The SSU Cyber Security Department exposed and stopped offenders who tried to legalize illegal construction by hacking the Unified State Electronic System in Construction, as well as issued fake architects’ certificates.

This was reported by the Chief of the SSU Cyber Security Department Illia Vitiuk.

‘We exposed the illegal schemes timely and prevented the criminals from hacking the state electronic system. This implies not just an ordinary cyber hacking, but a crime that could lead to very serious consequences in the future. If it were not for the SSU’s response, hundreds of ‘problematic’ buildings, built in violation of current requirements and standards, could have been legalized in Ukraine. And this could lead to risks of man-made accidents and other emergencies, and therefore – risks for thousands of Ukrainians,’ Illia Vitiuk informed.

According to the Chief of the SSU Cyber Security Department, a launch of a new large-scale corruption scheme in the construction sector has been prevented.

‘The construction sector was the first where the team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation succeeded in implementing a real digital change. Digitalization offers transparent tools for recording every action. Due to creation of the Unified State Electronic System in Construction, the state saves billions of hryvnias every year. It also became possible to prevent and detect criminal schemes in the construction sector. After all, the system is built in such a way that each user’s digital footprint stays forever and is easy to track,’ Vice Prime Minister - Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov commented.

According to the SSU, high-ranking officials of the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, well-known ‘shadow’ intermediaries are involved in the fraud. Involvement of officials of state and local government authorities is also being verified.

The offenders tried to make money by forging and selling permits to construction businesses.

Among the exposed fraudulent activities are illegal registration of objects that have violations of state building codes, as well as the scheme of issuing fake certificates of professional certification of architects. Anyone had a chance to become an ‘architect’.

To do this, a representative of the National Union of Architects handed over to the controlled third party his electronic key to enter the electronic system and edit the data of former architects from the Crimea.

During the searches at the suspects’ homes and offices, the law enforcement found:

• seals of authorities and individual business entities in the field of construction and architecture;
• computer equipment and other digital media with evidence of criminal actions.

The pre-trial investigation is underway under the Articles of the CCU 361.3 and 362.3.

The SSU Cybersecurity Department has provided relevant recommendations to the Ministry of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development and the Ministry of Digital Transformation, which helped eliminate gaps in the electronic system.

Illia Vitiuk noted that such vulnerabilities of the system could be used by russian special services to carry out cyber espionage and cyber terrorism, recalling that last year the SSU repelled 4,500 of russia’s cyberattacks.

The SSU Cyber Security Department exposed the crimes jointly with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office and with the assistance of the Ministry of Digital Transformation.