Incident Response Tabletop Exercise

This activity simulates a real Security Operations Center (SOC) tabletop exercise. There are no right answers given immediately — only consequences.

Your goal is to move through the incident using the correct response process, not speed or panic.

Incident Scenario

It is 10:15 AM on a school day. Multiple staff members report they suddenly cannot access files on a shared drive. File names now include .locked.

One teacher reports a ransom note on their screen demanding payment in 48 hours.

Live Incident Timeline

Phase 1 – Identification

Logs show unusual file access patterns. Antivirus alerts appear on two machines.

What does the SOC do FIRST?

Finish the Pathway