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RED TEAM OPERATIONS

Ransomware Tabletop Exercise
Services

Elite Red Team-Led Simulations to Test Your Incident Response Before Real Attackers Strike

$1.54M Average Ransom Payment 2024
$274K Cost Per Day Downtime
66% Organizations Hit 2024
21-24 Days Average Recovery

⚠ THREAT INTELLIGENCE ALERT: 87% of organizations we test have critical gaps in their ransomware incident response procedures. Most discover these failures during a real attack—when recovery costs millions. Our red team tabletop exercises identify these vulnerabilities before adversaries exploit them.

What is a Ransomware Tabletop Exercise?

A ransomware tabletop exercise is a facilitated, discussion-based simulation led by professional red team operators. We walk your key stakeholders through realistic ransomware attack scenarios based on actual threat actor tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) from the MITRE ATT&CK framework.

Unlike technical penetration tests, tabletop exercises focus on incident response validation, decision-making processes, cross-functional communication, and organizational readiness. No systems are compromised—instead, we create a controlled environment to stress-test your people, processes, and procedures.

Who Participates in Ransomware Tabletops?

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Executive Leadership

CEO, CFO, board members for crisis management, business continuity decisions, and ransom payment authorization

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Security & IT Teams

CISO, SOC analysts, incident responders, IT leadership for technical response, containment, and system recovery

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Legal & Compliance

Legal counsel, compliance officers for regulatory breach notification, GDPR/HIPAA requirements, and evidence preservation

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Communications

PR teams, marketing, investor relations for external messaging, customer communication, and reputation management

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Finance & HR

Finance for insurance coordination and budget authority; HR for workforce continuity and employee communications

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Third-Party Vendors

MSPs, cloud providers, and critical vendors who play a role in your incident response and recovery procedures

Why Organizations Need Ransomware Readiness Testing

The Ransomware Threat Landscape

Ransomware has evolved from opportunistic malware into sophisticated, targeted cyber operations conducted by organized threat actors. Modern ransomware gangs conduct reconnaissance, steal sensitive data before encryption, and target backups to maximize leverage. The financial and operational impact extends far beyond the ransom demand.

Common Incident Response Gaps We Discover

Organizations consistently have well-documented incident response plans that fail under pressure. Our red team facilitators have identified these recurring weaknesses across hundreds of tabletop exercises:

87% of Organizations

Communication Failures

  • IT and executive teams lack common operational language
  • After-hours escalation procedures undefined or outdated
  • Legal counsel not integrated into technical incident response
  • External communication strategy nonexistent
78% of Organizations

Technical Assumptions

  • Backup restoration procedures never tested end-to-end
  • Recovery time objectives (RTOs) wildly optimistic
  • "Air-gapped" backups accessible via network shares
  • Critical third-party dependencies unmapped
72% of Organizations

Decision Authority Gaps

  • No clear authority to approve network isolation
  • Ransom payment decision process undefined
  • Conflicting priorities between business and security teams
  • Risk tolerance not established at leadership level
65% of Organizations

Compliance Blind Spots

  • Breach notification timelines misunderstood
  • Regulatory reporting requirements unclear
  • Evidence preservation for forensics not planned
  • Cyber insurance policy terms unknown

Regulatory & Insurance Requirements

Leading cybersecurity frameworks and cyber insurance policies now mandate regular incident response testing. Our ransomware tabletop exercises satisfy these requirements:

NIST Cybersecurity Framework

Recommends regular incident response exercises as part of the "Response" (RS) function to validate plans and improve coordination

ISO 27001:2022

Requires annual testing of incident management procedures (Control 5.26) with documented evidence of exercise outcomes

SEC Cybersecurity Rules

Mandates disclosure of cybersecurity risk management, strategy, and governance—tabletops demonstrate preparedness

HIPAA Security Rule

Requires contingency planning (§164.308(a)(7)) including testing and revision procedures for emergency operations

PCI DSS v4.0

Requirement 12.10.6 mandates incident response plan testing at least annually to ensure effectiveness

Cyber Insurance Policies

Most policies now require evidence of incident response testing as a condition for coverage and claims processing

Red Team-Led Tabletop Methodology

Unlike consultants who facilitate generic scenarios, Bluefire Redteam's exercises are led by active adversary emulation specialists. Our facilitators conduct real-world ransomware simulations and penetration tests, bringing authentic threat intelligence to every engagement.

