Ireland has taken part in the world’s largest ‘live-fire’ cyber defence exercise.
‘Locked Shields’ is a cybersecurity wargame that sees teams dealing with a simulated large-scale cyber attack on a fictional country.
A joint Irish/US/Bulgarian/Greek team of nearly 220 personnel took part in the week-long event, which allowed them to test their abilities to protect cyber-physical systems in a real-time crisis environment.
Ireland’s involvement is led by the National Cyber Security Centre, with support from the Irish Defence Forces as well as private technology companies and academia.
The operation is organised by the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia.
In addition to securing complex IT systems, the participating teams must also be effective in reporting incidents and solving forensic, legal, media and information warfare challenges.
“Locked Shields gives us an opportunity to train, practice and compete with and against our peers and partners, and in doing so to test our own skills, capabilities and procedures,” said NCSC Director Richard Browne.
“To be able to defend the infrastructure, services and data that people in this country rely on, we need to be certain that we remain competitive in this environment, and to continually test ourselves against the best in the world,” he added.
Commander of the Joint Cyber Defence Command Brigadier General Brian Cleary, said this year’s exercise marked an important step forward for the Defence Forces in strengthening Ireland’s national cyber defence, through close collaboration with the National Cyber Security Centre.
“Working side by side in one of the world’s most advanced cyber defence exercises, we are enhancing our joint readiness, deepening inter-agency cooperation and underscoring our commitment to collective security and the protection of critical national infrastructure,” he said.
