Off to the power plant: VR simulation game from Kaspersky puts executives in the IT security department of an industrial company as awareness training. The cybersecurity strategy simulation game Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation is now available in a VR version.
The participants are placed in a power plant scenario in which they "work" as information security specialists. You'll learn first-hand how cybersecurity decisions affect business and better understand the direct link between cybersecurity and organizational efficiency.
Link between cybersecurity and efficiency
Because different business areas have different objectives and priorities, it can be difficult to understand the specific needs and roles of other business areas. This can lead to delays in approvals or arbitrary budget cuts. A recent Kaspersky survey shows that bureaucratic challenges such as a lengthy approval process (31 percent) or too many decision-makers (23 percent) are among the most common obstacles when introducing IT security projects.
Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation is a special simulation strategy game for executives to help them better understand cybersecurity and its potential impact. It is now also available as a virtual reality (VR) version. This makes the game's power plant scenario even clearer, as decision-makers can now fully immerse themselves in the work of the IT security department.
Course of the simulation game
All participants are divided into several opposing teams that play the game in parallel. They take on the roles of employees in the IT security department in power plants. With the help of VR glasses, the players are "transported" to the control center, where they see their team members in the form of graphic avatars and a model of the facility. From the windows they have a view of various plants and a city that supplies the company with electricity.
In the simulation, the players receive cards with proactive and reactive measures (Image: Kaspersky).
Their job is to develop and execute an IT security strategy that will keep the power plant running and generate revenue - while reacting to cybersecurity incidents in the game. To do this, players select cards with proactive and reactive measures, for example to conduct a security audit, buy endpoint protection solutions or publish a press release in case something goes wrong.
Serious case options in the game
Every reaction by the teams affects the company's budget and security situation, thus changing the plot of the game. After each round, the game coach informs the teams about the results. The team with the higher revenue at the end of the game wins. If the strategy was inadequate, the players see and experience the effects immediately: For example, if the cyber criminals exploited weak points in the company's IT infrastructure, equipment was damaged, a power failure was caused or cleaning filters were manipulated so that the air was poisoned.
By simulating real-world events, executives better understand the impact cybersecurity initiatives, or lack of them, have on their business. Ultimately, this allows them to view cybersecurity budgets as a strategic investment in their business.
Decisions and effects
“In the course of the global lockdowns, we have transferred our Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation to an online format,” explains Denis Barinov, Head of Kaspersky Academy. “While this was quite successful, we found that the participants simply lacked the physical attributes of the game – for example, being able to see their teammates or the physical game's paper maps. VR offers these possibilities and more - now you can not only hear when there is an explosion in the plant, but you will also see it from the window. Such an extensive experience increases the effectiveness of the training.”
Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation is part of the Kaspersky Security Awareness portfolio, which combines modern learning techniques with the extensive know-how of the cybersecurity provider. The following link leads to a PDF with an extended explanation of the simulation.
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About Kaspersky Kaspersky is an international cybersecurity company founded in 1997. Kaspersky's in-depth threat intelligence and security expertise serve as the basis for innovative security solutions and services to protect companies, critical infrastructures, governments and private users worldwide. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection as well as a range of specialized security solutions and services to defend against complex and evolving cyber threats. Kaspersky technologies protect over 400 million users and 250.000 corporate customers. More information about Kaspersky can be found at www.kaspersky.com/