Cyber Fortress 2.0 tests Virginia’s cyber response plan

The Virginia National Guard hosted Cyber Fortress 2.0 from July 10-21, 2023, at the State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The exercise brought together state and federal organizations who will respond in a real-world cyber incident and provided an opportunity to test Virginia’s cyber response plan and better prepare for future collective responses.

This year’s exercises focused on a cyber attack on a major telecom mission partner with participation from public and private partners from the local, state and federal level, explained Col. Rusty McGuire, commander of the VNG’s Fort Belvoir-based 91st Cyber Brigade. For the first time, the exercise tested an actual cyber-attack on a telecom training network located at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Jennings, Indiana.

“This is truly an outstanding exercise that puts our collective cyber incident response to the test,” McGuire said. “This year training was more realistic with the cyber warriors defending and attacking an actual network that controls a telecom infrastructure. Virginia is better prepared to respond to cyber-attack because of the professionals collaborating at Cyber Fortress.”

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Virginia National Guard Soldiers assigned to the 91st Cyber Brigade and the Joint Force Headquarters – Virginia Defense Cyber Operations Element take part in Cyber Fortress 2.0 July 13, 2023, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.