CyberCyprus 2024, the first national cyber security exercise was concluded on Wednesday and the Office of the Communications Commissioner – Digital Security Authority said in an announcement that it was an important milestone for strengthening Cyprus’ readiness against increasing cyberthreats.

The event was organized by the Digital Security Authority, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense and the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and supported by the European Union Agency for Cyber Security (ENISA), through the Support Action program of the European Union.

The main objective was the simulation of cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, with a particular focus on the transport sector. Participating organizations were asked to deal with incidents in real time, seeking to strengthen cooperation between public, semi-governmental and private agencies, as well as effectively test their procedures.

The exercise also dealt with the improvement of the understanding of ransomware threats and participants had the opportunity to study ransomware threats in depth, increasing their ability to detect and immediately react.

It also aimed to strengthen the cyber incident response process and the inter-agency cooperation and to assess the need for a national cyber crisis management plan.