Tabletop exercises
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Conducting tabletop exercises for a variety of cyber risk scenarios is crucial for preparing a business to respond effectively to different types of cyber threats. Here are several other scenarios that are beneficial for such exercises:
Data Breach / Leakage:
- Scenario: Sensitive customer or company data is accessed and exfiltrated by unauthorized parties.
- Focus: Incident identification, containment, notification processes (to affected parties and regulators), and damage mitigation.
Phishing Attacks:
- Scenario: Employees receive sophisticated phishing emails, leading to unauthorized access to company systems.
- Focus: Employee awareness, detection, response procedures, and communication strategies.
Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack:
- Scenario: The company's website or online services are overwhelmed by high traffic from various sources, rendering them inoperable.
- Focus: Incident identification, traffic management, communication with ISP, and business continuity.
Insider Threat:
- Scenario: An employee or contractor misuses access to steal or compromise information.
- Focus: Detection of unusual internal activities, access control, and response strategies, including legal and HR involvement.
Cloud Service Compromise:
- Scenario: Third-party cloud services used by the business are compromised, affecting data integrity and availability.
- Focus: Vendor coordination, data recovery, alternative operation modes, and customer communication.
Supply Chain Attack:
- Scenario: A key vendor or supplier’s systems are compromised, impacting the business's operations or security.
- Focus: Vendor risk management, alternative supplier strategies, and impact assessment on business operations.
Malware Infection:
- Scenario: Systems are infected with malware, affecting data and operational integrity.
- Focus: Detection, isolation of affected systems, eradication of malware, and recovery processes.
Social Engineering:
- Scenario: Attackers use social engineering tactics to gain sensitive information or access to systems.
- Focus: Employee training and awareness, verification processes, and incident response.
Unauthorized Access:
- Scenario: Unauthorized individuals gain access to the company’s network, potentially accessing sensitive areas.
- Focus: Network security, access controls, incident detection, and response coordination.
Critical Infrastructure Failure:
- Scenario: Failure of a critical IT infrastructure component, like a server or network device, possibly due to a cyber attack.
- Focus: Quick identification, impact assessment, failover to backup systems, and recovery planning.
Each of these exercises should be tailored to the specific business context, considering its industry, size, and existing security measures. These exercises help in identifying vulnerabilities, improving response strategies, and enhancing overall cybersecurity preparedness.