Question 1

What is a cyber tabletop exercise?

Accepted Answer

A cyber tabletop exercise is a discussion-based simulation where your team walks through a realistic cyber incident scenario. Unlike technical drills, tabletop exercises focus on decision-making, communication, and coordination at the management level. Think of it as a "fire drill for executives" - you're testing how your organization responds to a cyber crisis, not teaching technical skills.

Question 2

How long does it take to build a scenario?

Accepted Answer

With our AI-powered builder, you can create a complete cyber tabletop exercise in 15-30 minutes. Simply describe the type of incident you want to simulate (ransomware, data breach, etc.), and our AI generates a realistic scenario with decision points, injects, and facilitator notes. You can then customize it to match your organization's specific needs.

Question 3

Do I need technical expertise to use CyberWar24?

Accepted Answer

No! CyberWar24 is designed for non-technical users. You don't need to be a security expert to create or run exercises. Our platform uses plain language, provides templates, and guides you through every step. If you can use PowerPoint, you can use CyberWar24.

Question 4

How is this different from technical incident response drills?

Accepted Answer

Great question! Technical IR drills train your security team on hands-on skills (malware analysis, forensics, etc.). Cyber tabletop exercises train your executives and business leaders on decision-making, communication, and coordination during a crisis. You need both! See our blog post comparing the two for details.

Question 5

Is CyberWar24 really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Our Free plan lets you create and run exercises with basic features forever. Upgrade to Starter ($19/mo), Professional ($49/mo), or Enterprise ($199/mo) for advanced features like more AI generations, custom branding, and compliance reporting.

Question 6

What's included in the Free plan?

Accepted Answer

The Free plan includes: 3 AI-generated scenarios per month, storage for up to 5 scenarios, manual scenario builder, and basic reporting. You can create, customize, and run exercises - perfect for individuals or small teams just getting started.

Question 7

Can I try Professional features before upgrading?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Start with the Free plan and explore the platform. When you're ready, you can upgrade to a paid plan month-to-month (no long-term commitment). We also offer a 14-day money-back guarantee if you're not satisfied.

Question 8

Do you offer discounts for nonprofits or education?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We offer 50% off for verified nonprofits and educational institutions. Contact us via the support email on our website with proof of your nonprofit status or .edu email address.

Question 9

How long does a typical exercise take?

Accepted Answer

Most cyber tabletop exercises run 2-4 hours. We recommend 2 hours for focused scenarios (single incident type) and 3-4 hours for complex multi-phase scenarios. Our platform includes built-in timers and facilitator notes to keep you on track.

Question 10

Who should participate in a tabletop exercise?

Accepted Answer

Key stakeholders typically include: CISO/Security Leader, CTO/IT Director, CEO or COO, Legal Counsel, Communications/PR, HR Director, and Finance. Aim for 8-15 people. Too few and you miss critical perspectives; too many and discussion becomes unwieldy. See our guide for more details.

Question 11

Can exercises be run remotely?

Accepted Answer

Yes! CyberWar24 is designed for both in-person and remote exercises. Share your screen in Zoom/Teams, send participants the unique join link, and run the exercise together virtually. Our platform includes chat features and decision tracking for seamless remote collaboration.

Question 12

How often should we run exercises?

Accepted Answer

We recommend running tabletop exercises quarterly (4 times per year) at minimum. This ensures your team stays sharp and you test different scenarios throughout the year. Many organizations run monthly exercises using different scenario types (ransomware one month, data breach the next, etc.).

Question 13

What if participants don't know what to do?

Accepted Answer

That's the point! Tabletop exercises are designed to identify gaps in knowledge and procedures. When participants are unsure, that's a learning opportunity. Our facilitator guides include prompts and example responses to help guide discussion when participants get stuck.

Question 14

What is AI scenario generation?

Accepted Answer

Our AI-powered scenario builder lets you describe the type of cyber incident you want to simulate, and within minutes, it generates a complete exercise including: realistic scenario narrative, decision points, injects (escalating events), facilitator notes, and discussion questions. It's like having an expert incident response consultant write your scenarios for you.

Question 15

Can I customize pre-built templates?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Every template in our library can be customized. Change company names, adjust decision points, add your own injects, modify the timeline - make it match your organization's specific environment and threat profile. Templates are starting points, not rigid scripts.

Question 16

Do you provide reports I can use as compliance evidence?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every completed exercise and facilitated session produces a PDF after-action report with the timestamped decision timeline, injects, facilitator notes, impact metrics, and an AI-generated overview with gaps and action items. Professional and Enterprise plans can brand the report with your firm's logo and the client's name. The report documents that incident response testing took place and what was found — the evidence frameworks such as NIST 800-61, ISO 27001, SOC 2 and NIS2 ask for. It does not automatically map individual decisions to framework controls.

Question 17

Can multiple people edit a scenario?

Accepted Answer

Not yet. Scenarios are owned and edited by a single account today. Shared workspaces and collaborative editing are on the roadmap; contact us if this is a requirement for your team.

Question 18

Do scenarios update to reflect current threats?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We regularly update our template library with scenarios based on emerging threats, recent real-world incidents, and threat intelligence. Professional and Enterprise subscribers get automatic notifications when new scenarios are published or existing ones are updated.

Question 19

Is my data secure?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. We use bank-level encryption (AES-256) for data at rest and TLS 1.3 for data in transit. All scenarios are private by default - only you and people you explicitly invite can access them. We're SOC 2 Type II certified and GDPR compliant. Read our full security policy here.

Question 20

Where is data stored?

Accepted Answer

All data is stored in secure data centers in the United States (AWS us-east-1 region). Enterprise customers can request specific geographic data residency if required for compliance. Data is automatically backed up daily with point-in-time recovery available.

Question 21

Do you have an API?

Accepted Answer

Not as a self-serve product today. Enterprise customers can request API access and SIEM/export integrations as part of their agreement, and we scope them with you. Contact us with your use case.

Question 22

What browsers are supported?

Accepted Answer

CyberWar24 works on all modern browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge (latest 2 versions). We recommend Chrome for the best experience. Our platform is fully responsive and works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Question 23

What support is included?

Accepted Answer

Free plan includes community support (forum, documentation). Starter adds email support. Professional plan includes priority email support with 24-hour response time. Enterprise plan includes dedicated account manager and optional phone support. All plans have access to our comprehensive knowledge base.

Question 24

Do you offer training on how to facilitate exercises?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We provide free facilitator training resources including video guides, best practices documentation, and example scenarios with facilitator notes. Professional and Enterprise plans include live facilitator training sessions. We also offer custom training workshops for Enterprise customers.

Question 25

Can you help us create custom scenarios?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely! Enterprise customers get access to our professional services team who can create fully custom scenarios tailored to your organization, industry, and specific threat profile. We can also facilitate exercises on your behalf if you need an experienced facilitator.

Question 26

Where can I learn more about running tabletop exercises?

Accepted Answer

Check out our blog for comprehensive guides, best practices, and real-world examples. We publish new content weekly covering topics like scenario design, facilitator tips, compliance requirements, and case studies. Start with our "How to Run Your First Cyber Tabletop Exercise" guide.

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