Biggest EU cyber security exercise to date: Cyber Europe 2014 taking place today

More than 200 organisations and 400 cyber-security professionals across Europe join forces today during the first phase of ENISA’s bi-annual large scale cyber security exercise, Cyber Europe 2014. Twenty-nine EU and EFTA countries are participating in CyberEurope2014.

In this phase, participants are called upon to resolve several technical cyber-security incidents, similar to recent real life cases. In this context, exercise players from the public (Cybersecurity Agencies, national/governmental CERTs, Ministries and Institutions) and private (Energy and Telecommunications) sectors are asked to investigate and analyse several scenarios which could impact the confidentiality, integrity or availability of sensitive information or critical infrastructures.

The exercise is organised bi-annually by the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security in cooperation with all EU Member States and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Compared to the previous two exercises, executed in 2010 and 2012, Cyber Europe 2014 has grown considerably in scope, scale and complexity. It will take place in three phases: technical (today), and later during the year; at 2. operational/tactical and 3. strategic/political levels.

The Executive Director of ENISA, Professor Udo Helmbrecht, commented, “The incidents in Cyber Europe 2014 are very realistic, mimicking unrest and political crisis at a pan-European level, disrupting services for millions of citizens across Europe. Cyber Europe 2014 represents a major milestone in the efforts to strengthen cyber crisis cooperation, preparedness and response across Europe. This improves the resilience of Europe’s critical information infrastructures”.

The objectives of Cyber Europe 2014 include

• testing of the existing standard cooperation procedures and mechanisms for managing cyber-crises in Europe;
• enhance national-level capabilities;
•  explore the existing cooperation between the private and public sector;
• analyse the escalation and de-escalation processes  (technical, operational and strategic level);
• understand the public affairs issues linked to large scale cyber-attacks.

Background:

EU Cyber Security Strategy and the proposal for an EU Network and Information Security Directive

COMMUNICATION on Critical Information Infrastructure Protection COM/2009/149

Digital Agenda for Europe

First Cyber Europe exercise in 2010

Second Cyber Europe exercise in 2012

Standard Operational Procedures to manage multinational cyber-crises finalised by EU, EFTA Member States and ENISA

Note:
The exercise will not have an operational impact on critical information infrastructures, systems, or services.

Media briefing pack is available here.

For interviews, please contact: Ulf Bergström, Senior Corporate Communications Officer and Spokesman, +30 6948 460 143, or Demosthenes Ikonomou, Head of Unit, +30 6948 460 142