Risk Management: Are You a Responder or Solver?

Issue 177, September 12, 2024

We were recently invited to sit in on a cybersecurity simulation at a cybertech conference.  The simulation was staged as an interactive exercise between the experts and the audience.  The expert panel was comprised of local, state and federal disaster relief experts, a US Congress representative, the military and a few private sector officials.

The simulation started with a cyberattack, not unlike those we see in movies, where online systems and communications channels are blocked in major US and European cities by a nefarious skill and bones logo incessantly blinking on every available screen. Then the situation escalated with two nuclear explosions in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, followed by the power grid takedown of a Caribbean nation and then a full shutdown of a major US West Coast city.

As each additional attack unfolded, the panel responded with what they would do to protect the areas and mobilize relief efforts. The conversation was fascinating…