Cybersecurity war gaming is a sophisticated strategic exercise designed to prepare organisations for potential cyber threats by simulating various attack scenarios. These simulations go beyond typical penetration tests, focusing on the human element, decision-making under pressure, and the effectiveness of policies, procedures, and technologies when faced with advanced persistent threats or significant breaches.

What is war gaming in cybersecurity?

War gaming in cybersecurity involves creating a realistic, interactive environment where security teams, leadership, and sometimes even external stakeholders can practice responding to cyber incidents. The exercise simulates real-world attack scenarios to identify weaknesses in an organisation's security posture and improve overall cyber resilience.

Unlike traditional penetration testing that focuses primarily on technical vulnerabilities, war gaming assesses an organisation's strategic and operational readiness to mitigate, respond to, and recover from cyber-attacks. It examines how well teams communicate, make decisions under pressure, and execute incident response plans.

Why is war gaming important for cybersecurity?

War gaming provides several critical benefits for organisations:

• Tests decision-making processes: Evaluates how leadership and security teams respond when facing complex, high-pressure scenarios
• Identifies gaps in incident response: Reveals weaknesses in procedures, communication protocols, and coordination between teams
• Builds muscle memory: Regular exercises help teams react more effectively during actual incidents
• Validates investments: Tests whether security technologies and tools perform as expected during crisis situations
• Improves cross-functional collaboration: Brings together IT, security, legal, communications, and executive teams to practice working together

How to conduct a cybersecurity war game?

A successful war gaming exercise typically follows these steps:

1. Define objectives: Establish clear goals for what the exercise should test and achieve
2. Develop realistic scenarios: Create attack scenarios based on current threat intelligence, often using frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK to model adversary tactics
3. Assemble participants: Include relevant stakeholders from security operations, IT, management, legal, and communications
4. Execute the simulation: Run the exercise with facilitators introducing scenario developments and observing responses
5. Document and debrief: Capture lessons learned and identify areas for improvement
6. Implement improvements: Update policies, procedures, and technologies based on findings

When should an organisation conduct cyber war gaming?

Organisations should consider conducting war gaming exercises:

• Annually as part of regular security programme assessments
• After significant changes to IT infrastructure or business operations
• Following major security incidents or near-misses
• When new threat intelligence suggests emerging risks
• Before major business events or periods of heightened risk
• As part of regulatory compliance requirements

Which types of organisations benefit most from war gaming?

While all organisations can benefit from war gaming, those in the following sectors often gain the most value:

• Financial services: Banks, insurance companies, and payment processors face sophisticated threats and strict regulatory requirements
• Healthcare: Organisations handling sensitive patient data and critical medical systems
• Government agencies: Entities protecting national security and citizen data
• Critical infrastructure: Energy, utilities, and telecommunications providers
• Large enterprises: Organisations with complex IT environments and significant digital assets

Practical examples

Financial institution ransomware scenario

A financial institution simulates a sophisticated ransomware attack affecting critical payment systems. The exercise tests the incident response team's ability to contain the threat, eradicate the malware, and restore services while operating under regulatory scrutiny. The war game reveals gaps in backup procedures and communication protocols with financial regulators, leading to improved response plans.

Government agency nation-state attack

A government agency conducts a war game involving a nation-state sponsored cyber-attack targeting sensitive data. The exercise assesses inter-agency coordination and communication protocols, identifying weaknesses in information sharing between departments and leading to the establishment of clearer escalation procedures.

Resources and frameworks

Organisations can leverage several established resources when developing war gaming programmes:

• NIST Special Publication 800-84: Guide for Cybersecurity Exercises
• Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA): Exercise playbooks and critical infrastructure protection guidelines
• SANS Institute: Incident response training and cyber range resources
• ISACA: Risk management and cybersecurity governance frameworks
• MITRE ATT&CK Framework: Adversary tactics and techniques for scenario development