Doha, October 19 (QNA) - The National Cyber Drill, organized by the Qatar National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA), tops domestic and Arab preparations to confront growing digital threats, with the 12th drill set for Nov. 16, 2025, under the theme “Cross-Border Attacks."

The drill brings together national and Arab entities in a simulation that mirrors real-world challenges facing critical digital infrastructure.

Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Director of the Cyber Resilience, Risk, and Insurance Department at NCSA, Mohammed Murshid Al Mannai, said the event represents a critical platform to test the nation's cyber readiness at both sectoral and corporate levels, manifesting a paradigm shift in the mechanisms for measuring national compliance with various regulatory and legislative frameworks amid a rapidly evolving cyber threat environment.

Opting for this theme reflects the current geopolitical situation, where digital threats intertwine with struggles over interests and influence, with cyberattacks now being carried out by organized and well-funded entities capable of infiltrating systems and remaining undetected for months, Al Mannai highlighted.

This, he said, creates a new security reality that demands qualitative preparedness and proactive awareness to confront a staggering scale of challenges in an increasingly complex and evolving cyber landscape.

Al Mannai pointed out that the drill is built on advanced technical scenarios designed to test institutions' actual response capabilities to cyberattacks and assess their national compliance with multiple frameworks, such as the Data Privacy Protection Law, the Cyber Incident Management Framework, the Data Classification Policy, and the Institutional Framework for Cyber Crisis Management.

These policies are integrated within the simulation environment to mirror real-world compliance requirements during cyber crises, underscoring Qatar's enduring commitment to safeguarding its digital infrastructure and enhancing resilience amid a staggering scale of cyber threats, he said.

Al Mannai added that the number of entities participating in this year's drill exceeds 160 domestic organizations, representing over ten vital sectors, including finance, energy, government services, and communications, underscoring the growing institutional awareness of the drill's significance as a practical benchmark for measuring and enhancing capabilities.

  Al Mannai elucidated that this edition would witness an unprecedented regional expansion, as Qatar hosts the first joint Arab cybersecurity exercise under its initiatives within the Council of Arab Cybersecurity Ministers under the umbrella of the Arab League, reflecting a strategic approach to bolstering joint Arab cybersecurity.

He highlighted that the participation of Arab nations in the 12th drill follows the success of the Gulf Cyber Drill in the previous edition, emphasizing that this year's Arab scenario is designed with consideration for the specific systems of official cyber institutions in each state and mirrors the cross-border threats targeting the entire region's digital infrastructure.

The cyber drill is not merely theoretical but is considered one of the foremost tools for assessing institutional cybersecurity awareness, Al Mannai underlined. He noted that the drill conducted in 2024 revealed certain gaps in readiness during the transition to cloud computing, prompting the NCSA to develop regulatory policies in this regard.

He added that the outputs collected through the drill are directly used to update national policies and foster the overall efficiency of the nation's cybersecurity system.

The cyber drill is structured into three main activities, the first is dedicated to national authorities, institutions, and service providers, the second comprises the inaugural Arab Joint Cyber Drill hosted by Qatar, and the third is the Capture the Flag competition, directed at university students, to advance their technical capabilities and link them to the realities of the cyber labor market through engagement with offensive and defensive challenges that simulate a real digital security environment, Al Mannai highlighted.

Al Mannai further emphasized that field preparations for the cyber drill will commence roughly two weeks prior to its launch through orientation workshops organized by NCSA for participants.

These workshops, he said, will provide a comprehensive overview of the drill environment and proposed scenarios, enabling participating entities to engage proactively with the drill, ensuring readiness and maximizing the benefits derived from the scenarios.

  He further highlighted that the agency has called upon participating institutions and entities to involve multidisciplinary teams in the drill, including cybersecurity, risk management, human resources, and other relevant divisions, to instill a fully integrated institutional response to the exercise.

The cyber drill has become a key reference point for national authorities and institutions, as it not only tests operational readiness but also serves as an exceptional opportunity to assess institutional performance in a realistic environment, uncovering organizational and technical vulnerabilities before they metastasize into actual crises, Al Mannai noted.

He explained that the extensive participation in this year's drill reflects the confidence it has received as a strategic national and regional instrument, integrating technical, organizational, and human dimensions, thereby contributing to elevating the nation's cybersecurity awareness.

Finally, Al Mannai stressed that national institutions and entities are scrambling for their annual registration in the drill, recognizing the concrete value it delivers in testing regulatory policies, improving response mechanisms, and bolstering the ability to contain diverse threats.

Al Mannai emphasized that cybersecurity is no longer merely a technical responsibility but a broader issue requiring institutional integration. He affirmed that through the annual drills it conducts, NCSA intends to bolster the efficiency of national entities and institutions and elevate their cybersecurity readiness by identifying vulnerabilities, addressing them, and fortifying defenses.

This, he said, comes through identifying weaknesses, setting remediation measures, and fortifying defenses.

Al Mannai further highlighted that NCSA also assesses the performance of all participants, analyzes their results, and provides the essential support, thereby contributing to the consolidation of an advanced national cybersecurity system. (QNA)