Tabletop Exercises: From Planning to Execution - Softcover

Robert Lelewski; John Hollenberger

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1718503822 ISBN 13: 9781718503823

Publisher: No Starch Press, 2024

Synopsis

The complete start-to-finish guide for planning and delivering successful cybersecurity tabletop exercises.

One of the most effective ways an organization can prepare for cybersecurity incidents and test out their response processes are “tabletop exercises,” commonly used to discuss various actions in a hypothetical emergency. Veteran security consultants Robert Lelewski and John Hollenberger have run hundreds of such exercises, and they’ve now boiled down their vast experience planning these mission-critical events into the Tabletop Exercises handbook. Designed to take you from start to finish, the book’s chapters are arranged linearly — from management’s initial request to after-action review activities — empowering you to understand each and every necessary step for ensuring your tabletop is a true success.

You’ll see how to design a scenario that properly evaluates your team’s existing controls, pinpoints your weaknesses, and encourages collaboration. You’ll also examine the logistics of planning the event itself, develop effective facilitation skills, and explore ways of making process changes based on the tabletop’s outcomes. Along the way, you’ll learn:

• Who to invite to your tabletop event, and why
• Preparatory steps, like getting an executive sponsor and forming a development team
• How to properly create a realistic tabletop exercise scenario
• Facilitation strategies, such as audience interaction and managing the discussion

This essential soup-to-nuts resource also includes example scenarios geared at varying audiences at different levels — including infosec analysts, tech team members, non-technical employees, and executives — that you can easily adapt for your own organization depending on the goals of your tabletop.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Lelewski has more than 20 years of experience in IT, cybersecurity, incident response, and risk management. He started out as a computer forensic consultant before joining IBM's global incident response team. Later, he pivoted to helping organizations prepare for a cybersecurity event as the Director of Proactive Incident Response with Dell Secureworks. Currently, he is the VP of Cyber Security Strategy at Zurich Insurance’s Global Ventures. Over his career, he has conducted hundreds of tabletop exercises, and has been a consultant to organizations ranking from small regional banks to Fortune 50 companies across the globe. In addition, Robert holds multiple degrees and numerous industry certifications, including CISSP-ISSMP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, CIPM, CDPSE, and GCIH.

John Hollenberger is a seasoned cybersecurity consultant with over 16 years of experience in web and host-based vulnerability assessments, incident response, digital forensics, PCI compliance, and Data Loss Prevention. As a Senior Security Consultant of Proactive Services, he develops tabletop exercises, reviews and creates incident response plans, and conducts security assessments for a wide range of organizations. John holds degrees and certifications including a BA, CISSP, CISA, CISM, CRISC, GCIH, GWAPT, and Security+.

Edition details

• Publisher: No Starch Press
• Publication date: 2024
• ISBN 10: 1718503822
• ISBN 13: 9781718503823
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 200