Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov has commented on reports by the Butterfly group about a possible leak of personal data belonging to 27 million citizens. He did not confirm either the leak itself or the number of affected users cited by the hackers, but warned of growing cyber threats and the urgent need to strengthen information system security.
According to the minister, the development of artificial intelligence must be accompanied by corresponding investment in cybersecurity. If spending on protection against threats associated with new technologies is not considered an essential part of digital development, the risks will continue to increase.
Shermatov noted that the Butterfly group had said it was not responsible for any hacking or direct data leak. According to the group, its publication was intended to demonstrate the potential for such an incident.
Butterfly members also accused cybersecurity specialists at government agencies of inaction.
The minister stressed that the absence of further distribution of the published data did not mean a similar incident would not occur in the future unless the necessary measures were taken.
Shermatov also drew attention to the impact of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity. He said new tools made it possible to identify vulnerabilities in outdated information systems, while the number of security issues being detected had increased significantly.
The head of the Ministry of Digital Technologies urged government institutions, private organisations and commercial companies to regularly audit their information systems and promptly address identified vulnerabilities.
He also called for additional funding for cybersecurity and the training of specialised professionals.
Organisations responsible for developing and operating information systems were advised to monitor warnings issued by the State Security Service’s Cybersecurity Centre and the UzCERT service, and to take prompt action to eliminate identified threats.
Shermatov added that demand for cybersecurity specialists would continue to grow as digitalisation and artificial intelligence advanced.
In his view, universities specialising in the field should devote greater attention to cybersecurity.
