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Cyber Crisis Simulation

When it comes to cybersecurity, practice makes perfect. But, how we practice makes a HUGE difference.

You need an immersive cybersecurity training experience that puts your team right in the middle of dynamic scenarios based on real-world case studies.

Receive insights and recommendations that will significantly improve how your organisation can improve its ability and readiness to respond to a cyber-attack. This service is aligned with the NIST cybersecurity framework.

Trusted by CISOs and IT teams at over 150 organisations

CISOs & IT teams... get ahead of the game, before it gets you.

Core to Cloud’s crisis simulation service is based on the Immersive Labs platform, an online solution that drops defenders into real-time cyber crises. The system challenges teams to make critical decisions when dealing with emerging incidents such as ransomware outbreaks, insider threats, data breaches, and spear-phishing attacks.

These responsive scenarios create rich, realistic storylines that twist and turn based on the choices your people make. They are designed to drive your organisation’s cyber resilience and human readiness, preparing your people to face the real-world consequences of a cyber incident. The simulator tracks individual and team responses in real-time, providing CISOs and executives with an instant view of performance, and packaging post-exercise insights into areas for improvement.

For cyber exercise to be effective, it needs to feel as close to the real thing as possible. The Cyber Crisis Simulator adjusts the narrative of scenarios based on the decisions participants make, allowing them to experience an evolving incident. The quantitative impact of these choices is also measured, tracking changes to share price, brand reputation, and even an organisation’s liquidity. Individuals rank how confident they feel in their own choices and justify why they selected options, offering insight into areas of uncertainty and vulnerability.

What are the steps involved in a Cyber Crisis Simulation?

Step 1

Consultation:

This collaborative session will decide on the specific scenario to be executed. Consideration will be given to the client’s potential areas of concern or areas of perceived high risk. Examples of the scenarios are Website attacks, data theft, denial of service, ransomware attacks, insider data breaches etc. The consultation period should take between 1 and 2 hours but can vary depending on the number of stakeholder conversations we need to have.

Step 2

Execution:

During this stage, the participants will be guided through a series of situations and be presented with several questions that relate to the scenario. Depending on the option chosen as a response the impact and consequences will be reflected in a visual representation in the tool. The aim here is to see the impact of decision-making on key indicators such as share price, reputation, corporate risk and so on. Each instance of the crisis simulation is expected to take approximately half a day and will be delivered remotely unless requested otherwise.

Step 3

Reporting and Recommendations:

Once the session has been completed, the results will be presented to the client. The Crisis Simulation generates a report which will be the basis of a discussion that Core to Cloud will lead. The desired outcome of this session will be to highlight the client’s overall response and recovery processes and behaviours in the event of a serious cyber-attack. The discussion will allow the team to prioritise the areas where lessons can be learned, and improvements can be identified.

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Crisis Simulation platform

Our Cyber Crisis Simulation is aligned to the NIST Framework

IDENTIFY
PROTECT
DETECT
RESPOND
RECOVER

IDENTIFY

The consultation process will define the scenarios which will be used in the simulation exercises. These scenarios are designed to identify the key risks to systems, people, assets, data, and capabilities. The responses recorded from the scenario exercises will expose any weaknesses and potential areas of improvements to strengthen the organisation’s ability to Identify risk and implement changes in the systems and business structure.

PROTECT

The scenarios specific to critical infrastructure will highlight compromised systems and networks. The detailed reports will provide evidence of high-risk areas that could be vulnerable to attacks and make suggestions of changes to limit the impact of a cybersecurity event.

DETECT

The output from the scenario exercises couldexpose weaknesses in the organisation’s ability to detect cybersecurity events, either through lack of correct systems, low skills levels in the team, or lack of good process. The Core to Cloud would make suggestions on the priority elements that needed to improve detection capabilities

RESPOND

The outcome of the scenario exercises will highlight an organisation’s ability to respond to a cyber-attack or any detected serious event. Incident response planning is at the heart of the crisis simulation service, with organisations being presented with a comprehensive report of their ability to respond and suggested steps that can improve their ability to contain the impact of an incident.

RECOVER

Incident recovery is a key area covered in the service. The report created from the exercises will be discussed with the customer, resulting in decisions on how further resilience could be gained and how response planning can be further enhanced. The scope includes not just how systems an data can be recovered with minimal business impact but how the business’s functions and its 3rd parties can effectively recover.

