Switzerland joins NATO-led cyberdefence exercise in Estonia

NATO CCDCOE

Switzerland is among 33 countries currently participating in an annual international cyber defence exercise designed to simulate a large-scale cyberattack on critical infrastructure.

Twenty-four members of Switzerland’s Cyber Battalion 42 are representing the country in the two-day Locked Shields exercise in Tallinn that started on Wednesday. Around 2,000 cyber experts from 33 countries will be tested against 8,000 attacks on 5,500 virtual targets.

“According to the scenario, a fictional island country located in the northern Atlantic Ocean, Berylia, is experiencing a deteriorating security situation as there have been a number of coordinated cyberattacks against Berylian military and civilian IT systems,” states the Cooperative Cyber Defence Center of Excellence in Tallinn that is hosting the event in cooperation with NATO.

The attacks are designed to cause disruptions to government and military networks, communications, water purification systems and the electric power grid. For the first time, the exercise will also include testing of a central bank’s emergency response systems and incorporate a 5G communication platform as part of the critical infrastructure under attack.

Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, has been accepted as a contributing participant this year. Other contributing participants apart from Switzerland are Austria, Finland and South Korea.