Tabletop Exercises: A Leading Practice To Strengthen Defenses

Every day, organizations face a barrage of attacks from cybercriminals looking to do harm by gaining access to IT systems and sensitive data. Repercussions from these attacks can be significant—lost business data, legal liability, regulatory scrutiny, and a damaged reputation. To prepare for potential attacks, companies need a robust incident response plan that can be quickly and effectively deployed against cyber threats as they arise.

A leading practice to test the robustness of your incident response plan and to prepare for a potential attack is to complete a tabletop exercise. A tabletop exercise simulates real-world scenarios and allows companies to assess their incident response plans in a safe and controlled environment. This helps a company develop "muscle-memory" for their planned response, identify any gaps in existing plans, and recognize additional possibilities for enhancement. Conducting an exercise also creates an important opportunity to gather