OpenAI is giving Ukraine access to its AI-based cybersecurity tools as the country continues to deal with cyberattacks on government systems and critical infrastructure.
The company announced the partnership with Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation on September 23. Under the agreement, Ukrainian cybersecurity teams working to protect critical infrastructure will get access to OpenAI’s Daybreak program.
The tools are meant to help security teams find software weaknesses, investigate threats and fix vulnerabilities faster. OpenAI said the partnership is focused on civilian cyber defence. It is aimed at protecting critical infrastructure and essential services, rather than helping Ukraine carry out offensive cyberattacks.
OpenAI Daybreak Uses AI to Find and Fix Security Vulnerabilities
Daybreak is a cybersecurity program that uses OpenAI models and other tools to help security teams deal with threats. The technology can scan software and systems for possible vulnerabilities. It can also help security teams investigate suspicious activity and check whether a vulnerability can actually be exploited.
Another use is helping developers work on security fixes. Once a problem has been identified, AI can help teams understand the issue and test possible patches. This could save time for security teams that have to deal with large numbers of alerts and vulnerability reports.
OpenAI says Daybreak can also help with tasks such as reviewing code, analysing malware, searching for threats and improving security systems.
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Ukraine Faces Thousands of Cyberattacks Each Year
Ukraine has faced frequent cyberattacks since the start of its war with Russia. Government systems and other critical services have been targeted during the conflict. At an OpenAI event announcing the partnership, Dmytro Kushneruk, Ukraine’s consul general in San Francisco, said the country’s cyber response centre was seeing about 6,000 cyberattacks a year.
That works out to roughly 15 attacks every day. Kushneruk said AI could help Ukrainian security teams deal with this large amount of activity. It could help them analyse security logs, investigate attacks and find vulnerabilities more quickly. The technology could also help teams decide which security problems need attention first.
OpenAI’s Daybreak Keeps Human Experts in Control
OpenAI is not presenting Daybreak as a replacement for cybersecurity experts. Human teams will still make decisions about how to respond to an attack. AI is being used to help them process information and complete some of the technical work more quickly.
This could be useful when security teams have to review thousands of alerts or large amounts of system data. For example, AI can help identify a possible weakness in software. A security expert can then check the finding, decide whether it is a real threat and determine what action should be taken. This approach keeps human experts involved while using AI to speed up some parts of the process.
OpenAI Broadens Efforts to Support Cybersecurity Defenders
The deal with Ukraine is part of OpenAI’s wider effort to make its AI tools available to cybersecurity defenders. The company has said that Daybreak is intended to help organisations protect critical infrastructure and essential services from cyber threats.
OpenAI has also announced $1 billion in subsidised access for organisations taking part in the wider cyber defence effort. The company says AI could help defenders find and fix security problems before attackers can take advantage of them.
At the same time, more capable AI can also create new risks if it is used by attackers. OpenAI has therefore placed restrictions around access to its cybersecurity tools and says they are intended for authorised defensive work.
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Ukraine Partnership Puts OpenAI’s Cybersecurity Tools to the Test
The partnership gives OpenAI a chance to use its cybersecurity tools in a country that faces regular cyber threats. For Ukraine, the main goal is to help security teams protect government systems and critical services.
Faster vulnerability checks and threat investigations could help teams respond to problems before they cause wider damage. The partnership also shows how AI is becoming part of cybersecurity work. Instead of relying only on traditional security software and manual checks, teams can use AI to analyse information and assist with technical tasks.
How much difference these tools will make in Ukraine will depend on how they perform in real-world conditions. But the partnership gives Ukrainian cyber teams another tool as they continue to deal with a high volume of attacks.
