LSU Leads 2024 NATO Coalition Exercise to Boost Cyber Defense Skills

June 18, 2024

LSU Researcher Elias Bou-Harb and students plan to stage a hypothetical healthcare cyberattack exercise at the annual NATO Cyber Coalition, helping participants strengthen their cyber defense abilities. 

A group of people in a computer room listening to a speaker.

This year’s event, held in Estonia during the fall, will include 1,200 civilian and military representatives from over 36 nations. The 2024 cyberattack exercise will focus on the misuse of medical devices to initiate cyberattacks that put civilians and military personnel in danger. Bou-Harb said the scenario will call for collective problem-solving and collaboration among the participants. Cyberattacks are more likely to target network-connected devices, including but not limited to infusion pumps, ventilators, and identification devices. Bou-Harb notes that a cyberattack on healthcare infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for patients, hospitals, emergency response capabilities, and national security.

“Our partnership with Professor Bou-Harb and LSU has been instrumental in keeping the Cyber Coalition exercise at the forefront of cyber defense innovation,” said Ezio Cerrato, the 2024 NATO Cyber Coalition Interim Director.

By working with valued partners such as LSU, the NATO Cyber Coalition aims to provide the most effective and up-to-date training to prevent and defend against cyber-attacks.

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