Playbook Objectives:

1. To understand and analyze the strength, performance, and reliability of the company’s overall network security framework under heavy traffic and under cyber attack threats.
2. To hone the skills and preparedness of the cyber security team and increase their understanding of network attacks, their impacts, and the most effective countermeasures.
3. To evaluate the capacity of the current systems and networks to anticipate potential vulnerabilities and threats.

Difficulty Level:

• Intermediate to Advanced

Scenario:

• CipherCorp, a well-known global technology solutions company, with multiple active networks and complex systems, has just secured a multi-million-dollar contract for developing an integrated solution for a high-profile client.
• Given the magnitude and security needs of the new project, CipherCorp decides to engage in a Cyber Range Exercise to stress-test the current infrastructure and strengthen the overall security of its networks.
• Amy Smith, the Head of Cyber Security at CipherCorp, is assigned the task of running this exercise. She is an experienced professional, having confronted and successfully overcome numerous cyber threats in the past.
• Aware that the company’s reputation and the security of their clients’ sensitive information are at stake, she decides to invest significant resources into conducting a comprehensive and effective exercise.
• Category: Network Security – Load Balancing and Stress Testing

Exercise Attack Steps:

1. Create a high-load scenario: Simulate heavy network traffic to test the existing load-balancing framework. This high traffic load should include both legitimate and malicious activity to mimic real-world scenario.
2. Execute a DoS attack: Develop a real-world scenario by establishing a legitimate-looking Denial of Service (DoS) attack. This threat will engage the current network security measures and push the system to its maximum capacity.
3. Implement code injection attacks: stress the system’s defenses with a series of well-timed code injection attacks. These tests will highlight any exploitable vulnerabilities within the system.
4. Execute a Botnet attack: Using a group of compromised networked computers, a botnet attack is finally launched to test the system’s response against multiple simultaneous threats.
5. Performance evaluation: The network’s performance under the stressful scenario is monitored and collected for evaluation. The data provides critical feedback on the effectiveness of the current security measures and protocols.
6. Network optimization: Using the performance data gathered during the exercise, the network structure and security protocols are optimized to better handle similar situations in the future.
7. Repeat the exercise: The newly optimized network system is stress-tested once again to confirm the robustness and efficacy of the new security measures. A comparative analysis is made based on the data collected before and after security optimization.

This exercise will not only stress-test the company’s security protocols and infrastructure but also help achieve an optimal state of readiness to combat real-world cyber threats, fortifying CipherCorp’s defense mechanisms against potential dangers to the network’s security and reliability.