There’s No Such Thing As A Perfect Plan, But There Is Such Thing As A Well-Rehearsed Plan
Cyberattacks are one of the greatest risks to organizations. A successful breach could result in substantial financial damage, loss of sensitive information, disruption of operations and lasting reputational harm.
Table Top Exercise (TTX) is a valuable activity for preparing for this type of disruption. Simulated scenarios allow teams to practice response plans without risk. TTX’s are therefore a great way to validate capabilities, identify vulnerabilities and develop critical muscle memory, and thus, Organizations can respond more quickly to crises when they occur.
The More You Sweat in Training, The Less You Bleed in Combat
TTX’s bring participants together to experience a simulated cybersecurity incident. A facilitator will typically introduce the scenario, timeline, and character traits of the threat actor. The roles are based on the real-life responsibilities of each participant. They discuss and debate their response decisions in teams as the exercise unfolds.
Participants can experience real dynamics in a simulated environment without any consequences. As the fictional scenario unfolds, participants may encounter incomplete information, difficult decisions, or unexpected outcomes. To take things to the next level, facilitators can even add complications to the scenario that will stress communication and coordination.
Different Strokes For Different Folks
TTX can be in many different formats:
- Seminars are informal discussions focusing on cybersecurity awareness. They require minimal preparation.
- Workshops include structured interactions and role playing aimed at assessing current response plans.
- Games include competitive elements and rules-based play to increase engagement. It is best to use scenarios that escalate in complexity.
- Drills focus on a single response or capability such as containment, eradication etc.
- Functional Exercises Examine one major function, such as crisis communication or threat detection.
- Full Scale Exercises are designed to mimic real-world situations as closely as possible. Several teams and facilities can be activated at the same time.
A Tailor-Made Suit
Customization is the best option, although off-the-shelf scenarios can provide helpful starting points. The best exercises are those that use scenarios tailored to the organization’s specific risk profile and system. These may include ransomware, vulnerabilities exploitation attacks (VUE), denial of services (DoS) or insider threats, as well as attack campaigns by nation-states and state-sponsored threat groups and Advanced Persistent Threats (APT).
Participants will be more engaged and gain more benefit from a realistic simulation. The scenario should be developed with the help of IT, security, and operations teams and adequate planning time is also pivotal—cursory exercises offer less value.
It is important to include a variety of participants, not just technical staff. Participants should include senior leadership that would make strategic decisions during actual incidents. The legal, HR, PR and business continuity teams also play a critical role. It is important to coordinate their schedules in advance.
In the end, the key areas to simulate threats around must include customer data, intellectual property, operational technology, and third-party access.
Hindsight Is 20/20
Debriefing after an exercise is as important as simulation itself.
Gather immediate feedback on what went well, and where complications occurred.
Explore assumptions, knowledge gaps and lessons learned. Teams are challenged to reflect on what they would do differently with hindsight.
Documentation of all insights, both strategic and tactical, should be thorough.
To align understanding, share debriefing findings with all groups participating.
Establish action steps to apply exercise learnings toward concrete cybersecurity program improvements.
Perfect Practice, Makes Perfect
TTX that are well-executed in Cybersecurity facilitates:
Validating, and refining incident responses plans through stress tests
Uncovering undetected vulnerabilities and gaps in defences
Understanding legal, public relations and operational functions
Communication and coordination between teams:
Development of leadership skills in crisis situations
Increase awareness of cybersecurity at all levels
Don’t Try To Fit A Square Peg In A Round Hole.
TTX is a valuable tool, but it is important to know their limitations. Exercises cannot fully simulate real attacks, and human error is possible and overall, TTX can also be time-consuming and expensive to conduct.
Coming Together Is a Beginning, Staying Together Is Progress, And Working Together Is Success.
Regular testing and refinement over time is required to ensure effective readiness with well-designed Tabletop Exercise. TTX that deliver substantial benefits should be conducted at least quarterly or annually for sectors with high risk. Rotating the scenarios helps account for emerging risks – just be sure to budget reasonable time for planning, execution, and action planning during each cycle.
How Can ITM Help You?
IT Minister covers all aspects of Cyber Security including but not limited to Home cyber Security Managed Solutions to automated, Manage Threat Intelligence, Digital Forensic Investigations, Penetration Testing, Mobile Device Management, Cloud Security Best Practice & Secure Architecture by Design and Cyber Security Training. Our objective is to support organisations and consumers at every step of their cyber maturity journey. Contact Us for more information.