The seventh edition of the pan-European exercise Cyber Europe will be held in June 2024. The exercise scenario involves a foreign power, political tensions, and attacks on the energy sector across the European Union, targeting digital infrastructure and public administration as secondary targets to increase pressure and fuel chaos.
Context – energy sector
Cyberattacks on energy and commodity infrastructure have been on the rise since 2017, with a record number of attacks in 2022.
Cybersecurity has become a major threat to commodity industries and markets over the past decade, with hackers seeking to steal data and paralyze the flow of resources. As energy infrastructure is crucial to modern economies, oil and gas companies are highly attractive targets for cybercriminals. Faced with this growing threat, it is critical for energy industry leaders to take measures to protect themselves from evolving attacks.
Therefore, the seventh biennial pan-European exercise, Cyber Europe, will be based on the energy sector!
Scenario
The energy sector, a critical component of the European economy, has become a prime target for cyber threats amid ongoing geopolitical tensions between the European Union and the foreign nation of Voltaros.
The European Union relies heavily on its energy infrastructure to sustain its economic growth and the stability of its member states. Anti-EU propaganda is rampant, and there are suspicions that APT groups and other criminal organizations are collaborating to shift the balance of power towards their political allies by targeting critical infrastructure.
There is concern about the possibility of massive and destructive attacks aimed at destabilizing the European economy, triggering a domino effect. The energy sector, as a vital pillar of the European Union's economic stability, is at the forefront of these concerns. The European Union and its energy companies must remain vigilant and enhance their cyber posture to mitigate the potential impact of such targeted attacks.
Learn more about the exercise at: https://www.enisa.europa.eu/topics/training-and-exercises/cyber-exercises/cyber-europe-programme/cyber-europe-2024
Contact details:
For all questions about the Cyber Europe 2024 exercise, please contact:
- Local: ncert@cert.hr
- Europe: Exercise – exercises@enisa.europa.eu
- Europe: Communications and Press press@enisa.europa.eu