Government spending on VPN increased 1.5 times due to cyber threats

In particular, the volume of VPN purchases within the framework of 44-FZ (budgetary institutions) increased by 73%: from 10 billion rubles in 2023 to 17.3 billion rubles in 2024. The number of tenders increased from 1,413 to 1,461. Procurements within the framework of 223-FZ (state corporations) also showed positive dynamics. In 2024, the total amount of purchases amounted to 1.2 billion rubles, compared to 736 million rubles in 2023 (an increase of 63%).

“However, the number of tenders decreased from 365 to 348 due to the consolidation of contracts, indicating the organizations’ transition to long-term planning. At the same time, since March 2022, part of the procurement of state-owned companies under 223-FZ has been hidden from public access, including tenders for the purchase of VPNs,” Kontur.Purchases noted.

• VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a secure tunnel between devices or networks. It encrypts traffic so that data cannot be intercepted when connecting to the Internet through unsecured channels. VPN is often seen as a way to bypass blocks. But in the case of public procurement, we are talking about setting up a VPN to connect computers, phones, ATMs and other devices located in different locations or regions, Kontur.Purchases explained.

Services expert Vasily Danilchik believes that the growing interest in VPNs is due to the need to ensure data protection and the stability of IT infrastructure against the backdrop of growing cyber threats. “Government institutions and large state-owned companies do not use standard AppStore or Google Play subscriptions. Instead, they purchase dedicated professional VPN lines, which provide a high level of protection, connection stability and compliance with the requirements of Russian legislation in the field of information security,” the expert explained.

• New geopolitical conflicts are causing increased activity by hackers carrying out politically motivated cyberattacks, Positive Technologies analysts noted in December. According to the company, the consequences of this type of attacks are increasingly serious and their speed and quality increase through the modification of tools and the use of new technologies.

• In 2025, Positive Technologies predicts that organizations “will face threats from emerging technologies such as quantum computing and artificial intelligence.” “In addition, we assume that in the near future new types of services will appear that will allow cyberattacks to be carried out literally with a single click,” the company’s experts warned.

• The integrator and developer of services and solutions in the field of digital security Innostage estimated the growth of the information security market in Russia in 2024 by 25%, up to 310.6 billion rubles, and in 2025 by 23 %, up to 381.9 billion rubles.