

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