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MITRE ATT&CK-Aligned Scenarios

Custom attack chains based on real ransomware operators: initial access (T1566 phishing, T1078 valid accounts), lateral movement (T1021 RDP, T1047 WMI), data exfiltration (T1048), and impact (T1486 data encryption)

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Threat Actor Emulation

Scenarios replicate tactics from documented ransomware groups (LockBit, BlackCat/ALPHV, Cl0p, Royal) targeting your specific industry vertical

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Industry-Specific Intelligence

Healthcare: HIPAA breach response, patient care continuity | Finance: Regulatory reporting, transaction processing | Manufacturing: OT/ICS impact, supply chain disruption

Progressive Scenario Injects

Dynamic scenario evolution based on participant decisions—poor containment leads to wider compromise; delayed communication creates media crisis

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Zero-Risk Validation

Discussion-based format means no actual systems compromised—ideal for testing procedures before technical simulation

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Technical Validation Roadmap

Identify assumptions requiring technical testing (backup restoration, EDR efficacy, lateral movement detection) with clear path to adversary simulation

Red Team Engagement Process

Phase 1: Reconnaissance & Planning

Duration: 1-2 weeks

Intelligence gathering on your organization's threat landscape, technology stack, incident response documentation, and previous security incidents. Our red team develops custom ransomware scenarios based on threat actors actively targeting your industry. We identify key stakeholders and schedule the exercise for maximum participation.

Phase 2: Tabletop Exercise Execution

Duration: 4 hours (half-day)

Red team-facilitated scenario with progressive "injects" simulating ransomware attack evolution. Hour 1: Initial detection and triage. Hour 2: Containment decisions and investigation. Hour 3: Crisis management and ransom negotiation. Hour 4: Recovery planning and business continuity. Real-time observation and documentation of gaps.

Phase 3: Gap Analysis & Reporting

Duration: 1 week

Comprehensive threat report documenting observed weaknesses in decision-making, communication protocols, technical assumptions, and compliance procedures. Includes executive summary suitable for board presentation with clear risk quantification and prioritized findings.

Phase 4: Remediation Roadmap & Debrief

Duration: 1 week + 30-day support

Prioritized remediation roadmap with specific, actionable recommendations. Updated incident response procedures based on exercise findings. Identification of technical validation requirements (backup testing, adversary simulation). 30-day advisory support for implementation questions and follow-up testing planning.

Why Choose Bluefire Redteam

Active Red Team Operators

Our facilitators conduct real ransomware simulations, penetration tests, and adversary emulation engagements. We bring authentic offensive security expertise—not generic consulting experience—to every tabletop exercise.

Technical Validation Continuum

Tabletop exercises identify assumptions requiring technical testing. We offer seamless progression to ransomware simulation, backup validation, purple team engagements, and full adversary emulation to validate your defenses.

Threat Intelligence Integration

Scenarios incorporate current ransomware TTPs from active threat groups. We monitor ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operations, leak sites, and underground forums to ensure exercises reflect real-world threats.

Industry Vertical Specialization

Deep experience in healthcare (HIPAA), financial services (GLBA, PCI DSS), manufacturing (OT/ICS), professional services, SaaS/technology, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Compliance & Insurance Ready

Documentation satisfies NIST CSF, ISO 27001, SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI DSS requirements. Reports accepted by major cyber insurance carriers for policy compliance and renewal.

No Sales Pressure Philosophy

Consultative approach focused on improving your security posture. Many clients implement findings internally. Those requiring technical validation appreciate our authentic recommendations—not aggressive upselling.

