From 19th-22nd of April, NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) organises Exercise Locked Shields 2022, the annual largest and most complex international live-fire cyber defence exercise in the world. Cyber experts practise the protection of national civilian and military IT systems and critical infrastructure in a large-scale cyber-attack.
This annual real-time network defence exercise is a unique opportunity for participants to practice protection of national civilian and military IT systems and critical infrastructure. It is conducted under conditions of intense pressure with teams countering series of sophisticated cyberattacks. The exercise provides an opportunity to practice cooperation in a crisis situation between both civilian and military units, as well as public and private sectors, as in the event of a large-scale cyber-attack these tactical and strategic decision-makers must work together.
According to the scenario, a fictional island country, Berylia, is experiencing a deteriorating security situation. A number of hostile events have coincided with coordinated cyberattacks against Berylian major military and civilian IT systems. The exercise planners draw on the current geopolitical situation to develop realistic and challenging scenarios that take into account the current security environment where cyber incidents are unlikely to happen in isolation and are employed as part of a wider geopolitical strategy.
The Exercise is also unique in the scope and depth of cooperation between nations, academia, international organisations, and industry partners. The exercise is organised by CCDCOE in Tallinn in cooperation with NATO, Siemens; TalTech; Clarified Security; Arctic Security; CR14. The Centre also acknowledges the unique elements added to Locked Shields 2022 by Microsoft, the Financial Service Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS ISAC), SpaceIT, Fortinet.