KEY POINTSNEC and Cyber Defense Institute launch MITRE Engage in a Box in Japan with MITRETraining focuses on adversary engagement and deception techniques for government agencies and critical infrastructure operatorsNEC targets 200 participants in three years, with pricing at 1.2 million yen per person
A diagram illustrating the MITRE Engage in a Box cybersecurity training program. Note: Japanese text in the original image from press release has been translated into English by our editorial team.
NEC
NEC and Cyber Defense Institute said on July 30 they had partnered with U.S. research organization MITRE Corporation to begin offering the cyber security training program MITRE Engage in a Box in Japan, marking what they described as the first such offering by a private-sector company globally.
The program is designed to help participants systematically learn concepts, techniques and knowledge related to adversary engagement, based on MITRE Engage, a framework developed by MITRE. NEC and Cyber Defense Institute said they would adapt the program for Japan by combining NEC’s experience in cyber security work for security-related organizations with Cyber Defense Institute’s technical expertise.
NEC is primarily targeting government bodies such as Japan’s National Cyber Office, or NCO, the Ministry of Defense and the National Police Agency, as well as critical infrastructure operators. It aims to provide the training to 200 people over the next three years.
The program combines interactive tabletop exercises with hands-on drills in a secure virtual environment. It covers the three strategic goals defined in the MITRE Engage Matrix – Expose, Affect and Elicit – and is intended to help participants learn practical methods for understanding adversary behavior, influencing attackers through deception and drawing out their intent.
The training focuses on deception techniques that use decoys and false information to intentionally steer and observe attackers, rather than relying only on passive defenses to expel intruders. MITRE Engage is a framework for planning and considering active engagement with adversaries within environments managed by an organization and does not include activity beyond an organization’s boundaries.
NEC and Cyber Defense Institute have also developed their own virtual exercise environment based on deception scenarios from MITRE Engage in a Box. NEC supervises and optimizes training scenarios to fit participants’ duties and exercise objectives, drawing on its familiarity with the business processes and system specifications of large Japanese government agencies including the Defense Ministry, while Cyber Defense Institute reflects practical knowledge of attacker tactics and real-world attack methods in the exercise environment.
Pricing is set at 1.2 million yen ($7,317) per participant, excluding tax. NEC said it expects demand from related organizations as discussion in Japan accelerates around active cyber defense in response to increasingly sophisticated and persistent cyber attacks. Japan has been debating measures to strengthen pre-emptive and more proactive cyber security responses as threats to government systems and critical infrastructure rise. Exchange rate used: $1 = 164 yen.