Trusted by Security Leaders

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100+ Exercises Conducted
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MITRE ATT&CK Aligned
2-3 Week Turnaround
Insurance Accepted

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you actually attack our systems during a ransomware tabletop exercise? +
No. A tabletop exercise is discussion-based only—no actual systems are compromised or tested. This allows organizations to validate incident response procedures, decision-making processes, and communication protocols without operational risk. If you require technical validation of your defenses, we offer separate ransomware simulation services where our red team conducts controlled adversary emulation against your production or staging environment.
How long does a ransomware tabletop engagement take? +
The facilitated exercise itself is typically 4 hours (half-day). The complete engagement spans 2-3 weeks: Week 1 for reconnaissance and scenario development, Week 2 for exercise execution, Week 3 for analysis and reporting. Our red team delivers the final gap analysis report and remediation roadmap within one week after the exercise, followed by 30 days of advisory support.
Will this satisfy our cyber insurance requirements for incident response testing? +
Yes, in most cases. Our ransomware tabletop exercises provide comprehensive documentation that demonstrates incident response preparedness, including participant lists, scenario details, findings, and remediation plans. This documentation is accepted by major cyber insurance carriers. We recommend sharing our report template with your insurance broker beforehand to confirm it meets your policy's specific requirements.
What if we don't have a formal incident response plan yet? +
Not a problem. Many organizations use ransomware tabletop exercises to develop their first incident response plan. Our red team facilitates the scenario-based discussion, documents how your team naturally responds to the simulated incident, and uses these findings to help you build a formalized IR plan. The exercise reveals what processes exist informally and what needs to be documented and standardized.
Can ransomware tabletop exercises be conducted remotely? +
Yes. While in-person exercises maximize engagement and collaboration, we've successfully facilitated dozens of remote tabletops via video conferencing platforms. We use breakout rooms for team discussions, digital collaboration tools for scenario documentation, and screen sharing for inject delivery. Remote exercises work well for geographically distributed teams or organizations with hybrid work policies.
How is a tabletop exercise different from a penetration test or red team engagement? +
Tabletop exercises test your people, processes, and organizational readiness through discussion-based scenarios. Penetration tests and red team engagements test your technical security controls by actually attempting to compromise systems. Both are valuable but assess different aspects of your security program. We often recommend starting with a tabletop to identify process gaps and technical assumptions, then conducting adversary simulation to validate those technical controls.
What industries and sectors do you work with? +
Bluefire Redteam has conducted ransomware tabletop exercises across multiple sectors: healthcare organizations (HIPAA compliance), financial services firms (GLBA, PCI DSS), manufacturing companies (OT/ICS environments), professional services, SaaS/technology companies, critical infrastructure operators, and government contractors. Our scenarios are customized to reflect industry-specific threats, regulatory requirements, and operational constraints.
What happens after the tabletop exercise is complete? +
You receive a comprehensive gap analysis report within one week, including an executive summary suitable for board presentation, detailed findings, prioritized remediation roadmap, and updated incident response procedures. The report identifies technical assumptions requiring validation through follow-on testing. We provide 30 days of advisory support to answer implementation questions.

Start Your Ransomware Readiness Assessment

Before scheduling a full tabletop exercise, evaluate your current ransomware defense posture with our free online assessment tool. Get instant coverage analysis, identify critical vulnerabilities, and receive a customized readiness score based on MITRE ATT&CK techniques targeting your industry.

Take Free Ransomware Defense Assessment ▶
5-Minute Assessment Instant Results No Credit Card Required Industry-Specific Analysis

Ready to Test Your Ransomware Incident Response?

Don't wait for a real ransomware attack to discover critical gaps in your incident response procedures. Schedule a consultation with our red team to discuss your organization's specific threat landscape, compliance requirements, and security objectives.

Response Time: < 24 hours | Engagement Timeline: 2-3 weeks

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The 2025 Cybersecurity Readiness Toolkit
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