For three relentless days—24 hours non-stop—I served on the blue team during a government cybersecurity drill that pushed us to our physical and mental limits. Sleep was a distant memory, and exhaustion was a constant companion as we defended against a red team hell-bent on breaching our systems. Starting with 10,000 points, our job was to protect critical infrastructure using tools like AWS WAF, firewall decryption, EDR, NDR, and URL filtering, while the red team, beginning at zero, aimed to steal points by exploiting our weaknesses. This grueling 72-hour marathon tested our tech, teamwork, and tenacity—here’s how it went down.
The Setup: Non-Stop Defense Under Pressure
The drill simulated a prolonged cyberattack with no breaks, mirroring the chaos of a real-world crisis. As the blue team, we had to safeguard a network against a red team launching relentless assaults. The scoring system added a competitive twist:
- Blue Team (10,000 points): We lost points when the red team hacked devices, stole data, or gained admin access.
- Red Team (0 points): They gained points for every successful breach, but we could earn ours back by tracing their attacks and patching vulnerabilities.
This back-and-forth kept the pressure on, especially as fatigue set in by day two. Every move mattered, and the lack of rest made even routine tasks feel Herculean.
Our Defensive Toolkit
We wielded a suite of tools to hold the line:
- AWS WAF: Blocked web-based attacks like SQL injections, keeping our services up.
- Firewall Decryption: Peeled back encrypted traffic to spot hidden threats, like malware drops.
- EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response): Tracked and contained server compromises, stopping lateral movement.
- NDR (Network Detection and Response): Monitored network-wide anomalies, helping us trace phishing attacks to their source.
- URL Filtering: Shielded staff from phishing links, thwarting credential theft attempts.
These tools, paired with skills like log analysis and threat intelligence, let us counter the red team’s moves—when we weren’t too tired to think straight.
Scoring in Action: A Game of Points and Pride
The scoring system turned defense into a strategic game. For instance:
- The red team exploited a misconfigured server, gaining points. We responded with EDR to isolate it and tightened controls, earning some back.
- A phishing attack slipped through, but NDR traced it to a malicious domain. Blocking it regained us points.
Every success or slip-up shifted the scoreboard, forcing us to adapt fast. Fatigue made it tougher—by day three, bleary eyes missed logs, and slow reactions cost us—but it also taught us to prioritize under fire.
The Exhaustion Factor
Running 72 hours straight was brutal. By the second day, we were zombies, fueled by caffeine and willpower. Mistakes crept in—overlooking a rule update or misjudging a threat—but the red team was just as tired, giving us openings to recover. The grind showed us how exhaustion amplifies errors, yet it also built our resilience for real incidents.
Takeaways from the Trenches
This drill was exhausting but invaluable:
- Tech Works Together: Layered defenses—WAF, EDR, NDR—caught what single tools missed.
- Scoring Shapes Strategy: Hunting attacks and fixing flaws became as critical as blocking them.
- Teamwork Saves the Day: Despite fatigue, our coordination kept us afloat.
In the end, this 72-hour crucible wasn’t just a drill—it was a proving ground. Super tired? Absolutely. Ready for the real thing? You bet.