Help Net Security has written an article discussing the merits of wargaming to help build well-practiced data breach response processes. The author argues that drilling a wide variety of “what if” scenarios is an effective way for security teams to add new annexes to their existing incident response playbooks, as well as practice emergency communications in a risk-free environment.

Members are highly encouraged to continue expanding their incident response processes, as the creation of an incident response plan is not the end of the preparedness cycle. Testing the plan by comparing it against a wide variety of scenarios is just as critical. These drills, if properly recorded, provide a foundation for writing incident-specific annexes (phishing, ransomware, etc.) within a playbook. Furthermore, security teams (and associated stakeholders) that take the time to regularly discuss how they would respond to and communicate during these incidents will also gain “muscle memory” for coordinating with others during an actual incident, when the stakes are higher. Read more at Help Net Security.