Following recent events in Ukraine, the European Union wants to be ready in the event of cyberattacks. From March 7 to 11, several Member States will meet to take part in a cyber defense exercise. Eastern European countries will be particularly supported.
We now know that the Russian army is not not just made up of soldiers. A few hours before the launch of the invasion of Ukraine, the country was the victim of a massive cyberattack which resulted in the loss of numerous data. If Vladimir Poutine did not confirm to be at the origin of this operation, the timing and the targeted systems leave little room for doubt. Today, in Europe, anxiety reigns. Russia is multiplying threats, and cyber defense organizations are on the alert.
Also, the European Commission and the Council of Europe will organise, from March 7 to 11, an exercise intended for around fifty participants. The objective: to identify “cybersecurity incidents and/or potential cybercrimes [et] track the money and proceeds of crime”. To do this, participants will need to learn how to get information from Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), detect malware and the risks it poses then, finally, track down the hackers behind the attack.
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The EU prepares Eastern countries for the risks of cyberattacks
This “stress test” is above all to Eastern countries from the continent. The majority of the 50 participants are indeed fromArmenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. Note that Belarus and Ukraine will not be present, a fairly predictable finding given the current situation. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Turkey will also send several experts within their “computer incident response teams” (CIRT).
The European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) will hold a conference on the subject. The organization will present procedures for cooperation between law enforcement and CIRTs, with the help of cybersecurity experts from the UK, Australia, the Netherlands and Romania. Meanwhile, Ukraine is building an army of pirates to thwart Russia’s plans.
