The 2nd Annual General Assembly of the European project ACTING (Advanced European platform and network of Cybersecurity training and exercises centers) was successfully held at the KIOS CoE premises, during 8-10 October 2024, bringing together more than 55 experts from 13 European countries. ACTING, a four-year project (2022–2026), is funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF) of the European Commission and the Ministry of Defence of Cyprus and aims to develop a European platform for training and exercises in the field of cyber defense. The 2nd General Assembly was organized by the KIOS Center of Excellence in collaboration with ACTING partners 8BELLS and SIDROCO.
The long-term goal of the ACTING project is to strengthen proactive cyber defense operators training exercises of the European Union through effective and efficient multi-domain collaboration and the development of advanced technologies. This includes developing a network of advanced interconnected (federated) domain-oriented cyber ranges for training and exercises, incorporating sophisticated methods and techniques for simulation of users, analyzing the performance of the cyber operators, and scoring cyber security situational awareness. Additionally, the project aims to develop tools for user simulation, automated performance analysis, a language for developing comprehensive and large-scale scenarios, and a federation of cyber ranges and information exchange for common cyber situational awareness.
During the three-day meeting, project partners presented and discussed the outcomes of the initial phase of the project as well as the progress of the work packages. The initial phase included the analysis of user needs, the conduction of state-of-the-art research in cybersecurity training, and the definition of detailed technical specifications for the development of the ACTING platform. The project is now moving into its second phase, which involves the development of the training platform and user simulation techniques in the field of cybersecurity.
The ACTING Platform will be tested and evaluated in three use cases, covering different cyberattack scenarios across various sectors.
- The first use case involves the simulation of combined cyberattacks on shared headquarters systems and networks of land and naval forces.
- The second use case will focus on the space and maritime sectors, with an emphasis on transportation and military applications.
- Finally, the third use case will examine the cascading effects a cyberattack might have on critical infrastructures, highlighting the potential impact of such attacks on military camps and infrastructures.
The KIOS Center of Excellence at the University of Cyprus, leveraging its expertise in monitoring, control, management, and security of critical infrastructures, is actively involved in the third use case. This use case will include the simulation of cyberattacks on the power grid, with potential impacts on military camps. Additionally, the Center significantly contributes to the development of the interconnected platform that will support the training activities.
More information about the ACTING project can be found at https://acting-project.eu/
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. PROJECT: 101103208 — ACTING — EDF-2021-CYBER
