CISA CTEP-Aligned — OT/ICS Edition

Executive Tabletop Exercise
Command Dashboard

22 ready-to-run cybersecurity exercises — ICS/OT threat scenarios, board-level discussion guides, sector-specific injects, and facilitation toolkits. Powered by CISA CTEP frameworks and OT/ICS threat intelligence.

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Exercise Packages
CISA CTEP-Aligned
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Critical Sectors
Infrastructure Covered
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% Ransomware ↑
Against OT (2025 Data)
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Days Avg Dwell Time
In OT Networks
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ICS Malware Families
Ever Discovered (2 in 2024)
Exercise Framework

How a Skyhigh Cybersecurity Tabletop Exercise Runs

📋
Planning
Scope definition, participant invitations, facilitator prep
1–2 Weeks Prior
📡
Threat Brief
OT intelligence briefing, current threat landscape
30 Minutes
Module 1
Initial incident scenario injects and discussion
60–90 Minutes
🛡️
Module 2
Escalation, response, recovery, and stakeholder decisions
60–90 Minutes
📊
Hot Wash + AAR
Immediate feedback, strengths, gaps, improvement plan
30–45 Minutes
22 Ready-to-Run Exercises

Select Your Tabletop Scenario

Filter:
OT / ICS

Industrial Control Systems Compromise

A nation-state affiliated threat actor conducts a spear-phishing campaign targeting IT/OT convergence personnel. Lateral movement into OT networks results in adversary access to SCADA HMI. Physical process manipulation is attempted on critical production systems.

ICS/SCADA Intrusion VOLTZITE IEC 62443
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 8–15 Players
Advanced
Electricity / Power Grid

Electric Grid SCADA Attack

VOLTZITE reconnaissance activity is detected targeting the electricity subsector. Intrusion into energy management systems via a compromised third-party vendor escalates to potential disruption of grid stability controls and substation automation systems.

Grid SCADA Intrusion VOLTZITE NERC CIP
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 10–18 Players
Advanced
Chemical / Process

Chemical Facility Process Disruption

A cyber intrusion at a chemical manufacturing facility exploits the IT/OT convergence boundary. Adversary access to distributed control systems (DCS) creates risk of unintended chemical process manipulation, safety system bypass, and hazardous material release.

DCS / SIS Attack BAUXITE IEC 61511
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Advanced
Dams / Hydroelectric

Hydroelectric Dam Control System Attack

Threat actors exploit remote access vulnerabilities in hydroelectric facility SCADA to gain control over water flow management systems. Unauthorized manipulation of sluice gate controls and turbine management presents catastrophic downstream consequences.

SCADA Manipulation KAMACITE NIST 800-82r3
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 8–15 Players
Advanced
Water / Wastewater

Water Treatment SCADA Intrusion

A threat actor gains remote access to a water treatment facility's operational technology network. Chemical dosing systems are targeted — unauthorized modification of chlorine levels poses immediate public health risk and activates multi-agency emergency response protocols.

OT Remote Access Exploit BAUXITE / CARR AWIA 2018
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Intermediate
Maritime / Ports

Port Operations Technology Attack

A coordinated cyber attack targeting a major port's cargo management and operational technology systems disrupts crane automation, vessel tracking (AIS), and gate systems. IT/OT convergence in port infrastructure creates simultaneous physical and cyber impacts.

OT/IT Convergence Attack VOLTZITE IMO 2021
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–16 Players
Intermediate
Critical Manufacturing

Smart Factory SCADA Disruption

A sophisticated attack on a critical manufacturing facility's Industry 4.0 infrastructure compromises production SCADA, robotics controllers, and quality management systems. The adversary pivots from an OEM vendor VPN connection to achieve persistent OT access.

Vendor VPN Pivot GRAPHITE IEC 62443
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 10–18 Players
Advanced
Cross-Sector

Ransomware — IT to OT Propagation

A RansomHub affiliate deploys ransomware that begins on corporate IT but propagates across the IT/OT boundary. Production systems halt. Operators face a decision: continue manual operations with safety risk or shut down entirely while attackers demand a multi-million dollar ransom.

Ransomware + OT RansomHub / LockBit NIST CSF 2.0
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 6–14 Players
Intermediate
Cross-Sector

Vendor & Supply Chain Compromise

A trusted OT automation vendor is compromised. Malicious code embedded in a legitimate software update is pushed to 47 client sites simultaneously. The backdoor provides persistent access to OT networks across multiple critical infrastructure sectors before detection.

Supply Chain / ISAC GRAPHITE IEC 62443 SR 1.3
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 8–15 Players
Advanced
Cross-Sector

Insider Threat — Privileged OT Access

A disgruntled operations engineer with privileged access to OT systems is recruited by a foreign intelligence service. Over 90 days, the insider exfiltrates network topology, SCADA configurations, and SIS documentation — providing a roadmap for a future destructive attack.

Insider / Espionage State-Sponsored NIST SP 800-82r3
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Advanced
Cross-Sector

Sustained DDoS on Industrial Systems

A 96-hour sustained DDoS campaign targets internet-facing OT management interfaces, historian servers, and remote monitoring portals. Combined with selective BGP route hijacking, adversaries sever remote monitoring visibility across distributed critical infrastructure assets.

DDoS / BGP Hijack CARR / Hacktivist NIST CSF — Protect
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 6–12 Players
Intermediate
Cross-Sector

Open Source / Software Supply Chain

A malicious package masquerading as a legitimate Python library used in industrial automation toolchains is downloaded 14,000 times before detection. The package installs a reverse shell enabling persistent access to engineering workstations connected to OT environments.

