European cyber
security agency Enisa is today hosting a 24-hour continent-wide security
assessment with the help of 200 firms and 400 cyber security
professionals.
Enisa, or the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security, has dubbed the exercise Cyber Europe 2014, and has pulled in support from national Certs (Computer Emergency Response Teams), internet service providers, energy companies and telecoms firms.
Praising the international cooperation at the heart of the initiative, European Commission VP Neelie Kroes said: "The sophistication and volume of cyber-attacks are increasing every day. They cannot be countered if individual states work alone or just a handful of them act together.
"I'm pleased that EU and member states are working with the EU institutions, with Enisa bringing them together. Only this kind of common effort will help keep today's economy and society protected."
The exercise comes as October's European Cyber Security Month draws to a close. At the launch of the awareness-raising initiative, Enisa warned of the privacy dangers posed by the Internet of Things and the rise of wearable technology, and stressed the need for better education and training in this area. The current exercise is focusing on how to thwart a continent-wide cyber attack.
"Five years ago there were no procedures to drive cooperation during a cyber-crisis between EU member states. Today we have the procedures in place collectively to mitigate a cyber-crisis on European level," said Enisa executive director, Professor Udo Helmbrecht.
"The outcome of today's exercise will tell us where we stand and identify the next steps to take in order to keep improving."
Also under scrutiny today is a set of guidelines called the EU-Standard Operational Procedures (EU-SOPs) that are designed to test how countries share operational information about cyber threats.
The test comes amid growing global tensions between high-ranking nations, with Russia believed to be behind an attack that infiltrated White House computers.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2378570/europe-hosts-its-biggest-ever-cyber-security-exercise
Enisa, or the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security, has dubbed the exercise Cyber Europe 2014, and has pulled in support from national Certs (Computer Emergency Response Teams), internet service providers, energy companies and telecoms firms.
Praising the international cooperation at the heart of the initiative, European Commission VP Neelie Kroes said: "The sophistication and volume of cyber-attacks are increasing every day. They cannot be countered if individual states work alone or just a handful of them act together.
"I'm pleased that EU and member states are working with the EU institutions, with Enisa bringing them together. Only this kind of common effort will help keep today's economy and society protected."
The exercise comes as October's European Cyber Security Month draws to a close. At the launch of the awareness-raising initiative, Enisa warned of the privacy dangers posed by the Internet of Things and the rise of wearable technology, and stressed the need for better education and training in this area. The current exercise is focusing on how to thwart a continent-wide cyber attack.
"Five years ago there were no procedures to drive cooperation during a cyber-crisis between EU member states. Today we have the procedures in place collectively to mitigate a cyber-crisis on European level," said Enisa executive director, Professor Udo Helmbrecht.
"The outcome of today's exercise will tell us where we stand and identify the next steps to take in order to keep improving."
Also under scrutiny today is a set of guidelines called the EU-Standard Operational Procedures (EU-SOPs) that are designed to test how countries share operational information about cyber threats.
The test comes amid growing global tensions between high-ranking nations, with Russia believed to be behind an attack that infiltrated White House computers.
http://www.v3.co.uk/v3-uk/news/2378570/europe-hosts-its-biggest-ever-cyber-security-exercise