Cyber Drill 101: Preparing for a Cyber Attack with Zero Budget

In today’s digital age, cybersecurity is akin to a modern form of defense, akin to locking your doors at night or looking both ways before you cross the street. For university students or beginners, who are interested in the threat of cyber attacks, preparing and practicing through cyber drills can be as essential as a fire drill.

What is a Cyber Drill?

Imagine a fire drill, but for computers. A cyber drill is a simulated cyber attack on your system that helps you practice how to respond if the bad guys ever try to breach your digital walls. It’s a test-run for your cyber defences — without the risk of a real attack.

Why Cyber Drills?

Think of a cyber drill as your very own cybersecurity fire drill. It prepares you for the real thing by letting you:

• Practice Makes Perfect: Like a mock exam before the finals, it helps you practice dealing with cyber threats.
• Spot the Weaknesses: Just as you’d find the cracks in your study plan, a cyber drill helps identify the vulnerabilities in your systems.
• Teamwork: It encourages collaboration among your classmates or colleagues, much like a group project.

Examples of Cyber Drills

1. Phishing Simulation: Your university IT team sends a fake phishing email to see who takes the bait.
2. Password Crack Marathon: A contest to see how quickly students can identify weak passwords among a sample set.

Steps to Prepare for a Cyber Drill

1. Set Clear Goals: Are you testing how quickly you can detect a virus or how well you can avoid phishing scams?
2. Pick Your Team: Gather a group of fellow students or work with your university’s IT department.
3. Craft Your Scenario: Design a realistic cyber attack scenario. Maybe a hacker is trying to steal exam papers.
4. Brief the Participants: Make sure everyone knows their role. Who’s the hacker, and who’s the defender?

Free Tools and Resources

You don’t need expensive software to run a cyber drill. Here are some free tools:

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Tools: Use these to gather information that mimics what an attacker would collect before an attack.

• CSO Online’s list of OSINT tools
• SANS Institute’s explanation of OSINT
• UpGuard’s top tools and techniques for OSINT
• Imperva’s overview of OSINT techniques and tools
• Hunter’s best OSINT tools
• SEON’s top OSINT software and tools

Security Onion: A free and open-source Linux distribution for intrusion detection, enterprise security monitoring, and log management.

• Security Onion Solutions
• Security Onion Documentation
• Security Onion Blog for the latest version
• Security Onion on GitHub
• Security Onion on SourceForge

Kali Linux: A Debian-based Linux distribution aimed at advanced penetration testing and security auditing, with numerous tools for various information security tasks.

• Kali Linux Official Website
• Official Kali Linux Documentation for Downloading
• Kali Linux 2023.3 Download on TechSpot
• Installing Kali Linux Instructions

Metasploit Framework: An open-source project that provides information about security vulnerabilities and aids in penetration testing and IDS signature development.

• Metasploit Official Download Page
• GitHub page for Metasploit Framework Downloads
• Getting Started with Metasploit for Penetration Testing
• Installing the Metasploit Framework — Rapid7 Documentation
• Nightly Installers for Metasploit Documentation

Before the Drill

• Inform: Let everyone know the drill is happening to avoid unnecessary panic.
• Backup: Ensure you have backups of all your data, just in case.
• Check the Laws: Make sure your cyber drill doesn’t accidentally break any rules.

During the Drill

• Carry Out the Simulation: Follow your outlined steps to pretend-hack your own system or defend against a pretend threat. Keep a close eye to make sure this mock run doesn’t interfere with any of your actual campus systems.
• Track Everything: Keep a detailed record of how everyone reacts to each test situation. Note down how you all communicate, make decisions, and handle the technical tasks.

After the Drill

• Hold a Team Meeting: Once the drill wraps up, get everyone together to talk about the highs and lows — what worked and what needs work.
• Grade Your Skills: Look at how the team did compared to what you all aimed to do. Did you meet your goals? Where could you do better?
• Write It Down: Put together a summary of everything that happened during the drill. Highlight what you need to fix and any smart moves you want to remember.
• Make Changes: Take what you learned from this experience and tweak your plan for dealing with cyber incidents. It’s all about getting better for next time.

Running a cyber drill is about being proactive rather than reactive. By simulating an attack, you’re not just preparing to fend off the hackers; you’re putting up a sign that says, “Move along, nothing to see here,” making your cyber presence a hard target.

Remember, in the realm of cybersecurity, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So, go ahead and run your cyber drills — it’s the smart way to stay one step ahead in the cyber game!