The Ministry of Digital Affairs earlier this year participated in a major cybersecurity exercise at the invitation of the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the ministry announced yesterday.
Cyber Storm IX, the ninth iteration of the drills, was the first that the agency had invited the ministry to participate in.
The exercises involved 2,200 participants from 11 countries simulating major cyberattacks, testing international cooperation methods and establishing channels of communication for future major incidents.
Photo: Hsu Tzu-ling, Taipei Times
The CISA holds the event every two years, inviting international partners to participate in the simulation of attacks on local, state and federal critical infrastructure, the Administration for Cyber Security said.
The administration participated remotely, together with the National Institute of Cyber Security and the Ministry of National Defense’s Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command, it said.
The exercises sought to measure the effects of cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, examine the roles of government agencies and civil society groups, and evaluate the communication between international partners and their response procedures, the administration said.
The drills also tested the effectiveness of intelligence sharing among international partners, and the resiliency of digital infrastructure in the US and around the world, it said.
During the exercise, the Taiwanese participants analyzed security incidents and used the National Information and Communication Security Center and the National Information Sharing and Analysis Center to disseminate information and warnings about the threats, it said.
After the event, Taiwanese participants exchanged information with their US counterparts, with both sides calling the exercise a success, the administration said.
Lessons learned from the exercises can be incorporated into domestic response mechanisms and international partners can also conduct similar drills to better prepare for security incidents, it said.
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