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Photo credits: Arno Mikkor, CCD COE
Locked Shields: a successful cybersecurity exercise
More than 1,000 people from 30 countries took part in the Locked Shields 2018, the annual live-fire cyber defence exercise organized by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE). This years’ event aimed to rehearse protecting different vital services and military systems in the event of cyber attacks. Every participating country had to assess the nature of the threat and its origin.
“In addition to solving technical challenges, it is important to understand the impact of cyber operations on the strategic and political level. That’s what we are rehearsing at the exercise,” said CCD COE director Merle Maigre. The Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid visited the event and underlined the importance of cyber defence for governments: “The exercise provides a big and so far largely unused opportunity for ministers and other decision makers to practice the management of a large cyber crisis in a realistic environment“. Locked Shields 2018 first three runners-up have already been announced: NATO group won the first price, followed by France and the Czech Republic.
This article was originally published in Sidney Morning Herald. Read the full article here.
The Finnish-Estonian digital highway
X-Road is the digital infrastructure which allows interoperability in Estonia since 2001. This invisible yet crucial environment enables the nation’s various e-service databases, both in the public and private sector, to link up and operate in harmony. Finland and Estonia have joined forces to help their citizens enjoy the digital services once they are abroad.
Finns, who visit Estonia across the Baltic Sea, will soon be able to pick up their doctor’s prescription at any local pharmacy without worrying about prying eyes. Likewise, around 100,000 Estonians currently employed in Finland will have their paycheck sent to their domestic tax authorities for quick and easy filling.
This article was originally published in Insurance Journal. Read the full article here.
A sneak peek of the 0-bureaucracy state
Last week the Italian broadcaster La7 publised a short documentary about the Estonian digital society on its primetime TV show Piazzapulita. It gives an overview of all the main e-services as well as Estonia’s education system: from the access to the state portal to e-prescription, from classes where pupils learn astronomy thanks to Virtual Reality and the first rudiments of robotics, to a visit to the Department of Biotechnology at Tallinn Technical University.
This video was originally streamed on La7. Watch the full video here.