Open Source Malware Criminal / State IEC 62443 SR 3.4
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 6–12 Players
Intermediate
Defense Industrial

Defense Industrial Base Contractor Breach

A Tier-2 defense contractor is breached via spear-phishing. The adversary exfiltrates OT schematics, network diagrams, and ITAR-controlled technical data over 6 months. The breach is only discovered when a ISAC threat intelligence alert matches behavioural patterns.

Espionage / IP Theft GRAPHITE / VOLTZITE CMMC Level 2
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Advanced
Healthcare

Hospital OT & Medical Device Attack

Ransomware targeting hospital enterprise systems propagates to building management, HVAC, and connected medical devices. ICU patient monitoring systems go offline. Clinical operations revert to manual procedures during peak hours as attackers threaten to release patient data.

Ransomware + Medical OT Play / BlackCat HIPAA / FDA
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–16 Players
Intermediate
Financial Services

Financial Infrastructure Cyber Attack

A coordinated attack targets a major financial institution's transaction processing systems and ATM network. Simultaneous DDoS on banking portals and a SWIFT messaging compromise creates customer-facing disruption while adversaries attempt fraudulent international transfers.

SWIFT Compromise / DDoS Lazarus Group DORA / PCI DSS
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–15 Players
Intermediate
Food & Agriculture

Food Processing OT Sabotage

A nation-state actor targets a major food processing corporation's smart agriculture and production automation systems. Manipulation of chemical additive dosing systems and cold chain management creates a public health incident affecting millions of distributed food products.

OT Sabotage State-Sponsored FDA FSMA / IEC 62443
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Advanced
Communications

Rural Broadband & Telecom Disruption

A coordinated attack on rural broadband infrastructure providers severs connectivity to 340,000 subscribers, disabling SCADA monitoring for remote OT assets across energy, water, and agricultural sectors that depend on cellular and fiber backhaul for operational visibility.

Telecom OT Dependency KAMACITE FCC / NIST CSF
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–14 Players
Intermediate
Commercial Facilities

Smart Building Systems Attack

Threat actors compromise building management systems (BMS) across a high-occupancy commercial complex — HVAC, elevators, physical access control, and fire suppression are manipulated. The attack targets a critical infrastructure tenant operating OT systems within the facility.

BMS / BACnet Attack Criminal Affiliate NIST SP 800-82r3
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 6–12 Players
Intermediate
Oil & Gas

FPSO / Upstream OT Incident

GRAPHITE targets a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel's SCADA systems via a compromised automation vendor. Process historian manipulation masks anomalous production behaviour while adversaries pre-position on Safety Instrumented Systems for potential destructive action.

FPSO SCADA + SIS GRAPHITE IEC 61511 / API 1164
⏱ 3–4 Hours
👥 10–18 Players
Advanced
Executive Leadership

Board-Level OT Cyber Crisis

The CEO receives a call at 2AM: production has halted at two facilities. IT confirms ransomware. OT team cannot confirm containment. The board wants answers in 4 hours. This exercise tests executive decision-making, crisis communication, media strategy, and regulatory notification timelines.

Crisis Management RansomHub NIS2 / Board Fiduciary
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 5–10 Executives
Intermediate
Local Government

Municipal Critical Infrastructure Attack

A coordinated cyberattack targets a mid-size city's water, traffic management, and emergency services OT infrastructure simultaneously. The attack coincides with a severe weather event, compounding response complexity and testing inter-agency coordination under dual-crisis conditions.

Multi-System Attack Hacktivist / State NIST CSF / CISA CPG
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–16 Players
Intermediate
Information Technology

IT Infrastructure Compromise → OT Spillover

A zero-day in a widely deployed enterprise SIEM platform grants adversaries persistent access to the corporate network. Over 72 hours the threat actor pivots toward OT boundary devices. IT and OT teams struggle to coordinate response across separate reporting chains and security tools.

IT/OT Convergence Incident ELECTRUM IEC 62443 / NIST 800-82
⏱ 2–3 Hours
👥 8–15 Players
Intermediate
Threat Intelligence Overlay

Actor × Sector Threat Matrix

THREAT ACTOR
Electric
Oil & Gas
Water
Chemical
Maritime
Mfg
Govt/Local
🇨🇳 VOLTZITE
🇷🇺 GRAPHITE (APT28)
🇷🇺 KAMACITE
🇮🇷 BAUXITE
🇷🇺 ELECTRUM
💰 RansomHub
🏭 CARR (Hacktivist)
High Priority Medium Low Not Observed Source: OT/ICS Security Research 2025
Facilitator Toolkit

Exercise Planning Resources

📋
Exercise Planner Handbook
Step-by-step guide for planning and executing a CTEP tabletop exercise from invitations to after-action reporting.
CTEP Planner Handbook (CISA 2021)
🎯
Facilitator & Evaluator Guide
Role guidance for exercise facilitators, note-takers, and evaluators. Includes inject timing and discussion moderation techniques.
CTEP Facilitator Handbook (CISA 2020)
📊
After-Action Report Template
Structured AAR/IP template to capture strengths, areas for improvement, and a corrective action plan following each exercise.
CTEP AAR/IP Template (CISA 2020)
🛡️
OT Threat Intelligence
87% increase in ransomware attacks on industrial organizations. 23 OT-focused threat groups tracked. VOLTZITE, GRAPHITE, BAUXITE activity mapped to your sector.
2025 OT/ICS Year in Review
Briefing
Module 1
Module 2
Hot Wash
00:00