12.06.2026 - On 10 and 11 June 2026, Switzerland took part in "Cyber Europe 2026", the largest European cybersecurity exercise organised by the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA). This year’s edition focused on cyber incident response in the rail and maritime sectors. Under the leadership of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), various national authorities as well as operators of critical infrastructure were involved in the exercise.
"Cyber Europe 2026" exercise: Switzerland tests its cyber resilience in the rail and maritime sectors
With around 1,000 participants, "Cyber Europe" is one of the most important European cyber crisis exercises. The aim of the exercise is to test processes for managing cyber incidents, cooperation between the stakeholders involved, and national and international mechanisms for information exchange in the event of large-scale cyber attacks.
Successful cooperation under realistic conditions
For this edition, a scenario was simulated in which several European transport infrastructures were simultaneously affected by cyber incidents. In Switzerland, the exercise focused on rail transport and inland waterway transport. Key stakeholders responsible for the operation and protection of these critical infrastructures were involved. The exercise demonstrated that the participating organisations are able to work together effectively and in a coordinated manner, even in a complex and dynamic environment. At the same time, the exercise confirmed the resilience and effectiveness of existing processes for managing cross-border cyber incidents. Furthermore, the exercise contributed to further strengthening trust-based cooperation between the partners jointly responsible for the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure in Switzerland.
Key findings for the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure
The NCSC considers Switzerland’s participation in the "Cyber Europe" exercise to have been a success. The insights gained will be analysed in depth by the NCSC in the coming weeks, together with the participating organisations, in order to identify measures to further enhance cyber resilience in the rail and maritime sectors. These insights also make an important contribution to the continuous strengthening of Switzerland’s cyber resilience and to the implementation of the National Cyberstrategy (NCS). After all, cybersecurity is, and remains, a shared responsibility.
Interconnection requires strong cybersecurity
In view of the increasing interconnection and automation of systems, as well as the constant evolution of digital threats, the cybersecurity of transport infrastructure is becoming increasingly important. Exercises such as "Cyber Europe" make it possible to test cooperation between the various stakeholders under realistic conditions and to further improve preparedness for future cyber crises.
