Latvia and Canada Create a Unique Training Course
In collaboration with the Cybersecurity Incident Response Institution – CERT.LV, the Latvian Ministry of Defence, and the Canadian Armed Forces Cyber Forces (CAF), a specialized training course has been developed to advance threat-hunting capabilities. This course integrates international expertise to provide a robust foundation for effective threat detection.
The course was officially launched by Canadian Ambassador to Latvia Brian Szwarc, Edgars Kiukucāns, Director of the Cybersecurity Policy Department at the Ministry of Defence, Varis Teivāns, Deputy Manager and Technical Director of CERT.LV, and Anita Fišere, Deputy Director of the State Police College. Reflecting on the collaborative effort behind the program, Teivāns remarked, “This training is the result of countless hours of dedication from both the Latvian and Canadian cybersecurity teams. Together, we have built something that will not only bolster our own capabilities but will also serve as a model of cooperation for others.”
Drawing from over two years of joint threat-hunting operations conducted by Latvia and Canada, the training material offers participants fundamental principles of threat-hunting operations and the chance to sharpen their skills through hands-on technical analysis. The curriculum emphasizes best-practice methodologies, tools, and strategies refined through ongoing collaboration between CERT.LV and CAF.
Threat-hunting operations—proactive searches to identify cyber attackers—aim to enhance the resilience of infrastructure and services by uncovering vulnerabilities within existing frameworks. These operations detect unauthorized entities, including advanced persistent threats (APTs), malware, and spyware. Since 2022, CERT.LV has led regular threat-hunting operations in collaboration with allied partners. To date, over 140,000 endpoints across 30+ target organizations have been analyzed, establishing Latvia as a leader in threat-hunting operations within the European Union.
The inaugural session of this training brought together 21 cybersecurity experts from NATO member states, facilitated by instructors from both Latvia and Canada. Held at the State Police College’s Investigator Training Centre, the course benefited from the facility’s advanced ICT infrastructure, essential for delivering this technically demanding program. The course’s development was also supported by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (NATO CCDCOE).
Building on the success of this first iteration, the training program and its Threat Hunt Playbook will continue to evolve based on participant feedback and lessons learned. With increasing international interest, CERT.LV and CAF plan to offer the course regularly to cybersecurity professionals from other nations, promoting a unified approach to threat-hunting operations driven by Latvian-Canadian expertise.
