Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise for a Large Department

Sector: Federal Government | Capability: Cyber Security | Timeframe: 2023

Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise Overview

In 2023, Calexi staff delivered a cyber security tabletop exercise for a large Australian Government department as part of its enterprise security operations capability. The exercise was designed to assess organisational readiness for a significant cyber security incident, with a particular focus on incident response coordination, decision-making authority, and communications under pressure.

The engagement formed part of the department’s broader cyber resilience and assurance activities, aligned with Australian Government security expectations and operational realities.

The Cyber Security Incident Response Challenge

Cyber incidents affecting large government organisations rarely fail due to a single technical control. Instead, they fail at the seams: unclear authority, delayed decisions, fragmented communications, and untested assumptions within incident response plans.

The department recognised that while documented cyber security incident response plans existed, there was a material risk that:

• Roles and responsibilities were not fully understood across teams
• Escalation pathways and decision authorities were unclear or untested
• Communications processes may not function effectively during a real incident
• Logistical, technical, or skills gaps could emerge at a critical time

If these gaps remained unidentified, the consequences would only become visible during a real-world cyber incident, when the cost of failure would be highest. In such a scenario, delayed or ineffective response could have resulted in severe operational, reputational, and national security impacts.

Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise Design and Delivery

Calexi was engaged to design and deliver a cyber security tabletop exercise that moved beyond theoretical discussion and instead tested real-world readiness.

Calexi fulfilled the role of scenario developer, exercise facilitator, and exercise lead, providing end-to-end ownership of the activity. This included:

• Designing a realistic cyber incident scenario aligned to the department’s operating environment
• Structuring the exercise to progressively test decision-making, communications, and authority
• Facilitating discussions to surface assumptions, gaps, and dependencies
• Maintaining a focus on operational outcomes rather than purely technical detail

The exercise was delivered over a single day, supported by approximately one week of preparation and post-exercise follow-up to consolidate findings and support remediation planning.

Participants in the Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise

The tabletop exercise brought together key stakeholders from across the organisation, reflecting the reality that effective cyber incident response is a whole-of-organisation activity.

Participants included personnel ranging from technical cyber security analysts through to security operations leadership, spanning multiple departments and functional areas. This cross-functional participation was critical in testing how information, authority, and decisions flowed across organisational boundaries.

The exercise was conducted within the context of the department’s Enterprise Security Operations Centre, ensuring direct relevance to operational cyber security processes.

Alignment with Government Cyber Security Requirements (ISM)

The primary compliance driver for the exercise was the Australian Government Information Security Manual (ISM).

The tabletop exercise was designed not just to demonstrate compliance, but to validate whether ISM-aligned plans and procedures would function effectively under realistic operational pressure. This allowed the department to directly link exercise outcomes to its cyber security governance, assurance, and continuous improvement activities.

Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise Outcomes and Risk Reduction

As a result of the cyber security tabletop exercise, the department identified and remediated significant deficiencies within its cyber security incident response capability. For security reasons, specific findings are not disclosed.

Key outcomes included:

• A measurable reduction in organisational cyber risk
• Substantial improvements to cyber security incident response procedures
• Clearer understanding of roles, responsibilities, and decision authority during incidents
• Improved alignment between documented plans and operational behaviour

Crucially, these improvements were achieved before a real cyber incident occurred, allowing remediation in a controlled environment rather than during an operational crisis.

Value of a Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise

This engagement demonstrated the value of a well-designed cyber security tabletop exercise as a practical risk reduction mechanism, rather than a compliance-driven activity.

By combining realistic scenario design, disciplined facilitation, and a deep understanding of government cyber operations, Calexi enabled the department to strengthen its cyber incident response capability in a meaningful and defensible way.

Why Cyber Security Tabletop Exercises Matter for Government

Cyber security tabletop exercises provide government organisations with a structured way to test readiness, validate assumptions, and improve resilience without the consequences of a real incident.

For large and complex organisations, they remain one of the most effective tools for identifying gaps in incident response, communications, and decision-making before those gaps are exposed under real-world pressure.

What This Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise Means for Business and Industry

While this cyber security tabletop exercise was delivered for a large government department, the challenges it addressed are not unique to government.

Across business and industry, particularly in critical infrastructure, regulated sectors, and medium to large enterprises, cyber incidents rarely fail due to a lack of technology. Instead, failures occur when:

• Incident response plans exist but have never been tested under pressure
• Decision-making authority is unclear during a live incident
• Communications break down between technical teams, executives, and external stakeholders
• Business continuity and cyber response activities are poorly aligned

For many organisations, these weaknesses only become visible during an actual incident, when the impact to operations, customers, and reputation is already occurring.

What This Cyber Security Tabletop Exercise Means for Business and Industry

While this cyber security tabletop exercise was delivered for a large government department, the challenges it addressed are not unique to government.

Across business and industry, particularly in critical infrastructure, regulated sectors, and medium to large enterprises, cyber incidents rarely fail due to a lack of technology. Instead, failures occur when:

• Incident response plans exist but have never been tested under pressure
• Decision-making authority is unclear during a live incident
• Communications break down between technical teams, executives, and external stakeholders
• Business continuity and cyber response activities are poorly aligned

For many organisations, these weaknesses only become visible during an actual incident, when the impact to operations, customers, and reputation is already occurring.

Cyber Security Tabletop Exercises and Business Continuity

A well-designed cyber security tabletop exercise directly supports business continuity and operational resilience.

By simulating realistic cyber incidents, organisations are able to test:

• Whether cyber response actions support critical business functions
• How quickly leadership can make informed decisions under uncertainty
• The effectiveness of internal and external communications during disruption
• The alignment between cyber incident response and business continuity plans

For industry and business, this linkage is critical. Cyber incidents increasingly represent a business continuity event, not just a technical security issue. Tabletop exercises provide a low-risk environment to identify and remediate gaps before they result in extended outages or financial loss.

Why Business and Industry Organisations Use Tabletop Exercises

A well-designed cyber security tabletop exercise directly supports business continuity and Business and industry organisations use cyber security and business continuity tabletop exercises to:

• Reduce operational and financial risk
• Improve executive confidence in incident response decision-making
• Validate regulatory and assurance requirements
• Strengthen coordination between technical, operational, and leadership teams
• Demonstrate due diligence to boards, regulators, and insurers

When conducted effectively, tabletop exercises move beyond compliance and become a practical mechanism for risk reduction and resilience uplift.

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