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According to the Government, the annual Locked Shields exercise can involve 5,500 virtualised systems subjected to more than 8,000 attacks.
Ireland is taking part in an international cybersecurity training exercise this week to bolster capabilities in defending national IT systems and critical infrastructure.
Nearly 200 experts from Ireland and South Korea are participating in the week-long Locked Shields event which has seen them test their ability to protect cyber systems in real time. The exercise also involves undertaking strategic exercises in the legal and communication spheres.
Ireland is being represented by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) with support from the Irish Defence Forces, private tech companies and academics.
Minister of State Ossian Smyth, TD, who is responsible for communications, said during a visit to the NCSC that he was delighted to see the “level of talent and dedication” on display by the Irish team.
“The range of expertise available from public, private and academic organisations is a testament to Ireland’s strength as a digital economy with vibrant cybersecurity skills, “ he said. “I was particularly pleased to see the collaboration with the Republic of Korea on display following my visit to the country this St Patrick’s Day.”
We were delighted to take part in @ccdcoe's #LockedShields2024 for the first time this year. This real-time network defence exercise is a unique opportunity to practise protection of national IT systems and critical infrastructure under the pressure of a severe cyber-attack pic.twitter.com/FYmPdxRBqD
— NCSC IE (@ncsc_gov_ie) April 25, 2024
According to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the annual exercise can involve more than 5,500 virtualised systems subjected to more than 8,000 attacks. The teams must be able to secure IT systems, report incidents and solve various forensic, legal, media and information warfare challenges.
“This real-time network defence exercise is a unique opportunity for us to practise protection of national IT systems and critical infrastructure under the pressure of a severe cyberattack,” said NCSC director Richard Browne.
“It also provides us with an opportunity to build relationships not just across Europe, but across the globe as seen in our teaming with the Republic of Korea. Similarly, we were able to work with partners within the private sector when composing the team, to ensure that the response we were able to provide was as comprehensive as possible.”
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