6 cybersecurity and emergency situations every IT department should train for
Most IT organizations would consider themselves competent in testing. They have decades of experience, a well-defined methodology, and modern testing tools. However, few test the chain of command and organizational ability to respond to challenging incidents.
Recently the United States government performed a simulation of a large-scale cyberattack on U.S. infrastructure. As one would expect with this type of attack, primary targets included civilian infrastructure like the electrical grid and financial institutions, in addition to military targets. One of the surprising findings was that the military does not have a clear organizational way of responding to attacks on domestic targets. In a real incident, valuable time would be lost as military and domestic entities attempted to coordinate responsibilities and responses, ultimately giving the attackers more time to inflict damage.
Presumably, the U.S. has the latest technology and training for responding to large-scale cyberattacks, yet in this case organizational problems prevented a coordinated response. Whether you are leading a complex military organization or a small IT team, the human element is key in responding to crises, even crises far less dramatic and threatening than a multi-front cyberwar.
Since we, in the non-military world, generally don’t wear badges of rank on our shoulder, and in many cases have abandoned hierarchical management structures, understanding and testing these human systems and chains of command is perhaps more challenging, Worse yet, there may be challenges embedded deep within your organizational culture that can instantly derail a response to even a mundane problem. In organizations where minor failure is punished to the extreme, many nominal leaders and managers will sit on their hands rather than risk making an incorrect decision in a time of crisis. Identifying and understanding these challenges is key to determining a solution, and rarely is an effective solution as simple as buying some new software or technology.
While most technology testing is focused around systems, interfaces, and processes, testing your chain of command should be focused on scenarios.
