CISOs Must Rethink The Tabletop, As 57% Of Incidents Have Never Been Rehearsed
CSO Online, Monday, October 13th, 2025
Security experts believe many cyber tabletops try to be too specific, while others argue they should focus on smaller, more nuanced attacks, as those are more likely what security teams will face.
Nearly three out of every five (57%) significant cyber incidents involve attacks the cybersecurity team had not prepared for, suggesting CISOs need to re-evaluate - and in some cases recommit to - their tabletop strategies.
According to the Cytactic 2025 State of Cyber Incident Response Management (CIRM) Report, which surveyed '480 senior US cybersecurity leaders, including 165 CISOs,' that 57% figure 'reveals a major vulnerability. Organizations often train for known threats like ransomware, but these incidents prove that the real chaos comes from the unexpected.'