10 October 2024
DefHack 2024
Cybersecurity students from IMT Atlantique and the University of Rennes (ISTIC) were introduced to cyber combat by participating in a day dedicated to the DefHack cyber defence exercise.
From 7 to 18 October 2024, the Commandement de la cyberdéfense (COMCYBER) organised DefHack 2024, an unprecedented cyber defence exercise involving more than 400 students from 16 higher education institutions. Among them, students from IMT Atlantique and the University of Rennes, two partners of CyberSchool, took an active part in this cyber crisis management simulation.
Cyber Defence at the Heart of the Exercise
Military cyber defence operates in three main areas: defensive, offensive, and influence. DefHack 2024 focused on defence, a key aspect in protecting strategic information systems. Students explored defensive strategies to counter attacks, discovering that every improvement in security can potentially reveal new vulnerabilities.
Romaric Ludinard, a lecturer-researcher at IMT Atlantique, explained the importance of this exercise for the students:
“In their future careers, our students will be required to work within technical teams and present their approaches and results, sometimes to technical personnel and sometimes to decision-makers who need to make informed decisions. The DefHack exercise fits perfectly within this context, as students will need to interact and report to personnel in a cyber crisis management scenario. The communication of information and the related stakes is therefore crucial.”
Immersion in Cyberattack Scenarios
Plunged into realistic cyberattack simulations, participants had to respond to complex situations, ranging from incident detection to the implementation of solutions to protect sensitive infrastructures. Calm under pressure, responsiveness, and teamwork were critical in overcoming these challenges, thus strengthening their crisis management skills.
Students from IMT Atlantique and the University of Rennes developed essential practical skills to tackle real-world cyber defence challenges. This exercise, beyond theoretical learning, allowed them to face situations similar to those they will encounter in their professional careers.