Gallery: Hackers Gather for Cyberwar in an Intense 48-Hour Sim
Luca Locatelli01001-74C0621
Locked Shields is in only its third year, but quickly established itself as the prime multinational cyber war-games event. The quality of competitors is high including, Locatelli says, the team that uncovered the Heartbleed virus.
Luca Locatelli02007-74C0816
The red team begins day one with level hacktivist campaigns on the first day and mount to sabotage attacks against the defenders’ own networks throughout the second day.
Luca Locatelli03locked-shields-009
What happens if you book a hotel conference centre for a cyber defence exercise? You need a lot more electricity and air conditioning than you initially thought.
Luca Locatelli04004-74C0935
Locked Shields is organized by the NATO-supported Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) together with Estonian Information System’s Authority, Estonian Defence League’s Cyber Defence Unit, Estonian Defence Forces, Finnish Defence Forces and many others.
Luca Locatelli05locked-shields-003
Berylia, an island nation somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, is going to be under attack and the defenders’ mission is to guard it.
Luca Locatelli06grid2-gallery
Some members of the Red Team didn’t want to be photographed. Others had no problem. But they all agreed that their monitors were off-limits.
Luca Locatelli07006-74C0678
“From a visual point of view I was afraid that I wasn’t going to find anything,” says Locatelli. “There’s a lot of interesting stuff to say about cyber warfare but there’s nothing to shoot. Cyber warfare is, basically, invisible.”
Luca Locatelli08locked-shields-002
A view of Tallinn, Estonia, from inside the hotel conference room.
Luca Locatelli09locked-shields-005
When John McHugh, United States Secretary of the Army showed up for a visit, Locatelli says for an instant “it felt like a real war.”
Luca Locatelli10016-74C0396
For his focus on the long tail of war, Luca Locatelli was the winner of the $25,000 Aftermath Grant in 2014. This work forms another chapter in “United Colours Of War,” Locatelli’s ongoing investigation into post-9/11 international arms dealing and military cultures.
Luca Locatelli11grid1-gallery
Participants were wary of revealing their tricks and strategies to the camera.
Luca Locatelli12locked-shields-010
Onsite lawyers consult the Tallinn Manual to figure out what advice to give next.
Luca Locatelli13locked-shields-006
The 12 defending teams taking part this year were Estonia, Finland, NATO CIRC, Italy, Spain, Germany & the Netherlands, Turkey, Latvia & Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Poland, Austria & Lithuania.
