Event: 5th AfricaCERT & SADC Cyber Drill 2025
Theme: “REDUCE, INCREASE, DECREASE”
Date: 3rd – 7th November 2025
Venue: Avani Maseru Hotel, Maseru, Kingdom of Lesotho
Organized by: AfricaCERT in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat

Overview

I had the privilege of representing Pakistan CS Zone Team at the 5th AfricaCERT & SADC Cyber Drill 2025, an international cybersecurity exercise organized by AfricaCERT alongside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat.

The event aimed to strengthen incident response coordination, enhance cyber resilience, and foster collaboration among CERTs/CSIRTs, government agencies, academic institutions, ISPs, IXPs, and private sector organizations across Africa.

Conducted in a hybrid format, the event combined on-site participation in Lesotho with virtual sessions, providing a platform for knowledge sharing, capacity building, and real-time cyber incident simulations.

Program Highlights

1. M3AAWG & AfAAWG Tutorials (3rd November 2025)

  • Focused on Routing Security and DDoS Mitigation.

  • Covered the AfricaCERT-AfAAWG collaboration framework, promoting best practices for network abuse prevention and secure digital infrastructure.

2. On-site Training: Incident Response & ICS/OT Security (4–5 November 2025)

  • Hands-on exercises delivered via the Silensec Cyber Range platform.

  • Simulated real-world scenarios to improve threat detection, response coordination, and industrial control system security.

3. Hybrid Cyber Drill (6–7 November 2025)

  • Teams engaged in realistic cyberattack simulations to test detection, communication, and mitigation strategies.

  • Enhanced coordination between national and sectoral cybersecurity teams, reinforcing operational readiness.

Significance of Participation

Participating in the AfricaCERT Cyber Drill 2025 allowed me to:

  • Contribute to regional cybersecurity collaboration and knowledge exchange.

  • Strengthen Pakistan’s engagement in global cybersecurity initiatives.

  • Enhance expertise in incident response, ICS/OT security, and cyber resilience planning.

This experience highlights the importance of cross-border collaboration, capacity building, and coordinated defense strategies in addressing emerging cyber threats.

Impact

The event reinforced the role of cyber drills in:

  • Building CSIRT and CERT operational capacity.

  • Promoting information sharing and joint response strategies.

  • Enhancing regional and international cyber resilience.

By participating in this initiative, I contributed to advancing a secure, collaborative, and resilient digital ecosystem in Africa and for Pakistan.

5th AfricaCERT & SADC Cyber Drill 2025 5th AfricaCERT & SADC Cyber Drill 2025