When playing cards becomes a (useful!) exercise

ICANN meetings are notorious for presentations and discussions – not for playing cards. However, at ICANN81, the TLD-OPS Standing Committee turned the tables with its Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Tabletop Exercise (BC/DR TTX) focused on ransomware. This exercise was designed to help the almost 60 participants strengthen their ability to respond to cyber threats and improve their resilience in the face of disruptions.

Did the cards and facilitators look familiar to you? You are right! The BC/DR TTX built on previous exercises, including the recent Joint Crisis Management Exercise at the CENTR Jamboree in May 2024, organised by the European TLD ISAC and co-facilitated and supported by Dirk Jumpertz and Kristof Tuyteleers, TLD ISAC Working Group Chair and Vice-Chair. This TLD-OPS exercise was co-chaired by Jacques Latour (.ca) and Régis Massé (.fr), who is also a member of the TLD ISAC Steering Committee.

As with the TLD ISAC exercise, participants were confronted with a scenario (this time a ransomware attack) and collaborated with colleagues from other ccTLDs, assuming various roles and responsibilities. Much like a card game where each player has to react and adapt to changing circumstances, the exercise required participants to make quick decisions and work together effectively to respond to the attack and develop business continuity strategies.