Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach
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Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach

Exercises

Prepare for the cyber incidents you are most likely to face

Cyber incidents are no longer rare, technical events. They disrupt everyday operations, affect public trust, and force organizations to make decisions with incomplete information and under time pressure.

Our cyber exercises are designed to help organizations practice decision-making, coordination, and continuity of operations during cyber disruption — not just technical recovery.

We offer two complementary exercise approaches:

Each exercise type serves a different purpose and audience, and many organizations use both over time.

What these exercises are designed to do

Our exercises help organizations:
  • Clarify roles and responsibilities during a cyber incident
  • Improve communication and decision-making under uncertainty
  • Practice keeping the organization operating while systems are disrupted
  • Identify gaps in plans, assumptions, and coordination
  • Strengthen relationships across departments and partner organizations
  • Leave with practical, actionable improvement ideas

These exercises are discussion-based, realistic, and designed to reflect the incidents organizations actually experience.

If you want toChooseWho participatesTypical Duration
Practice leadership, communication, and continuity during a cyber incidentCIMENon-IT leaders, administrators, frontline staff1 to 3 hours
Explore technical and organizational response togetherCySimIT staff and leadership/operations2 to 6 hours
Build capacity to run exercises locallyCIME Facilitator Training4 to 5 hours

Note: IT staff may help design CIME scenarios but do not participate as players during the exercise.

  • CIME

    CIME exercises focus on the people who must make operational, legal, financial, and communication decisions during a cyber incident — often before technical details are fully understood.

    CIME

  • CySim

    CySIM exercises bring together IT professionals, organizational leaders, and operational staff to explore how technical response, decision-making, and coordination interact during complex cyber incidents.

    CySim

  • Training

    To scale these exercises across Iowa and beyond, we train facilitators to deliver CIME exercises in their own communities and organizations.

    Facilitator Training

  • Scenarios

    We maintain a growing library of cyber scenario videos and exercise materials that support CIME and CySIM delivery.

    Scenarios

CIME: Cybersecurity Incident Management Exercise

Video

CIME City Simulation

Iowa Cyber Resilience Initiative

Center for Cybersecurity Innovation & Outreach

cyio@iastate.edu

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