Commvault and Kyndryl have brought together cybersecurity, infrastructure and business continuity managers in an event in which a total collapse of the systems of a fictitious international airline following a ransomware attack has been simulated. In the simulation, which took place at the Cervantes Institute and is titled “Minutes to Meltdown,” the participants have had to face critical decisions and reach agreements under the pressure of a 48-hour ultimatum.
Main issues faced in attack simulation
The attendees, coming from large companies in sectors such as banking, public administration, health and energy, have been part of the leadership team of an organization created for this experience, which is going through critical hours under the threat of hackers who They have been attacked.
In an exercise based on information related to real and known ransomware attacks that have recently affected some of the largest companies in the world, questions have been raised such as:
· Are you sure of your Cyber Attack Recovery plan?
· Are you able to protect company data, customer data and employee data?
· Are you confident in getting company systems back up and running after a ransomware attack?
· What risks does your organization run?
· How would you manage the response to a devastating Ransomware attack?
The exercise has been based on information related to real and known ransomware attacks
“Dealing with a cyber attack is not an easy task as lack of time creates enormous pressure,” says David Sanz, Commvault Customer Experience Director for Southern EMEA. “In this session we immerse ourselves in a ransomware crisis, in which we have encountered multiple challenges that we have been solving. “This is a practical session that aims to provide security and guidelines on how to act.”
Participants value the attack simulation for its collaborative and realistic approach
During the simulation, the participants have been distributed around work tables, each adopting a fundamental role in an organization: CIO, CTO, CISO and legal advisor. Each one in their role has had to focus on the problem and come up with joint solutions to respond to the attack and to organize the organization’s response to the authorities and clients. By sharing the decisions at each table in the face of the challenges posed by the hacker, the experts from Commvault and Kyndryl have shared useful tools and recommendations to use in a true recovery plan against a cyber attack.
“The most interesting thing about the exercise, and what has contributed the most to the participants according to their comments, is the fact that they have been able to play roles different from their own and that they have had to exchange and discuss ideas to reach a common decision,” says Ricardo Garrido Reichelt, Principal Security Technologist at Commvault. “This is an original format that gives the opportunity to share and debate how we would act in a crisis situation with other colleagues in the sector.”
