Oman kicked off the 12th Regional Cybersecurity Drill, in Muscat with the help of Cyber Wales.
Drawing participants from Arab countries, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and nations from the Asia-Pacific and Africa. Held under the theme “The Impact of Cyber Threats on the Digital Economy,” the exercise, part of Regional Cybersecurity Week, aimed to improve cyber resilience across the region.
A group of Cyber Wales companies travelled to Muscat to participate in the RRegional Cyber Drills, including:
- Hashtag Cyber Ltd from Wrexham, North Wales
John Davies MBE PhD FCIIS, Chair of Cyber Wales addressed the participants at the Drills and gave a talk on the importance of regularly exercising nation-state cyber playbook responses to large scale attacks.
SudoCyber, a cyber security capability development company from Brecon, ran a Capture the Flag (CTF) competition for the participants with challenges ranging from cyber assurance formal methods through to critical national infrastructure attacks such as Industroyer2 and cryptocurrency vulnerabilities. The competition was co-sponsored by the Middle East Regional Team from CompTIA.
Organised by the Regional Cybersecurity Center under Oman’s Ministry of Transport, Communications, and Information Technology, the event focused on reducing response times and enhancing collaboration among regional cybersecurity teams. With participation from national information emergency response teams and cybersecurity centers, the drill involved realistic scenarios to help participants develop capabilities, bolster response coordination, and enhance information security in critical sectors.
Khalid bin Saif al Rawahi, Director of the Cyber Risk and Incident Management Department at Oman’s National CERT, highlighted that the exercise is part of a strategic plan to fortify digital infrastructure against growing cyber threats. He emphasised that building skillsets through such initiatives will help close skill gaps and ensure the digital economy’s stability, supporting national efforts to safeguard Oman’s digital future.