2024 Highlights Day 5: Tabletop Exercises for Cyber Security

Tabletop exercises for Cyber Security 

In today's digital age, cyber security is more critical than ever. Councils face multiple cyber threats that can disrupt operations, compromise sensitive employee and citizen data, and damage the council’s reputation. Even with the best security, it is impossible to prevent all cyberattacks, therefore preparation for an incident is extremely important. One way to prepare for an incident is to conduct tabletop exercises. This practical approach can improve a council’s response to a serious cyber incident. 

A common misconception is that cyber security is a technical problem.  A serious cyberattack is a whole council incident, and all staff, especially senior managers, need to be prepared to play their part in the response. While technology is used to provide a level of cyber security, the human factor is crucial in detecting, responding, and recovering from a cyberattack. 

With that in mind, the Digital Office is focusing on providing strategic cyber tabletop exercises to local authorities. These are geared towards Chief Executives, Boards of Directors, Heads of Service and Service Managers. While technical and disaster recovery exercises are important, it is crucial that Senior Management have experience of responding to a cyber incident.   

Tabletop exercises simulate scenarios to help organisations test their response plans, identify gaps, and improve their overall cyber security posture. 

Key Benefits 

Enhanced Preparedness 

Tabletop exercises allow councils to simulate real-world cyber incidents in a controlled environment. This helps teams understand their roles and responsibilities during an actual event, ensuring they are better prepared to respond effectively. By practicing these scenarios, councils can identify gaps in their response plans and clarify decision making authority. 

Identifying Gaps 

Even the most well thought out cyber security plans can have gaps or weaknesses that aren’t apparent until they’re tested. Tabletop exercises can help identify these vulnerabilities, whether they relate to unclear roles and responsibilities, outdated tools, or communication problems. 

Improved Communication 

Effective communication can be pivotal during a cyber incident. Tabletop exercises provide an opportunity for different departments and teams to collaborate and think about how they will communicate with all affected stakeholders, from staff to citizens, regulators, partner organisations, and the media. Testing your communication strategy ensures that messaging is consistent, clear, and aligned with your broader incident response efforts. 

Increased Awareness 

Cyber tabletop exercises raise awareness about the importance of cyber security for the achievement of the council’s goals. In the event of a cyber incident critical services could be unavailable therefore departments need to have considered how they are going to continue their operations without access to technology. 

Building Confidence 

Regularly practicing response plans through tabletop exercises builds confidence among team members. Knowing that they have rehearsed their roles and responsibilities can improve performance during an actual incident. This confidence can be crucial in minimising the impact of a future cyberattack. 

Conclusion 

Cyber tabletop exercises offer a proactive way to prepare your organisation for inevitable cyber threats. They provide a safe, controlled environment to test response plans, foster collaboration, identify vulnerabilities, and improve decision-making. As cyber threats become more sophisticated, these exercises are critical in ensuring that your organisation can respond robustly in the face of a cyber incident. 

If you are interested in developing a cyber exercise for your council, please contact David Ritchie to discuss your requirements.