NCCC together with partners held a cybersecurity competition UA-EE Cyber Shield

On December 9-11, 2024, the National Coordination Center for Cybersecurity (NCCC), together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine, and the Embassy of Estonia, held a large-scale cybersecurity competition “UA-EE Cyber Shield”. The event was organized within the framework of the Tallinn Mechanism to strengthen cyber resilience and exchange of experience between Ukraine and Estonia.

The event was aimed at providing participants with knowledge and practical skills in preventing, detecting and responding to modern cyber threats. Realistic scenarios of cyber incidents allowed participants to work in conditions as close as possible to real attacks, raising the professional level of specialists from government agencies, critical enterprises, students and cadets of specialized universities.

The competition was opened by Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Serhiy Demediuk, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Valeria Ionan, and Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Mihal. The opening speeches emphasized the importance of strengthening international partnership and sharing practical knowledge in countering cyber threats.

“Joint exercises with Estonian partners are more than just an exchange of experience. It is an opportunity to improve our approaches to cyber defense, taking into account real threats and challenges. Estonia was the first country to experience Russian cyberattacks, and their practical knowledge helps us better prepare for possible scenarios. It is important that the experience of Ukraine and Estonia becomes an example for scaling up and cooperation with other partner countries. Only through constant joint training will we be able to create a cyber coalition that will work not only on paper but will become a real tool for countering cyber threats,” said Sergiy Demediuk.

The competition involved 250 participants organized into 25 blue teams working in a realistic simulation environment. Participants demonstrated their skills in responding to complex cyber incidents and developed effective strategies for protecting critical systems.

The winners of the competition were: mav3rik team of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The teams were also recognized in the following nominations:

Task Solver - dcua team of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
SITREP Situation Report - Lie-Fi team of the State Center for Cyber Defense
Cooperation - Cyber 7 team of the Central Research Institute of Arms and Military Equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The event was organized with the assistance of the CDTO Campus, AmonSul, and with the technological support of the Academy of E-Governance, Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV), and CybExer.