Cybersecurity Exercises: The Different Levels

What are Cybersecurity Exercises?

Cybersecurity Exercises are a specific training format of developing user skills, enhancing and validating policies and procedures as well as assessing cybersecurity maturity of an organization. First and foremost, cybersecurity exercises are targeted at people in different seniorities and specialities of both technical and business nature. It is important to note, that while cybersecurity exercises can be implemented through a pre-made template, they always require a specific degree of customization due to organizational peculiarities.

Hands-On Skills: Technical Cybersecurity Exercises

Technical cybersecurity exercises are essential in honing both individual and team-level skills of technical specialists within an organization. These exercises immerse participants in simulated environments where they must respond to realistic cyber threats and breaches, fostering critical technical skills necessary for real-world cybersecurity challenges. Common formats for these exercises include Live-Fire scenarios and Capture The Flag (CTF) events. Live-Fire exercises simulate real-time cyber-attacks on systems that participants must defend, typically focusing on skills such as intrusion detection, system hardening, and response coordination. Meanwhile, CTF competitions involve participants trying to secure points by breaching others’ systems or defending their own, emphasizing problem-solving, team collaboration, and strategic thinking.

The role of Cyber Ranges in these exercises cannot be overstated. A Cyber Range provides a controlled, interactive, and secure virtual environment where cybersecurity professionals can train and test their skills against complex and sophisticated threats. Companies like CybExer Technologies offer robust Cyber Ranges that simulate real-world IT infrastructure, allowing teams to engage in risk-free exercises that strengthen their ability to respond to actual incidents effectively.

Decision-Making: Strategic Cybersecurity Exercises

Strategic cybersecurity exercises are crucial for leadership and executive teams, focusing on the broader implications of cyber threats and the strategic decisions necessary to mitigate them. These exercises differ from technical ones by concentrating on decision-making, communication, and procedures rather than on hands-on technical skills. They provide a platform for leaders to practice crisis management, resource allocation, and cross-departmental coordination in response to simulated cybersecurity incidents.

Key areas of these exercises include the development of clear objectives, the use of input capture tools like RiskSight’s STRATEX Platform, and the analysis of data to make informed decisions. Effective strategic exercises require participants to navigate complex threat scenarios that may involve negotiating trade-offs between security measures and operational capabilities, managing public relations during a cyber incident, and making rapid decisions based on incomplete information.

Integrated Cybersecurity Exercises: Bridging The Gap

The strength of integrated cybersecurity exercises is the fact that they unite technical teams and strategic decision-makers in simulated scenarios to enhance collaboration and response readiness. These exercises integrate the technical drills and high-level tabletop simulations to provide an interface of shared situational awareness. This approach ensures that organizations are better equipped to handle incidents requiring both technical expertise and strategic decision-making, enabling a unified and effective response.

A key challenge is information sharing. Technical teams often focus on detailed technical data, while leadership needs clear insights into business impacts, legal risks, and public relations. Misaligned communication can create delays in decision-making. Another pain point is the mismatch in response timelines. Technical teams work on immediate fixes, while executives may take longer to decide on regulatory reporting or public messaging, potentially leading to gaps in coordination and providing an edge to malicious attackers.

Integrated exercises address these issues by encouraging joint problem-solving. For example, in a ransomware attack simulation, IT teams isolate affected systems and restore backups, while executives decide on notifying regulators or managing media. Similarly, a supply chain attack scenario may involve technical teams tracing the breach while leadership evaluates legal liabilities and customer communication strategies.

Why Strategic Cybersecurity Exercises are Critical?

Cybersecurity isn’t just a technical problem anymore as the largest impact is on business issues that affect every part of an organization. While tools like firewalls and antivirus software are important, the decisions leaders make during a cyberattack, such as how to communicate with the public or meet legal requirements, often have the biggest impact. This is why strategic cybersecurity exercises are so important.

These exercises help prepare organizations by practicing response under pressure and creating awareness amongst executives on the importance of cybersecurity. For example, during a ransomware attack, leaders may need to decide whether to pay the ransom, report the breach, or notify customers. Without practice, these decisions can take too long or have unintended side effects, worsening the situation and adding unnecessary costs.

The cost of cyberattacks shows why preparation matters. A 2024 report from IBM found that the average data breach costs $4.88 million globally, a 10% increase from last year’s figures. Most of this cost increase is attributed to business disruption and post-breach response activities.

Strategic exercises help leaders understand these risks and work better with technical teams during an attack. By practicing together, organizations can reduce losses, protect their reputation, and respond faster and smarter when real threats arise. Learn more about how RiskSight utilizes Strategic Cybersecurity Exercises to prepare, analyze and strengthen organizational leadership in cybersecurity.