Experts from across the Alliance defended NATO and national networks from fictitious threats from 16 to 20 November 2020 as a part of the Cyber Coalition exercise.
Directed by NATO Allied Command Transformation, this was the 13th edition of Cyber Coalition, and the first year to be conducted fully virtually. Trainers and participants connected to the event through Estonia's Cyber Security Training Centre.
"We used the COVID-19 situation as an opportunity to exercise virtual teaming and collaboration tools at every classification level. Our NCI Agency team is distributed in many locations, and even in their homes in some cases. Establishing a virtual situation room has given us many lessons learned we can apply in the future," said NATO Cyber Security Centre Chief Ian West.
Cyber Coalition is one of the largest cyber exercises in the world, with a realistic scenario that allows participants to practice responding to cyber incidents. Around 1,000 people from across the Alliance, four Partner Nations and the European Union participated in the exercise. More than 10 Agency experts took part in the event, from various locations to respect health and safety protocols.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has made all of us more reliant on digital communications than ever before. As our traffic online increases, so do the threats to our networks. Collaboration on such threats has only become more crucial," said Emmanuel Bouillon, Head of the Cyber Security Operations Branch at the Centre.
About the NATO Cyber Security Centre:
The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency runs the NATO Cyber Security Centre. The Centre defends NATO networks 24/7, and is on the frontlines of responding to threats to NATO networks. The Centre is staffed by around 200 personnel dedicated to securing NATO's networks.