Romanian cybersecurity teams defend against 8,000 simulated attacks within NATO Locked Shields 2026
The NATO international cyber defense exercise Locked Shields took place at the Central Library of the University Politehnica of Bucharest, between April 13 and 24. The event is organized annually by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, and saw teams defend against thousands of simulated cyberattacks.
The scenarios developed by the Centre simulated large-scale cyber crises, in which the technical, operational, and decision-making capabilities of the participants were tested under conditions of pressure and operational uncertainty.
In this year’s edition, Romania’s team participated in a joint format together with experts from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, strengthening regional cooperation in the field of cyber defense and cybersecurity.
The 16 teams acted as a multinational rapid response force and had the mission of defending a simulated national infrastructure against 8,000 real-time cyberattacks, in parallel with managing technical incidents.
“The exercise integrated technical, legal, and strategic communication components aimed at developing a common approach to managing cyber incidents. The scenarios included the protection of critical infrastructures, such as 5G communication networks, energy systems, command and control systems, all simulated under complex operational conditions,” the representatives of the Ministry of National Defence stated in a press release.
The 2026 edition brought together around 4,000 participants from more than 40 countries, providing an extensive framework for cooperation, exchange of expertise, and strengthening of international interoperability.
MApN explained that Romania’s participation in Locked Shields 2026 reconfirms its commitment to developing national cyber defense capabilities, strengthening the resilience of critical infrastructures, and enhancing cooperation with international partners in the field of cybersecurity. The Romanian team was coordinated by the Cyber Defense Command within the Ministry of National Defence.
(Photo source: Pop Nukoonrat|Dreamstime.com)
