NATO Locked Shields

NATO Locked Shields
Name	NATO Locked Shields
Caption	Cyber defence exercise environment
Date	Annual (since 2010)
Location	Tallinn, Estonia
Participants	NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, NATO, allied and partner teams
Type	Cyber defence exercise

NATO Locked Shields

NATO Locked Shields is an annual multinational cyber defence exercise hosted by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. The exercise assembles national cybersecurity teams, military staffs, civilian law enforcement units and private-sector partners to respond to simulated high‑intensity cyber incidents across complex networks. Locked Shields emphasizes real‑time incident response, forensics, crisis coordination and decision‑making under pressure, drawing participants from NATO allies and partner countries including member states, candidate states and regional partners.

Overview

Locked Shields is designed as an interactive, live-fire competition that tests technical, organizational and strategic capacities of national teams. The exercise environment integrates realistic network topologies, simulated SCADA/industrial control systems, mobile and enterprise infrastructures, and multi‑service information systems used by governments. Scoring encompasses technical performance, incident handling, forensic evidence quality, and policy‑level reporting to senior leadership. The event fosters knowledge exchange among institutions such as the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, United States Cyber Command, Finnish Defence Forces, Estonian Defence Forces and industry actors.

History and Evolution

Locked Shields was inaugurated by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in 2010 shortly after major cyber incidents and growing recognition of cyber as a domain of strategic competition. Early editions focused on network defence and malware containment for national CERTs like CERT-EU and INCIBE. Over time the exercise expanded to include crisis management elements inspired by events such as the 2007 cyber attacks on Estonia, the Stuxnet operation, and the NotPetya campaign, prompting inclusion of industrial control simulations and supply‑chain scenarios. Participation grew from a handful of teams to dozens representing NATO members, partners from the European Union, United Nations observers and invited private organizations, reflecting broader internationalization of cyber cooperation.

Exercise Structure and Components

Locked Shields operates on a Red/Blue/White team model combined with adjudication and scoring bodies. The Blue teams represent national or multinational defensive teams charged with protecting a designated network estate. Red teams provide adversary operations, developing attack injects and exploiting vulnerabilities. White teams administer scenario injects, evaluate outputs and adjudicate rules in real time. The exercise environment includes a central scoring system, virtualized infrastructure, traffic generation engines and simulated media outlets. Components routinely deployed mirror real systems from ministries, energy providers, transportation operators and health institutions, enabling cross‑sector incident interaction and cascading failure assessment.

Participants and Roles

Participants include national cyber units, civil protection agencies, computer emergency response teams (CERTs), military cyber commands, law enforcement cybercrime divisions and critical‑infrastructure operators. Observers and subject matter experts come from international organizations such as OTAN delegations, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and academic centers like Tallinn University of Technology. Roles span incident responders, digital forensics analysts, network engineers, legal advisors, public affairs officers and senior decision‑makers. Industry partners from major technology firms and managed security service providers supply threat intelligence and platform support, while third‑party vendors provide emulated proprietary systems for realism.

Scenarios and Objectives

Scenarios simulate multi‑vector campaigns combining distributed denial‑of‑service, ransomware, supply‑chain compromise, insider threats and attacks on operational technology. Objectives vary annually but consistently include containment of active compromises, restoration of services, attribution analysis, evidence preservation suitable for legal processes, and coordination with cross‑border stakeholders. Scenario designers introduce escalating political and kinetic pressures, such as simulated diplomatic crises or critical‑infrastructure outages, to test interoperability among diplomatic, military and civilian responders. The exercise also measures strategic communication capacity through simulated media and social‑media management tasks.

Tools, Technologies, and Methods

Locked Shields leverages virtualization platforms, traffic simulators, forensic toolkits, malware analysis sandboxes, and open‑source and commercial security products. Commonly used technologies include network packet capture systems, intrusion detection/prevention systems, Security Information and Event Management platforms, and remote access trojans emulators. Methodologies draw from digital forensics frameworks, incident response playbooks, kill‑chain analysis models and attribution techniques. Teams practice containment, eradication, patching, traffic filtering, systems reimaging, and legal‑compliant evidence handling, while red teams employ advanced persistent threat tactics and custom exploit frameworks to challenge defenders.

Impact, Outcomes, and Assessments

Locked Shields produces measurable improvements in national cyber readiness, interagency coordination and cross‑border cooperation, informing policy and capability development across participating entities. Post‑exercise evaluations and lessons learned feed into doctrine updates for organisations like NATO, national cyber strategies, and training curricula at military academies and universities. Winning teams gain recognition, but broader impacts include identification of systemic weaknesses, accelerated procurement of defensive capabilities, and strengthened ties among cyber communities. The exercise has contributed to standardizing incident response practices and promoted public‑private collaboration, influencing preparedness for real incidents such as transnational ransomware outbreaks and nation‑state campaigns.

Category:Cybersecurity exercises Category:NATO