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MARCH 1, 2018
Summary Report
Cyber attack
simulation exercise

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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
The CyberCanada attack simulation exercise was attended by 100+ Canadian
leaders representing a wide-range of organizations from both the private and
public sector.
Some of the views shared by participants, and captured here, may appear to be
conflicting. This is a reflection of different opinions voiced and/or differences
between the various individuals and groups represented.
A short recap of the learning objectives, feedback shared by attendees during the
module readouts, and questions to consider asking your organizations have been
included in this short report.
To ensure privacy, opinions have not been attributed to any individuals.
A brief summary of the discussions during the
CyberCanada attack simulation exercise

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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
Recap: the Table Top eXercise (TTX) had specific
learning objectives
Experience what your management
team goes through when under
cyberattack
• Basic cybersecurity concepts
• Cybersecurity as a strategic business risk
• The impacts of people, culture, process,
procedures and technology on cyber resilience
• How to advance cyber resilience beyond the
technical part
The Experience Understand by doing

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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
Module 1: The
Compromise
Strengths and weaknesses of CEO's communications
• Strengths: out in front, confident, clear, available, took ownership
• Weaknesses: other management was not informed, too much
information was shared, not enough assurance, not genuine
enough, lack of preparation, false statements made
Responsibilities of the Management Board
• Ensure business continuity
• Determine regulatory reporting requirements
• Decide on internal communications
• Get handle on scope, control the message
• Engage the Board
What will you do next?
• Impact assessment from BUs + Functions
• Determine what insurance the company has
• Consult legal counsel
• Solicit Public Relations support
• Determine recovery and comms plans
• Determine plan of action
• Decide what should be the cadence for updates
Summary of responses shared during Module 1
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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
Module 2: The
Briefing
Views regarding ransom payment and who should make the decision
• Much disagreement on whether or not to pay the ransom
• Ransom payment considerations: assess the financial impact with
cost/benefit analysis, will we get back the data, can operations
resume without paying, who is the attacker, ask for extension on
deadline, discuss with law enforcement
• Who should make decision: some said Board should decide, others
said C-Suite should decide with advice from Board
Thoughts on engaging the community
• Engage the entire ecosystem
• Third parties: cybersecurity consultants, legal, PR, insurance, law
enforcement, call centers, ransom negotiator
• Stakeholders: employees, customers, partners, suppliers,
shareholders, government, regulators
What are next steps?
• Assess the business impact and set long-term strategy
• Get back to operations, assign responsible parties
• Look at the culture that allowed this to happen
• Fire the CEO
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Summary of responses shared during Module 2

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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
Module 3: The
Response
Experts you would contact during a cyber attack and when
• Engage law enforcement early; they have intel
• Crisis response consultants and forensics teams can help
• Different responses for different jurisdictions and industries
• Prepare before the attack: meet with law enforcement and establish
the relationship beforehand
• Collaborate with industry partners
Following this exercise, what will you do differently?
• Ask the organization questions about cybersecurity
• Raise cybersecurity to the Board level
• “Culture is to punish the victim” has to stop
• Establish relationships with law enforcement and national CERT
• Don't wait for an attack to happen, plan incident response now
• Set cybersecurity long-term vision/strategy; and be agile
• Cybersecurity is not a cost center; it's a business enabler
How has digitalization impacted cybersecurity and business strategy?
• Increased the number of unknowns and interdependencies
• Has caused information overload creating a need to educate the public
• IoT has increased the risk by increasing the attack surface
Summary of responses shared during Module 3
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Key questions you should be asking your organization
Crown jewels
How does your organization know
which systems, data, and assets
have the most value and do you
conduct tests on breaching those
systems?
Technology
How are the users of your
cybersecurity tools properly trained
on how to get the best results from
them?
Culture
How is cybersecurity ingrained into
the culture of your organization the
same way as safety, quality, ethics
and compliance?
Third parties
How do you secure suppliers,
acquisitions, business partners, and
customers with the same rigor as
you secure your enterprise?
Design for Cyber
How are your products, networks,
and systems designed with
cybersecurity in mind—from the first
design concept meeting through
every stage?
Business enabler
How have you integrated
cybersecurity into your business
strategy so that your business can
safely and securely innovate and
grow faster?
Consequences
How do you optimize your budget
between reducing vulnerabilities
and reducing the consequences of a
breach?
Preparation
What kind of plans do you have in
place for incident response, business
continuity & disaster recovery? Do
you regularly practice executing
these plans?

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Copyright©2017byTheBostonConsultingGroup,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
Boards are in a unique strategic position to
improve cyber resilience. And they are
ultimately responsible for cyber risk in their
companies
BCG jointly with the Forum established 10
Board Principles for cyber resilience
• Responsibility for Cyber Resilience
• Command of the Subject
• Accountable officer
• Integration of Cyber Resilience
• Risk assessment and reporting
• Risk appetite
• Resilience plans
• Community
• Review
• Effectiveness
See also the Forum's comprehensive report
on "Advancing Cyber Resilience: Principles
and Tools for Boards" (2017)
Source: BCG and World Economic Forum
See the publication at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/IP/2017/Adv_Cyber_Resilience_Principles-Tools.pdf
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