NATO’s cyber security drills are underway in Estonia and are most likely to replicate attacks launched by the cyber wing of Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) and Russia.
Around 400 experts from 16 countries are participating in the “Locked Shield” exercise this year.
The cyber war drills are organized by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), taking place in Tallin, Estonia, Russia’s western side neighbor.
NATO is a military alliance of 28 independent states excluding China, Russia and some Middle East countries except Turkey.
Many of the world’s top computer experts are currently taking part in a cyber defence exercise in Estonia. Locked Shields involves 400 professionals from 16 nations. The drill is being organised by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence based in Tallinn. It’s aimed at getting countries more prepared to fight off threats, according to NATO’s Facebook page.
This year, the exercise has been organized to test threats emerging from Windows 8 and 10 OS along with elements of “active defence,” revealed the NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence website.
https://youtu.be/tL5IpRrymHQ
A NATO’s cyber centre representative told CNBC that the threat situations will be fictional but inspired from realistic technologies and current attack methods/networks. According to her, “nature of the aggressor was irrelevant.”
But Robert Pritchard, a cyber-security expert from the Royal United Services Institute U.K, disclosed that simulated attacks ensuring NATO allies stay abreast of advanced hacks by real-life opponents will be held.
“NATO will be focusing on threats you might see from Russia and, I imagine, on threats from groups that support the Islamic state or extreme Islamist movements,” according to Pritchard.
NATO along with the US government has blamed Russia for conducting sophisticated cyber attacks on its servers. Just a few weeks ago U.S. officials have blamed Russian hackers for hacking an “unclassified computer” at White House.
On the other hand, hackers supporting the ISIS are attacking high-profile targets. On 11th April 2015, ISIS group hacked BBC and France-based TV5Monde.
Read all hacks conducted by ISIS hackers by clicking here.