Cybersecurity is on the brink of major shifts. As new technologies emerge and threats evolve, staying sharp and adaptable is non-negotiable, especially when it comes to preparing your people for what’s next. This year, cyber resilience will take center stage, with the human element playing a defining role in the fight against cyber threats.
With human error contributing to the majority of incidents and the global average cost of cyberattacks reaching a record-high $4.88 million in 2024, the highest recorded total, the need to be ready and proactive preparedness isn’t just critical—it’s a necessity.
The Growing Importance of Cyber Drills - Smart leaders recognize that their people are the backbone of any successful cybersecurity strategy. How well you prepare them, meet their needs, and instill confidence can determine whether your workforce rises to the occasion or crumbles under pressure. While most individuals are obviously aware of cyber-attacks and their consequences, consistent preparation, and resilience-building are the keys to long-term success.
That is why realistic cyber drills – exercises that pressure test teams against a simulated attack to prepare them for a real one – must become the cornerstone of organizational cyber-readiness. These dynamic exercises transform how businesses approach preparedness, shifting from static strategies to agile, adaptive responses to emerging threats. Most importantly, they give leaders data to determine where their cyber defenses are strong or weak across the organization, areas that can be upskilled before an actual attack strikes.
Cyber Drills as a Standard Business Practice - Just as fire drills are essential for physical safety, cyber drills must become a routine practice to ensure organizational resilience. They prepare all teams and functions to respond effectively to evolving threats. This is critical, as almost half (49%) of businesses have experienced a cyber attack in the past 12 months.
Leaders need to abandon legacy approaches to training and instead put resources behind cyber drills that can continuously prove and improve organizational cyber resilience across all teams and functions. This approach is critical to achieving lasting resilience.
Currently, cyber decision-makers only spend only 39% of their time assessing and improving cyber readiness, according to the Sapio Research study of security decision-makers. This number is far too low for organizations to be resilient and ready for attacks.
Here are some of the necessary steps to take to implement cyber drilling and improve readiness:
- Implement cyber drills and exercises: Simulate real-world attacks to test your team’s skills and uncover weaknesses. Extend these drills to include vendors to ensure supply chain security.
- Engage everyone, from techs to execs: Involving every role across the organization fosters a culture of cyber resilience and improves response outcomes.
- Continuously prove and improve progress: Benchmark performance over time and against industry standards. Use this data to showcase resilience improvements to the C-suite and key stakeholders.
- Effectively communicate cyber readiness to key stakeholders: Use data-driven insights, real-world scenarios, and tangible outcomes to demonstrate the impact of preparedness efforts on overall cyber resilience.
- One-and-done training won’t cut it. Test your people—regularly—to ensure they can rapidly adapt to a crisis and communicate effectively. In an actual attack, every second counts, and regular cyber drills will ensure your team is ready to act fast and communicate flawlessly when it matters most.
Resilience Starts with Preparation: Make Cyber Drills a Business Imperative - To create a future of true cyber resilience, cyber drills must become a routine business practice, just as fire drills have been ingrained in workplace safety for decades. By integrating hands-on, scenario-based exercises into routine cybersecurity practices, organizations can move beyond reactive defense toward a proactive, prepared posture.
A world where cyber drills are universally adopted is a world where organizations don’t just survive cyber attacks, but effectively mitigate and outmaneuver them. Those who prioritize continuous readiness today will be the ones best equipped to safeguard their operations, data, and reputation in the future.
Source: Why Cyber Drills Are As Vital As Fire Drills
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Red Sky Alliance is a Cyber Threat Analysis and Intelligence Service organization. We provide indicators of compromise information via a notification service (RedXray) or an analysis service (CTAC). For questions, comments or assistance, please contact the office directly at 1-844-492-7225, or feedback@redskyalliance.com
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