Charlotte Douglas International Airport Strengthens Cyber Incident Preparedness Through Tabletop Exercise
CLT engaged Bridewell to deliver a cyber incident tabletop exercise, creating a realistic scenario that encouraged stakeholders to consider continuity planning, operational decision-making and the manual processes that may be required during a cyber event.
The Challenge
Cyber incidents at an airport have the potential to affect a wide range of operational areas, teams and external partners. For Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), effective preparation therefore depended on more than the response of its cyber security team. CLT wanted to engage its internal and external stakeholders in a wider conversation about the operational impact of a cyberattack. The airport also wanted to set realistic expectations for their stakeholder population on how operations could be maintained during an incident, including the role of continuity of operations planning and backup manual processes. The objective was to get the relevant stakeholders thinking practically about how they would respond and work together to maintain operational flow during a cyber event.
The Solution
Charlotte Douglas International Airport considered multiple cyber security firms before selecting Bridewell. CLT chose Bridewell based on the detail of our proposal and their previous familiarity with our ability to deliver active and relevant tabletop exercises. Bridewell designed and delivered a cyber incident tabletop exercise for Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The exercise centered on a realistic cyber scenario and was structured to engage relevant internal and external stakeholders in the response. Rather than focusing solely on the technical aspects of an incident, the tabletop encouraged participants to consider the wider operational consequences and how airport services could continue under challenging circumstances.
“The collaboration is amazing, and the turn around time on the work products was amazing.”
Throughout the exercise, participants were prompted to consider areas including:
- The potential impact of a cyber incident on airport operations
- How different internal and external stakeholders would coordinate their response
- Realistic expectations for maintaining operational flow during an incident
- Continuity of operations planning
- The use of backup manual processes where normal systems or processes were unavailable
The scenario and progression of the tabletop were designed to remain relevant to CLT and encourage practical discussion between participants. Following the exercise, CLT described both the scenario and its flow as well thought out and highly relevant. Bridewell also worked closely with the CLT team throughout the engagement, with the airport highlighting the strength of the collaboration and the rapid turnaround of work products.
The Results
The cyber incident tabletop exercise helped Charlotte Douglas International Airport improve engagement with its internal teams and external partners around cyber incident preparedness. By bringing stakeholders together around a realistic scenario, the exercise gave participants an opportunity to consider how they would maintain airport operations during a cyber event and better understand the roles that continuity planning and manual processes could play in the response. CLT was highly positive about the engagement, specifically citing the collaboration with Bridewell, the turnaround time of deliverables and the relevance of the tabletop exercise. The airport also confirmed that it would consider working with Bridewell again.
