The National Cyber Security Centre of Ireland (NCSC) has taken part in an international exercise tackling threats from state-backed hacking groups and transnational cyberattacks.
Ireland was one of 25 countries, along with Nato members and partners as well as states from Asia and the Pacific, invited to join the exercise in South Korea.
Experts from the NCSC took part in the three-day event that finished on Wednesday.
Ireland is among 39 members of the Nato Co-operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). These comprise of both Nato and non-Nato countries. Ireland joined in May 2023.
The Allied Power Exercise (Apex) 2025 brought together many of the CCDCOE countries and states from the Indo-Pacific region.
In a statement through the Department of Justice, the NCSC said: “A small delegation of cybersecurity experts contributed across a range of areas including cyber threat intelligence, digital forensics, and incident response, as well as strategic analysis and communications.”
It said the exercise was designed to test and strengthen cyber defence capabilities among like-minded international partners. It said it was comparable with other major training engagements which the NCSC participates in, such as the CCDCOE’s “Locked Shields” and “Cyber Europe”. The statement said:
Participation in Apex allows the NCSC to assess its own capabilities, build readiness, and enhance interoperability with partner nations, ensuring Ireland remains well prepared to respond to evolving cyber threats.
The CCDCOE told the Irish Examiner: “The international cybersecurity exercise brought together 180 cyber experts from 37 organisations across 25 nations to practise countering transnational cyberattacks.”
It said the CCDCOE supported the exercise with its expertise in conducting large-scale cyber exercises.
“Our experts contributed to developing the exercise special systems and the strategic exercise component,” it said.
“The centre also provided a new scenario to the exercise, which is linked to our exercises Locked Shields and Crossed Swords.”
Cyber Summit Korean 2025 said Apex 2024 was designed to collectively respond to “state-backed hacking organisations and transnational cyberattacks”, adding that it involved “examining and strengthening real-world response systems”.
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