Bulgarian National Team Honoured by NATO for Technical Preparedness in Cyberattack Response

Bulgaria has received a prestigious distinction from NATO for its technical preparedness and rapid response to cyberattacks, after the national team demonstrated a high level of coordination and expertise during the Alliance’s largest annual cyber-defence exercise — NATO Cyber Coalition 2025.

During the international exercise, the Bulgarian team participated in simulations involving responses to complex and coordinated cyber incidents. The training included an interagency task force made up of NERICS–GOVCERT, sectoral CSIRT teams (SERICS), the Cybercrime Directorate of the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime, ESO, the State Agency for National Security, the Ministry of Defence, as well as experts from the national systems integrator Information Services AD.

The Bulgarian team was recognised for its swift technical response and precise coordination among all participating institutions. Thanks to the joint efforts:

• Critical energy infrastructure was protected;
• Electricity supply was restored within the first hour after the simulated attack;
• Uninterrupted power delivery was ensured throughout the entire incident.

This demonstrated the team’s high adaptability, professional training and operational effectiveness.

Three complex incidents during the exercise

During the exercise, NERICS — supported by SERICS and Information Services — coordinated the response to several major cyber threats:

• A cross-border cyberattack on electricity grids in NATO member states;
• A cyber incident affecting the national backup system;
• A sophisticated state-sponsored attack APT.

Experts allocated resources, analysed attack methodologies and countered threats in real time.