Practice Makes Almost Perfect: Test Your Incident Response Plan With Simulated Cyber Tabletop Games

As a result, the cost of cyber insurance is on the rise and regulatory requirements are increasing globally. Data privacy regulations are becoming increasingly complex and as the latest SEC rulings show, companies will be held increasingly accountable for not only reporting breaches sooner but ensuring company leadership has knowledge and insight into cyber risk. In addition, more businesses are facing legal actions alleging improper preparation to avoid and/or respond to a breach event. Arguably one of the best tools to assist in preparing for and avoiding some of the negative consequences of a cyber event is a tabletop simulation exercise.

What Are Tabletop Exercises?

Tabletop exercises, commonly referred to as "tabletops," are mock or simulated breach exercises. In their simplest form they involve reviewing your incident response plan, but the most effective tabletops are interactive and involve all stakeholders walking through each step and action you would take to respond to an actual breach. They are a low-risk method to test the organizational and human factors that come into play in a real cyber incident. Tabletops help ensure there are no gaps or ambiguities in your plan, or how it's understood by parties involved in enforcing it. Their game-like simulation makes them particularly engaging for participants. They can involve one small group or team or multiple teams and departments. In the most complex tabletops, the participants may not even know it's a simulation and are put through an elaborate and scripted scenario where they need to act and respond as if it is a real incident only to find out later that it was not.