Cyber Defense Assistance Collaborative (CDAC)

The Cyber Defense Assistance Collaborative (CDAC), a CRDF Global Initiative, is a volunteer group of cybersecurity and technology organizations that seek to provide threat intelligence, technology, training, advisory, and other cyber defense assistance to allied nation states in conflict. CDAC formed in response to the high volume of cyber-attacks on Ukrainian public and private institutions prior to the Russian military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Recognizing the acute cyber risk to Ukraine critical infrastructure and the global cyber threat landscape, leading US cyber experts formed CDAC to galvanize and organize the US private sector to provide operational cyber defense assistance to Ukraine. Since CDAC’s inception in March 2022, over a dozen companies have volunteered to help Ukrainian cyber defenders secure networks, hunt for and counter malicious cyber intruders, improve attack surface monitoring, and provide cyber threat intelligence to protect critical infrastructure. CDAC has proven highly effective in helping Ukraine sustain its ability to operate in the digital space and shows a high potential for the initiative to provide support to other key partner nations around the world. CDAC has received funding support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies and the United Kingdom Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office.