Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercises

A cybersecurity tabletop exercise is a simulated discussion or workshop that helps organizations prepare for a cybersecurity incident or other crisis. Specifically, design to see how your company would handle a cyber-attack from start to finish. It is called a “tabletop” exercise because it typically involves a small group of people sitting around a table discussing a hypothetical scenario and brainstorming responses.

Furthermore, it can also help organizations develop a better understanding of their roles and responsibilities during an incident and can improve communication and coordination among different teams and departments. Praetorian Secure’s exercises are designed to help you and your staff develop a concrete plan of action to respond to a specific situation when it arises. Our Cybersecurity tabletop exercise can be customized to meet our clients’ requirements and goals and are offered in several various settings such as on-site or virtually.

Examples of some of our Tabletop Exercise capabilities include:

1) Scenario Planning: This tabletop exercise involves a group of decision makers developing a plan to respond to a hypothetical future event. The group is presented with a set of potential scenarios, and then asked to develop plans of action to address each possible scenario.

2) Crisis Response: This tabletop exercise involves a group of decision makers responding to a hypothetical crisis. The group is presented with a set of potential responses and asked to discuss and develop a plan of action.

3) Cyber Incident Response: This tabletop exercise involves a group of decision makers responding to a hypothetical cyber attack. The group is presented with a set of potential responses and asked to discuss and develop a plan of action.

4) Pandemic Planning: This tabletop exercise involves a group of decision makers preparing for a hypothetical pandemic. The group is presented with a set of potential scenarios and asked to discuss and develop plans of action.

5) Business Continuity: This tabletop exercise involves a group of decision makers developing a plan to maintain operations in the event of a hypothetical disruption. The group is presented with a set of potential disruptions and asked to discuss and develop plans of action.

Link to CISA cybersecurity tabletop exercise resources

Identify the goals of the exercise: Before starting the cybersecurity tabletop exercise, Praetorian Secure identifies the goals of the exercise. This will help ensure the exercise is tailored to meet the specific needs of our clients.

Create a scenario: Once the goals of the exercise have been identified, it is important to create a realistic scenario that will allow participants to explore possible cyber threats and their consequences. A good exercise should include multiple scenarios that explore different attack vectors, such as phishing, malware, ransomware, and other malicious activities.

Assign roles: Assign roles to participants so they can take on different perspectives when exploring the scenarios. Roles can include a security manager, system administrator, and an attacker. Establish Timeline

Debrief Team: After the exercise has been completed, it is important to debrief with participants to review the results and identify any areas of improvement. The debrief should include feedback from all participants and provide the opportunity to discuss potential solutions.

Document Results: Document the findings from the exercise and use the information to develop a plan of action for addressing any gaps or weaknesses identified during the exercise.

To conduct a tabletop exercise, you will need to prepare a scenario that describes a hypothetical cybersecurity incident. This scenario should be realistic and should include details such as the type of incident, the potential impact on the organization, and the resources that will be required to respond. You should also prepare any materials that participants will need, such as response plans or checklists.

After you define the scope, the next step is to develop a plan of action. This involves identifying potential risks and developing strategies to address these risks. This plan should include the roles and responsibilities of each staff member, as well as the specific steps that need to be taken to respond to the incident.

Once the plan is developed, the next step is to conduct the “exercise”. This involves simulating the incident and testing the response plan. During the exercise, it is important to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the plan and make necessary changes.

Finally, after the “exercise” is complete, it is important to review the results and make any necessary adjustments. This ensures that the plan is effective and ready to be implemented in the event of an actual emergency. Praetorian Secure cybersecurity engineers serve as the facilitator throughout the exercise and will be on-hand to provide feedback and guidance. Also, document any lessons learned and incorporate them into your incident response plans.

Overall, tabletop exercises are a valuable tool for improving cybersecurity preparedness and response. They can help organizations identify weaknesses and gaps in their plans and can improve communication and coordination among different teams and departments. Any organization with some disaster or crisis can benefit from this exercise. ICAED (Identify, Create, Assign, Establish, Debrief, and Document) is designed to discover organizations’ limitations and ensure that organization implements best practices and protocols in case of a future cybersecurity incident.