Over 150 happy CISOs & IT Teams

Matt Crockford
Our partnership with Core to Cloud has been truly exceptional. From day one, they've shown a level of dedication to our cybersecurity that matches our own commitment to our business. What sets them apart is their proactive approach. Their expertise is evident in every interaction. They've tailored their solutions to fit our specific industry challenges and company culture, demonstrating a deep understanding of our business model and goals.
Matt Crockford - Head of Cyber Security
SES Water
Our partnership with Core to Cloud has been truly exceptional. From day one, they've shown a level of dedication to our cybersecurity that matches our own commitment to our business. What sets them apart is their proactive approach. Their expertise is evident in every interaction. They've tailored their solutions to fit our specific industry challenges and company culture, demonstrating a deep understanding of our business model and goals.
Matt Crockford
Matt Crockford - Head of Cyber Security
SES Water
Paul Griffiths
I am very grateful for all the help and support that the Core to Cloud team have provided. I always feel that Core to Cloud is a pleasure to work with and genuinely go above and beyond to make my life easier which is not something I can say for many of the partners we work with.
Paul Griffiths - CISO
Delinian
I am very grateful for all the help and support that the Core to Cloud team have provided. I always feel that Core to Cloud is a pleasure to work with and genuinely go above and beyond to make my life easier which is not something I can say for many of the partners we work with.
Paul Griffiths
Paul Griffiths - CISO
Delinian
Kevin Orritt
I like that Core to Cloud aren’t tied to one solution. They research the market and find the right technology that will work for you. They are a responsive team and I recommend them to anyone out there looking for a helping hand.
Kevin Orritt - ICT Security Manager
Greater Manchester Mental Health
I like that Core to Cloud aren’t tied to one solution. They research the market and find the right technology that will work for you. They are a responsive team and I recommend them to anyone out there looking for a helping hand.
Kevin Orritt
Kevin Orritt - ICT Security Manager
Greater Manchester Mental Health
Brett Walmsley
Through the introduction of new and emerging technologies that are suitable for our environment and NHS challenges, we have built a key business relationship with Core to Cloud. It’s not just a sales pitch, it’s a full 360 -degree relationship. I do and always will recommend them to others.
Brett Walmsley - Director of Digital
Royal Bolton NHS
Through the introduction of new and emerging technologies that are suitable for our environment and NHS challenges, we have built a key business relationship with Core to Cloud. It’s not just a sales pitch, it’s a full 360 -degree relationship. I do and always will recommend them to others.
Brett Walmsley
Brett Walmsley - Director of Digital
Royal Bolton NHS
Paul Baxter
We have an extremely close relationship with Core to Cloud. They have a deep understanding of the NHS and we also benefit from their cybersecurity events to share knowledge and best practices
Paul Baxter - Information Security Manager
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
We have an extremely close relationship with Core to Cloud. They have a deep understanding of the NHS and we also benefit from their cybersecurity events to share knowledge and best practices
Paul Baxter
Paul Baxter - Information Security Manager
The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
Ben Richards
We chose Core to Cloud as our security partner for their expertise and extensive experience of cybersecurity for the manufacturing industry. They offer a carefully evaluated selection of cybersecurity software and services. As their customer, we receive full technical and commercial support.
Ben Richards - Information Technology Manager
Dynex Semiconductor Ltd
We chose Core to Cloud as our security partner for their expertise and extensive experience of cybersecurity for the manufacturing industry. They offer a carefully evaluated selection of cybersecurity software and services. As their customer, we receive full technical and commercial support.
Ben Richards
Ben Richards - Information Technology Manager
Dynex Semiconductor Ltd

Cyber Crisis Simulation FAQs

Why is it not just a senior board exercise?

You need to evidence that your entire organisation has been equipped to respond to any disruption. Traditionally, when you run a tabletop exercise to prepare yourself for any incident you focus on the senior management and the board level. These individuals are highly experienced but are unlikely to know all of the intricacies of your organisation. You, therefore, need to evidence and exercise the wider organisations to discover the secondary impacts of decisions that may be made in a crisis scenario. You can truly understand the consequences of your actions when you take part in an Immersive Labs Crisis Simulation.

Why is it great for senior stakeholders?

It gives stakeholders an engaging insight into the capabilities of their teams, but also directly looks at the impact that their decision-making will have on the business. It will also unearth the unknown issues that may materialise as secondary impacts from disruption.

What are the key outcomes?

It's all about evidencing the capabilities of your different teams and their decision-making, but also if they understand their roles and responsibilities. Do they understand where key information and experience lies in your company, it's not always where you think it is. It is only through regular exercise will you being to learn where your key assets lie.

Building Muscle Memory

We like to use the following analogy to describe the platform as being similar to CPR training. If your boss was to fall unconscious, do you have the muscle memory and the continual up-skilling to jump into action? Well, its the same during a cyber security incidence, you need to build that confidence over time to be able to tackle these scenarios.

Benchmarking to improve your response

Equipping your workforce is essential to success, traditional training won't cut it anymore, we all hate 'death by PowerPoint' and it won't enable your team to have the ability to respond to a cyber threat. Walking them through a playbook in a traditional exercise won't do anything to engage your team. By taking part in an engaging exercise, you will begin to understand the impacts of different decision making.

Exercising your response to cyber threats

The platform exercises and evidences the capabilities of organisations to respond to cyber threats. CyberPro Labs are great at evidencing your security team's performance. Crisis Sim is great at exercising your board-level incidence response plans. Team Sim Scenario is a powerful tool to exercise your organisation's response and collaboration as a whole in the face of a cyber threat.

Complying with new FCA Regulations

Firms need to comply with the new FCA Regulations around Operational Resilience. They need to be able to absorb and respond to new cyber security threats in an appropriate way. But they also need to demonstrate to shareholders, but most importantly to regulators that they are constantly evolving their approach to exercising and evidencing their capability to respond. This is a continuous journey for all organisations. Organisations will need to comply with the new FCA Regulations by 2025, they have to be able to demonstrate they are evolving their programme of training and exercising.

Want to see what a Cyber Crisis Simulation report looks like?

It's one thing to run a simulation, but a whole other kettle of fish to fix the issues highlighted throughout. Take a look at a sample custom comprehensive Crisis report.

It provides an organisation with expertly recorded insights from our cyber team, giving you feedback on all aspects of performance. Everything from technical knowledge gaps, social challenges amongst the team to framework competency.

We can then help you through your journey of prioritisation and work together on steps top remediate.

Instant access to free Crisis Simulation sample report

Ready to turn your cyber fear into cyber confidence?

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