How do you set up a secure incident response simulation?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start designing your simulation scenario, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how you will measure it. Your objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, you might want to test how your team responds to a ransomware attack, how long it takes them to contain and eradicate the threat, and how well they communicate and document their actions. Your objectives will help you shape your scenario, choose your tools, and define your success criteria.

2 Choose your scenario and tools

Next, you need to decide what kind of incident you want to simulate and what tools you will use to create and monitor it. You can either use a predefined scenario from a reputable source, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or the MITRE ATT&CK Matrix, or create your own based on your organization's risk profile, threat landscape, and business context. You also need to select the tools that will help you generate realistic indicators of compromise (IOCs), such as malware samples, network traffic, logs, or alerts, and the tools that will help you track and analyze your team's response, such as incident management platforms, dashboards, or feedback forms.

3 Prepare your environment

Once you have your scenario and tools ready, you need to prepare your environment for the simulation. This means creating a separate and isolated network segment or virtual machine that mimics your production environment as closely as possible, but without affecting your normal operations or exposing sensitive data. You also need to ensure that your team has access to the necessary resources and permissions to perform their tasks, such as endpoints, servers, firewalls, or cloud services. Additionally, you need to backup your environment before and after the simulation, in case you need to restore it or conduct a post-mortem analysis.

4 Run and observe the simulation

Now you are ready to run and observe the simulation. You can either launch the simulation manually or use a tool that automates the execution and timing of the scenario. You should also have a designated facilitator or observer who can oversee the simulation, provide guidance or hints if needed, and record the team's actions and reactions. The facilitator or observer should not interfere with the team's decision-making or problem-solving, but rather act as a neutral and supportive role. The duration of the simulation can vary depending on your objectives and scenario, but it should not exceed a few hours to avoid fatigue and loss of focus.

5 Debrief and evaluate the simulation

After the simulation is over, you need to debrief and evaluate the simulation with your team. This is a crucial step to identify what went well, what went wrong, and what can be improved. You should conduct a structured and constructive feedback session with your team, using the data and observations collected during the simulation, as well as the team's own perspectives and experiences. You should also compare the actual outcomes of the simulation with your predefined objectives and success criteria, and quantify the results using metrics such as time to detection, time to containment, time to recovery, or impact assessment.

6 Implement and follow up on the lessons learned

Finally, you need to implement and follow up on the lessons learned from the simulation. This means creating and executing an action plan that addresses the gaps, weaknesses, or issues identified during the simulation, and that enhances your team's skills, processes, and tools. You should also document and share the results and recommendations of the simulation with your stakeholders, such as management, business units, or external partners, and demonstrate the value and benefits of the simulation. Additionally, you should plan and schedule regular simulations to maintain and update your team's readiness and capabilities.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?