New rules to protect certain kinds of information

The Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers, No. 373, was passed on 29 March.  The rules govern the general requirements for ensuring the protection of information which is the property of the state or information on restricted access.

At the same time the rules do not apply for the protection of information in systems of government or special types of communication. The Resolution regulates in particular the protection of open information which is the property of the state and gives statistical, legal or sociological information used to enable the activities of state bodies. It also protects information about the activities of state bodies which is published on the Internet. Confidential information which is the property of the state, and information constituting a state secret or other type of secret foreseen by the law are also subject to protection.

According to these rules, open information when being processed in the system must be retained in full with protection provided against unauthorized modification or deletion. At the same time all users may have access to read the information.

When processing confidential or secret information, the information must be protected from unauthorized reading, modification, deletion, copying or distribution. Access to such information is given to identified users.

The rules also dictate that the identification of users, the granting or withdraw of the right of access to information and its processing shall be carried out by automated means. The transfer of confidential and secret information from one system to another is undertaken in coded form or through protected channels of communication.

A comprehensive system of information protection is created in order to avert any leaks of information via technical channels; unauthorized actions with the information, including the use of computer viruses; to ensure protection against special influence on the means of processing information.

The rules were drawn up in compliance with the Law “On the protection of information in information and teecommunications systems” passed by the Verkhovna Rada in 1994.

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