Eviden wins 2nd place in the world’s largest cyber defense exercise

                 Press Release

Eviden wins 2nd place in the world’s largest cyber defense exercise

Eviden Poland team, part of the international Poland-Finland team, is on podium for second year in a row

Paris, May 23, 2024 - Eviden, the Atos Group business leading in digital, cloud, big data and security today announces that four of its cybersecurity experts based in Poland and two in Romania have participated in the largest international cyber defense exercise, "Locked Shields 2024", organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence (CCDCOE) . Due to the company's capabilities and the expertise of its people, Eviden representatives from Poland contributed to the Poland-Finland team that was awarded 2nd place, following on from Poland’s 3rd place ranking last year. This year also marks the 2nd consecutive participation of Romania, which teamed up with cybersecurity specialists from other countries.

The exercise took place between 22 – 26 April and brought together almost 4,000 military and civilian cyber defense professionals, from more than 40 nations. Locked Shields as a platform enables countries to exchange best practices, innovate strategies, and collectively improve their cyber incident response capabilities.

Eviden experts, through their participation in Locked Shields, have showcased a remarkable ability to navigate the complex cyber battleground, demonstrating resilience and strategic acumen in safeguarding digital fortresses. Their collective expertise has been pivotal in fortifying cyber defenses and fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

Chris Moret, Global Head of Cybersecurity Services at Eviden, Atos Group: ”Eviden takes pride in our team's achievements showcased at Locked Shields 2024. Being part of such an important project underscores the caliber of expertise within our company and reaffirms our dedication to fortifying cyber defenses on a global scale”.

LtCol Urmet Tomp, Director of Locked Shields 2024: “Every year, Locked Shields aims to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in cyber defence training, and 2024 has been no exception. The skills trained here directly translate to stronger national defences against real-world cyber threats, enhancing our collective security”.

Dr Mart Noorma, Director of the NATO CCDCOE: “The purpose of the exercise is to help our nations develop their capabilities to face cyber threats as a coalition. We have real threats around us, and most of our participants came out of the trenches of real cyber warfare to participate in Locked Shields. I am confident they will go back defending their nations stronger than ever”.

Major General Engineer Gheorghe Iordache, Commander of the Cyber Defence Command, Romanian Ministry of National Defence: “We need to strengthen the link with the private sector to face more easily certain challenges which, at one point, could exceed our possibilities of reaction. It is no secret that NATO is also trying to bring together military and civilian specialized institutions in order to have a common reaction and to have some common compatibilities regarding the threats coming from the cyber space.”

Together with colleagues from other countries, all Eviden experts proved the readiness of a fictitious country's defense structures against cyber-attacks targeting critical infrastructures. In addition to securing complex IT and operational systems, participating teams must be effective across a wide range of disciplines, including incident reporting and solving forensic, legal, media operations, and information warfare challenges.

###

Additional Information for journalists:

About our teams

The Eviden’s cyber security experts from Romania - Sergiu-Andrei Chirlejan (Threat Hunting team) and Bogdan Irimia (Software Mediation team) - were part of the international defense team (also called "Blue Team"). This year marked Romania’s fourth consecutive participation, and 2nd for the Eviden Romania, teaming up with cybersecurity specialists from Bulgaria and Republic of Moldova. The Romanian team was coordinated by the Cyber Defense Agency within the Cyber Defense Command and consists of over 150 specialists from the national defense institutions, public order and national security system, but also from private companies active in the field, Eviden Romania being one of them.

From Poland, Bartosz Wawrzyniak (Threat Intelligence team), Piotr Mazurkiewicz (Computer Security Incident Response team), Damian Falatyn (Computer Security Incident Response team) and Michal Cichorz (Computer Security Incident Response team) were part of the Finland-Poland team. They were part of the team that took 2nd place, making it two years in a row they've reached podium success. For Poland, this was the 3rd participation in the exercise, this year jointly with a team of cybersecurity experts from Finland.

Their achievement was powered by Eviden's cloud-based Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR) investigator tooling, which proved valuable during the forensics investigation. The exercise’s strength lies in its comprehensive approach, combining technical skills with strategic, legal, and communication expertise to develop a diverse defense strategy. The Poland team was coordinated by Cyberspace Defense Forces Component Command.

What is Locked Shields?

Locked Shields is the largest international Live Fire Exercise (LFX) in cyber-defense and is the most advanced in terms of technical expertise required. Participants are involved in a Red Team vs. Blue Team training exercise, where rapid response teams from NATO member states and partner countries help a fictitious country under a large-scale cyberattack to protect in real time computer networks of the government and critical national infrastructures (banking systems, gas and electricity distribution systems, satellite communication systems and 5G) against multiple and multidirectional cyber-attacks. Thus, teams can assess the ability to maintain functional systems in real situations and under special conditions.

The exercise is designed to train and test teams of specialists by engaging them in solving complex scenarios and massive cyber incidents under intense pressure, including the areas of strategic decision, legal, public communication, as well as the evaluation, based on score, of the ability of teams to adapt and protect their own networks.

***

About Eviden¹

Eviden is a next-gen technology leader in data-driven, trusted and sustainable digital transformation with a strong portfolio of patented technologies. With worldwide leading positions in advanced computing, security, AI, cloud and digital platforms, it provides deep expertise for all industries in more than 47 countries. Bringing together 47,000 world-class talents, Eviden expands the possibilities of data and technology across the digital continuum, now and for generations to come. Eviden is an Atos Group company with an annual revenue of c. € 5 billion.

About Atos

Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with c. 95,000 employees and annual revenue of c. € 11 billion. European number one in cybersecurity, cloud and high-performance computing, the Group provides tailored end-to-end solutions for all industries in 69 countries. A pioneer in decarbonization services and products, Atos is committed to a secure and decarbonized digital for its clients. Atos is a SE (Societas Europaea), and listed on Euronext Paris.

The purpose of Atos is to help design the future of the information space. Its expertise and services support the development of knowledge, education and research in a multicultural approach and contribute to the development of scientific and technological excellence. Across the world, the Group enables its customers and employees, and members of societies at large to live, work and develop sustainably, in a safe and secure information space.

Press contacts:

Global: Laura FAU – laura.fau@eviden.com – 0033 (0) 6 73 64 04 18

For Romania: Amira CIOBOTEA – amira-dana.ciobotea@eviden.com – 0040 757574214

---

1 Eviden business is operated through the following brands: AppCentrica, ATHEA, Cloudamize, Cloudreach, Cryptovision, DataSentics, Edifixio, Energy4U, Engage ESM, Evidian, Forensik, IDEAL GRP, In Fidem, Ipsotek, Maven Wave, Profit4SF, SEC Consult, Visual BI, Worldgrid, X-Perion. Eviden is a registered trademark.

Eviden is a registered trademark. © Eviden SAS, 2024.

Attachment

• Eviden wins 2nd place in the world’s largest cyber defense exercise