This cybersecurity initiative had 64 participants from 26 different institutions, divided into 10 groups. The winning team of this computer attack and defense exercise promoted by Foundation for Science and Technology, through the FCCN unit, was formed by elements from the University of Coimbra and the Polytechnic Institute of Cávado and Ave.
For two hours, each group had to discover vulnerabilities in the other teams' systems, as well as defend the three systems they had access to. To build a platform that would allow this attack and defense exercise, in a completely remote format, vulnerabilities in PHP, PERL and WORDPRESS, among others, were used.
Carlos Friaças, service manager RCTS CERT from the FCCN unit and responsible for organizing the 1st Cyberrange RCTS, tells us what the first edition of the initiative was like:
How did the dynamic unfold?
Each team received access to three servers. The idea was to mitigate any vulnerabilities they found so that other teams couldn't carry out successful attacks.
Since all teams' servers were on the same network, participants also had the opportunity to attack other teams' servers, exploiting existing vulnerabilities.
Three servers were also created with different vulnerabilities, where there was no intentional mitigation effort.
The exercise also consisted of a leaderboard, which recorded points for successful attacks, and deducted points when vulnerabilities were exploited.
What was the purpose of the exercise?
Train defense and attack in a controlled environment. Given the difficulties created during the exercise, our objective was for participants to acquire knowledge about some security vulnerabilities.
Who were the participants?
We had members from the 26-member IT teams RCTS – Science, Technology and Society Network, who perform cybersecurity or systems administration functions.
How were the teams formed?
The teams were selected by the organization. Each team consisted of 7-8 members, and geographic criteria were adhered to as closely as possible.
When is the next Cyberrange RCTS expected?
Along these same lines, it is difficult to determine, but once the platform is available, it will only be necessary to provide servers with vulnerabilities different from those of this exercise in order to carry out another. We are probably aiming for 2025.
What conclusions were drawn from this challenge?
THE debriefing was carried out immediately after the end of the two-hour exercise, explaining what vulnerabilities existed.
Carlos Friaças concludes his testimony with a positive assessment and a request to the participants: “The level of participation was excellent and it is important to thank everyone for their willingness to participate in an initiative of this type, and also take the opportunity to request that fill out the questionnaire/survey that was sent”.
