Run a 15-minute drill
A tabletop exercise is a rehearsal around a table: a scenario unfolds, the team decides what to do, and you see the consequences without anyone's systems being harmed. Pick a scenario, play it alone or put it on a screen with your team, and talk each decision through before you choose.
Dead in the water
Friday, 06:40. Files are being encrypted across a 120-person company. Six decisions: containment, backups, the ransom, the reporting clock, communication and recovery.
Man overboard
Friday, 16:40. An urgent payment request arrives from the "CEO". Six decisions: verification, the bank, the mailbox, your people, your duties and prevention.
Running it with a team
- One person reads each inject aloud. Take a couple of minutes to discuss before anyone clicks an option.
- Assign real roles: who would lead, who would speak to customers, who would call the bank or the authorities?
- There are no trick questions, but there are stronger and weaker answers. The debrief explains the difference.
- Nothing you choose is recorded. The page forgets everything when you close it.
A teaching scenario, not legal or technical advice. The reporting rules mentioned (GDPR 72 hours, NIS2 24 hours) depend on your circumstances and country.
Discuss for two minutes, then choose: