From AI to analog, cybersecurity tabletop exercises look a little different this year

December 26, 2025 – Published on The Register

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…for corporate security bosses to run tabletop exercises, simulating a hypothetical cyberattack or other emergency, running through incident processes, and practicing responses to ensure preparedness if when a digital disaster occurs.

And this year, organizations need to account for the speed of AI, both in terms of how attackers use these tools to find and exploit bugs, and how defenders can use AI in their response.

Ultimately, the goal of these exercises is to educate both the C-suite and technical responders about what can happen, and for them to practice their responses to various security scenarios while identifying areas for improvement.

“As much as it is about establishing muscle memory and ensuring that you have a good process and can execute against that process, it’s also just as much about education,” Mark Lance, GuidePoint Security VP of digital forensics and incident response and threat intel, told The Register. “So for instance, a senior leadership team learning about ransomware typically walks away from it saying, ‘I know more about this and the potential risks and threats associated with it.'”

Read More HERE.