VA MD Cyber Defense Exercise

Maryland Defense Force & Virginia Defense Force Hold Cyber Security Exercise

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SDF News

A few weeks ago the Maryland Defense Force and Virginia Defense Force participated in a joint Cyber Security Exercise. The exercise involved the 256th Cyber Defense Unit (CDU) of the Maryland Defense Force and the 31st Cyber Battalion of the Virginia Defense Force. Both units simulated a ransomware attack on state infrastructure and evaluated their performance and potential vulnerabilities in the system. These types of Cyber Security exercises help the troops develop their skills and increase their responsiveness to such Cyber attacks.

Both the 256th Cyber Defense Unit and 31st Cyber Battalion work with their National Guard units to help ensure their states IT Infrastructure is safe from malicious outside agencies or nation states.

The Virginia Defense Force also participated in another joint State Defense Force Cyber Defense Exercise recently, this time with the Texas State Guard -> Click here to Read.

MDDF and VDF Host Joint Cyber Training Exercise
On September 17, 2022, the Maryland Defense Force (MDDF) 256th Cyber Defense Unit (CDU) and the Virginia Defense Force (VDF) 31st Cyber Battalion will participate in a joint ransomware tabletop exercise (TTX) to evaluate the ability of both organizations to detect, prevent, respond to, and survive a hypothetical ransomware attack. This training exercise will take place at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in Reisterstown, Maryland and concurrently at virtual locations throughout Maryland and Virginia.
“This is essentially a crisis management exercise that will allow both organizations to evaluate how effectively we respond to the cyber threat within this scenario,” shared Maj. (MD) Jeremy O’Mard, commander of the 256th Cyber Defense Unit. “Both cyber units will have a chance to benchmark their planned responses against the hypothetical scenario to test our operational preparedness,” O’Mard continued. “Afterwards, we will evaluate and discuss our actions so that we can continuously improve and constantly evolve to meet the current and future cyber threats to Maryland and Virginia,” O’Mard concluded.
“This is a great opportunity to collaborate with our fellow state defense force volunteers from across the Potomac River in Virginia. We will learn from each other and learn from the training exercise. Hopefully, the MDDF and VDF will be able to do more of these types of training events in the future because they are mutually beneficial and add to the operational readiness of both organizations,” said Brig. Gen. (MD) Gregory J. Juday, commanding general of the MDDF.
The mission of the VDF 31st Cyber Battalion is to enhance the commonwealth by serving as a force multiplier for the Virginia Department of Military Affairs. The Maryland Defense Force is the state’s uniformed volunteer militia branch that provides competent supplementary professional and technical support to the Maryland Military Department and the State of Maryland as needed. Established in 1917, the MDDF consists of nearly 200 personnel who perform legal, engineering, finance, medical, chaplain, field support, and ceremonial services for the State of Maryland.
MAJ Stephen Rice
MDDF Public Affairs

Source: Maryland Defense Force

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