The ever-changing cyber threat landscape requires organizations to equip their cybersecurity teams with the necessary skills to detect, respond to, and defend against malicious attacks. However, the most surprising thing discovered in the research and continues to be explored is how easy it is to deceive current cybersecurity defenses.
Antivirus programs are built on huge databases of signatures and can easily break with something as simple as changing text within the program. The same applies to network signatures and endpoint detection and response.
Defense techniques focus on certain behaviors, but at the end of the day, malware is just software—the more integrated it is with common software activity, the less likely it is to be detected.
In recent years, in response to these threats, simulation exercises have become a powerful tool to test the skill levels of cybersecurity teams and prepare them for the challenges posed by cyber adversaries.
Generally speaking, teams that can imagine how an engagement with an attacker will unfold and end with the organization's victory will be prepared when the engagement actually occurs. Simulation exercises enable security leaders to do this quickly while continuously monitoring tools, people, and processes.
Adapt to the ever-changing threat landscape
Cybersecurity simulation exercises are similar to military training exercises in which one team (the red team in cyber terminology) assumes the role of an adversary to assess the ability of defenders (the blue team, representing the organization's defenses) to detect and defend against attacks.
These simulations typically cover activities carried out by a threat actor at a given scope at a specific point in time, with the activities evolving as the threat actor's tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) change.
However, the problem with these business simulations is twofold. First, they are typically executed at expensive network scale, require significant time and effort to create, and have limited accuracy in replicating real enterprise environments. Second, they asked the security team to take a few days off to complete the exercise.
To address these issues, the focus has shifted to developing simulations that enable defenders to quickly test new TTPs in real-time in real-world environments without the need for full red team exercises.
The goal is to evaluate the effectiveness of monitoring tools, processes, and personnel in the face of current threats. By simulating specific TTPs, such as phishing attacks or data breaches with different payloads, cybersecurity teams can sharpen their skills and better prepare for real-world challenges.
Ideally, this should be a weekly exercise for the individual TTP, with a full red team assessment conducted at least once a year. Eliminating the requirement to simulate a full campaign over several months can improve ROI for the teams involved.
By conducting simulations on a regular basis, security leaders can ensure their teams fix configurations and respond to new threats in real time. As security professionals know, attackers always operate in real time, so anything other than matching attack frequency poses a serious threat.
Gauge response and identify skills gaps
Even the most advanced cyberattacks leverage basic techniques that have been around for years. This makes mastering the basics crucial for defense.
Enterprises need to focus on leveraging the existing tools in their technology stack to detect the most basic technologies and then upgrade to more advanced technologies from there. This allows teams to eliminate the most common threats from the equation first, giving them time to identify and build the expertise and infrastructure needed to defend against the most dangerous threats.
When modeling various TTPs, security leaders can classify them in two ways. First, by the level of expertise required to perform a specific attack. Secondly, based on the data area or data type in which the attack should be detected.
To measure the success of your simulation, evaluate how long it takes your team to detect and respond to a specific TTP after launch, depending on the category of technology. They can then map the key skills, processes and technology gaps that must be developed to reduce response times. To bridge the skills gap, organizations can invest in practical cyber upskilling programs or certifications that address the root causes of the problem.
The recovery phase after an attack is also an important time to assess strengths and weaknesses and develop future strategies. Emulating techniques used in previous attacks should be part of this phase of incident response.
“Lessons learned” need to be not only theoretical but also actionable. Be sure to test the changes you make between simulations to ensure they actually protect against the specific attacks used in the event. Unless you do this, you risk compromising again.
Main points
Simulation exercises have become an indispensable tool for cybersecurity teams, allowing them to prepare for the relentless and ever-changing cyber threats they face.
By simulating real-world attack scenarios, organizations can identify and close skills gaps, fine-tune their defenses and improve incident response capabilities. Regularly updated drills ensure cybersecurity professionals stay abreast of the evolving threat landscape and adjust strategies accordingly.
As the cyber industry continues its cat-and-mouse battle with threat actors, becoming a threat through simulation exercises is key to staying ahead and protecting critical assets in the digital age.
Implementing these exercises as an ongoing practice will only strengthen an organization's ability to defend against emerging cyber threats and create a more secure digital future.