Nornickel and Rostelecom have signed a partnership agreement on information security. Its goal is to develop and implement solutions designed to improve cyber resilience of the mining and metals industry.

Vladimir Potanin, President of Nornickel, and Mikhail Oseevsky, President of Rostelecom, signed the document at ‘Digitalization of Industrial Russia’, one of Russia’s biggest digital economy events. Held in Nizhny Novgorod, the conference brought together industry leaders in the digital economy, leading specialists and customers in information security and manufacturing industry.

The agreement implies comprehensive cooperation to strengthen the information security of the mining and metals industry — one of the key industries in the Russian economy, where a significant part of the country’s critical information infrastructure is concentrated. The parties plan joint activities seeking solutions to prevent information leaks, control software security and limit access to malicious information resources. Among the areas of co-operation are the adoption of joint measures to simplify data exchange on information security and the development of proposals for the creation of an industry standard.

Vladimir Potanin, President of Nornickel, commented: “Objects of critical digital infrastructure are increasingly becoming the target of calibrated and sophisticated attacks. This is happening in all areas of the economy, including industry. We believe that this is a complex problem that cannot be solved by the efforts of a single company. Nornickel prioritizes building and developing its information security system, but we are largely dependent on the market and the maturity of the solutions offered. Rostelecom is one of the leaders in this market. The synergy of our efforts to develop best practices, standards, and solutions will not only help strengthen the security of our companies, but will also make a significant contribution to the development of the Russian information security market as a whole.”

Mikhail Oseevsky, President of Rostelecom, commented: “We are pleased to cooperate with one of the largest mining and metallurgical companies in the country. The agreement with Nornickel means the continuation and expansion of our co-operation, consolidation of efforts and resources to ensure information security in industry. In 2023, this industry was among the top five most affected by hackers, accounting for 7% of cyberattacks. Our experts note the increased focus of attackers in critical infrastructure and predict an increase in the share of destructive attacks on Russian organisations. Together with Nornickel, we will be able to make a significant contribution to the industry’s cyber resilience in order to be prepared for growing threats.”

Nornickel and Rostelecom build partnership to foster cyber resilience of mining and metals industry