CyberCat IRT Project - 2024
The Montana Army National Guard’s (MTARNG) Defensive Cyber Operations Element (DCOE) provided training, cyber familiarization, and a resilience review report to Montana State University (MSU) faculty, staff, students, and Guard leadership on Sept. 5-6 in Bozeman, Montana. This initiative was part of the Innovative Readiness Training program, with this IRT project dubbed “CyberCat”.
Ryan Knutson, MSU Vice President of Information Technology, praised the training, saying, “This joint effort was a valuable opportunity for both our cybersecurity students and IT staff. Collaborating with the Montana National Guard allowed us to enhance our skills in a constantly evolving field.”
Cyber Discovery 2023
The Montana National Guard Cyber Team worked with the Idaho National Guard and eight other participating states in a cybersecurity exercise at Gowen Field, Idaho, May 2023 as part of Cyber Discovery, a regional cyber exercise focused on security operations, incident tracking, and incident response.
Exercise participants recieved formal training from CISA on their Risk and Vulnerability Assessment (RVA) methodology, and then conducted an RVA assessment of an Idaho Public Sector organization, led by the Idaho Army National Guard DCOE.
MSU Incident Response - October 2023
Seven members of the Montana National Guard’s Defensive Cyber Operations Element (DCOE) responded April 20, 2023, to assist the Montana State University in Bozeman after a cyber-attack that occurred April 19.
The request for assistance came through the Montana Department of Emergency Services and the DCOE was deployed to assist MSU’s Incident Command with helping to identify and mitigate additional vulnerabilities.
The cyber-attack also affected the Great Falls campus, so two DCOE members were moved from Bozeman to Great Falls for onsite assistance.
Cyber Discovery 2022
The Idaho Army National Guard hosted seven states June 4-18 for a regional cyber exercise that provided cyber security assessments to a dozen Idaho agencies.
The exercise, Cyber Discovery, provided a week of cybersecurity training for more than 50 Soldiers and Airmen from the Alaska, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming National Guards. Exercise participants received formal training from CISA on their Cyber Resiliency Review (CRR) assessment and methodology.
CyberShield 2018
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. - Members of the Montana National Guard, including 14 Soldiers and 2 Airmen, join over 800 military and civilian personnel at Camp Atterbury, Indiana from May 6-19 for Cyber Shield 18. The exercise includes members of the National Guard from 30 states, the U.S. Army Reserve, state and federal government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private industry.
The intent is to provide a collective training event for Defensive Cyber Operations element, Cyber security detachments or cells, and Cyber Protection teams to set the conditions for evaluation against Army and Joint standards; including network defense, forensic analysis, reporting and mitigation, and incident response through interagency partnerships and collaboration.