Luxembourg’s army is not only developing defences against physical threats, it is also active in the cyber realm. Last week it flexed its emergency response skills in a simulation of a cyber attack.
“It’s not if it will happen, it’s when” has become a popular maxim among cybersecurity experts who are constantly alert to protect Luxembourg assets. The best way to prepare for the worst? By simulating a hacking scenario that brings countries to a halt.
Cyber Fortress 2026 is the country’s most advanced cyber defence exercise to date. Organised by the Luxembourg Army General Staff, it brought together more than 500 cybersecurity experts from Germany, Austria, Ireland, Latvia, Singapore, and Switzerland on the Luxembourg Cyber Range platform. Here, they tested technical skills and interoperability, crisis communication, and strategic coordination in real-world scenarios.
A Real-World Cyber Crisis Simulation
Founded 2021, Cyber Fortress has evolved from a technically focused drill to a fully immersive, scenario-based exercise. Since 2025, the event has incorporated media injections, including deepfakes, fake news, and disinformation campaigns, to simulate the complexities of modern cyber warfare. This year’s edition challenged participants with real-time cyberattacks, requiring rapid, coordinated responses from multinational teams.
Four teams competed in the exercise:
- A joint Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Luxembourg team
- A Latvia-Singapore alliance
- A Luxembourg national team, comprising members from the Directorate of Defense, the Army, the police, and the Luxembourg House of Cybersecurity
- The Irish Joint Cyber Defence Command, participating for the first time with its own dedicated team
Beyond the military, Cyber Fortress attracted participants from government agencies, research institutions, and private-sector partners, fostering a multidisciplinary exchange of expertise. The exercise’s focus on deepfakes, disinformation, and media strategy also highlighted the growing intersection of cybersecurity and public communication—a topic of increasing relevance for both tech professionals and policymakers.
