Cyber Crime Tabletop Exercise for Banks
This exercise is part of our catalog of tabletop exercises for banks.
Scenario Overview
Without warning, the bank's internal network slows to a crawl, outgoing email refuses to send, and employee workstations begin to reboot unexpectedly. Normal operations are disrupted, staff confidence starts to erode, and the organization must quickly determine whether it is dealing with a cyber attack, a systems failure, or something more serious.
As the situation unfolds, leadership must evaluate the impact on customer service, communications, and critical banking operations while coordinating with internal teams and determining how best to respond. The scenario is designed to test management decision-making during a rapidly developing cyber-related disruption.
This is not an IT-technical exercise. While IT can work in parallel to discuss technical response actions, the primary focus is how leadership manages the organizational, communications, and business resumption challenges that arise during a cyber event.
Why This Scenario Matters for Banks
Banks rely on stable systems, trusted communications, and uninterrupted access to core services. A cyber incident can quickly affect customer confidence, disrupt daily operations, create uncertainty among employees, and raise urgent questions about service continuity, regulatory expectations, and reputational impact.
This exercise helps bank leadership teams evaluate how they would respond when a cyber-related disruption begins affecting systems, communications, and customer-facing operations before the full scope of the event is understood.
Exercise Objectives
- Evaluate leadership decision-making during a fast-moving cyber-related disruption.
- Discuss internal coordination between management, operations, communications, and IT.
- Review how the bank would communicate with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.
- Assess priorities for maintaining or restoring critical business functions.
- Identify escalation thresholds and management actions during a developing cyber event.
- Strengthen business resumption planning for technology-driven disruptions.
Typical Participants
- Executive leadership
- Operations management
- Information technology leadership
- Information security or cyber response personnel
- Communications or public affairs staff
- Human resources
- Business continuity or crisis management team members
Exercise Format
Conduct-It-Yourself Tabletop Exercises are structured, discussion-based simulations designed to help organizations test their response to disruptive events without the time and cost of a fully facilitated exercise. Participants are placed in the middle of a realistic scenario as it unfolds and must work through decisions, priorities, and consequences as a leadership team.
Each downloadable exercise package includes everything needed to conduct the session internally, including facilitator instructions, exercise overview materials, participant forms, a detailed scenario script, and a ready-to-run PowerPoint presentation that guides the scenario and discussion. The materials are designed so organizations can conduct the exercise as delivered or customize the storyline and supporting materials to reflect their own facilities, operations, and testing objectives.
Most exercises are designed to be conducted in approximately 2 to 4 hours. A typical agenda includes an exercise overview and scenario briefing, the facilitated disaster simulation discussion, group review and preparation for debriefing, and a structured post-exercise discussion to capture lessons learned and improvement opportunities.
Exercise Focus
- Crisis Management
- Communications
- Business Resumption
Related Tabletop Exercise Scenarios
Organizations exploring this scenario may also find these exercises useful:
- Fraud & Sabotage Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Pandemic Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Shelter-in-Place Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Gas Main Explosion Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Tornado Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Earthquake Tabletop Exercise for Banks
- Train Wreck Tabletop Exercise for Banks
Many organizations choose to run their exercises with an experienced facilitator to guide discussion, introduce evolving scenario developments, and capture improvement opportunities.
If you would prefer a professionally facilitated tabletop exercise for your bank, learn more about our consulting services.
Purchase & Download
This exercise is delivered as a downloadable package that includes facilitator instructions, scenario materials, and structured discussion prompts to guide the exercise.
