NCSC participates in the seventh edition of Cyber Europe

The focus on the energy sector arises from its role as a supplier of critical national infrastructure. It plays a crucial part in the daily life of citizens across Europe, as well as within its economy and, as a result, it is particularly susceptible to cyber threats and attacks. ENISA has highlighted that in 2023 over 200 reported cyber incidents targeted the sector.

The aim of the exercise was to test the preparedness of the organisations, as well as their procedures and protocols established for such an incident. It also allowed the NCSC to test its capabilities, and examine both the National Cyber Emergency Plan and Ireland's lines of communication within the overarching European structure. Such a large-scale exercise assists in ensuring that the government, state agencies and relevant stakeholders are prepared to effectively respond to a large-scale cyber incident impacting critical national infrastructure.

Such cyber exercises (including annual national-level ones, and large-scale ones such as Cyber Europe and Locked Shields) are part of ongoing routine, contingency planning and are crucial to ensure a coordinated response to incidents. Colleagues (from amongst others) Gas Networks Ireland, BT, the ESB, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) also took part in the exercise, allowing them to test their robust procedures that were instigated in response to the exercise within their respective organisations.

This year’s Cyber Europe exercise focused on a scenario that involved cyber threats targeting the EU energy infrastructure deriving from friction caused by geopolitical tension between the European Union and a fictitious foreign nation. With propaganda swaying public opinion and concerns about APTs (Advanced Persistent Threat) groups exploiting vulnerabilities, the energy sector became a prime target. To prevent a large-scale attack crippling the European economy and destabilising political balance, stakeholders had to swiftly coordinate their actions and response. Thousands of participants throughout the EU had a common challenge, and received hands-on experience in dealing with complex cyber situations.