European professionals play defense in simulated cyber war

More than 300 security professionals in Europe are playing the defense in a drill that would simulate attacks capable of disrupting services for millions.

The exercise, known as Cyber Europe 2012, is run by the European Network and Information Security Agency, a body designed to address security issues in the European Union. For the first time, the event is including corporate players -- such as people from the finance sector and internet service providers, the ENISA said. Participants would have to counter several computer threats including a simulated distributed denial of service attack.

The event is among a growing number of simulated attacks aimed at driving cross-border cooperation among organizations in the digital domain.

The United Nations’ International Telecommunication Union and the cybersecurity coalition International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats held a drill in December with teams from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team kicked off a two-day joint offensive exercise with the United States in September.

(Image via Olivier Le Queinec/Shutterstock.com)