NATO Locked Shields

What is Locked Shields?

Conducted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, Estonia, this annual exercise enables cyber security experts to enhance their skills in defending national IT systems and critical infrastructure under real-time attacks. The focus is on realistic scenarios, cutting-edge technologies and simulating the entire complexity of a massive cyber incident, including strategic decision-making, legal and communication aspects. Locked Shields is the world’s largest and most complex international live-fire cyber exercise.

For four consecutive days, more than 4,000 experts from military, government, academia, and industry collaborate to defend simulated national IT systems and critical infrastructure against a massive cyberattack.

The exercise deploys over 5,500 virtualised critical systems replicating the operations of an independent country, that is subject to over 8,000 attacks. In addition to securing complex IT and operational systems the participating teams must be effective in a wide range of disciplines, including reporting incidents and solving forensic, legal, media operations, and information warfare challenges.

Australia’s first participation in 2023 led by the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre

After successfully lobbying for involvement as a standalone team in 2023 Aus3C led an Australian team competing in the Locked Shields Partner Run in 2023. 

Occurring about a month before the full exercise the function of the Partner Run is to test the Game Day scenario, systems and technology before the main event in April, honing the red team tactics for the full exercise. The partner run is a crucial component of the full-scale exercise and many of the teams in the partner run train for up to six months. 

In 2024 the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre (Aus3C) facilitated the Australian participation in the Locked Shields 2024 full exercise, partnering with Greece and INDOPACOM (USA) and supported by key members including the University of Adelaide, McGrathNicol, CyberOps, Cygence, DTEX, SecureState, SAAB, and SA Power Networks. The team was also supported by the Australian Defence Force, through the Joint Capabilities Group. 

Utilising the most technically advanced commercial Cyber Range in the Southern Hemisphere, the Locked Shields 24 Exercise was hosted at Aus3C’s home base in South Australia’s Innovation Precinct, Lot Fourteen. 

Australia’s involvement in Locked Shields is a display of our nation’s capability and increasing strength in the international ecosystem as the cyber defence of sovereign critical infrastructure comes into even sharper focus. This complex exercise complements the National exercise program coordinated through the National Office of Cyber Security and provide critical infrastructure providers with an invaluable opportunity to participate in the world’s leading live-fire exercise.

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