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Insider Crisis Simulations

NPSA has developed innovative, immersive exercises to help you experience insider events in a safe space. This allows you to test your crisis communications response, using effective communication to break down organisational silos

Last Updated 29 July 2024

Effective communication is critical in helping leaders be insider risk-ready. It goes beyond managing reputational risk, it can make an organisation less vulnerable to attack in the first place, and should an event occur, enhances how well it recovers reputational trust, inside and out.  Combining the expertise of NPSA behavioural scientists with crisis communication specialists, these immersive courses help make insider risk relevant to all our customers. Scenarios for unauthorised disclosure and sabotage have been extensively tested with testimonials and evaluation data supporting their effectiveness as learning tools. The advance immersive simulations come at a cost, but following successful pilot user testing we are pleased to be able to offer two free table top exercises which can deliver the same impact.

Put your preparedness to the test with NPSA’s insider simulation exercises.

people around a table behind shattered glass

Find the right simulation for you

Simulations are designed for all organisational types with offerings including paid for services and a free tabletop style exercise:

 

Services for Free:

NPSA have developed two scenarios that can be run as table-top exercises, one focused on unauthorised disclosure, another based on sabotage. Both scenarios take place in a fictional private sector tech company, and participants must navigate a series of events as the crisis unfolds.

All the materials you need to run your own tabletop exercise are now available here to free. Decide which of the following scenarios would suit you best and download the resources.

Services you can pay for:

*emails will be sent to NPSA's external course provider

Compare Options

 

Self Serve

Free

Join an Industry Team

From £500 pp

Bespoke

From £9,950

  You’re in charge of a fictional company when an insider event strikes. This free Train-the-Trainer toolkit includes all you need to role play your way through the crisis and apply the learnings back to your team. Resources include crisis plotline, facilitator notes and injects to prompt action, discussion and reappraisal.  Manage an insider event as it breaks in a fictional company. Learn from industry peers at this ticketed event where expert facilitators will lead you through a range of developments, responding in real-time to internal and external stimulus. Can you get ahead of the crisis? Reflection on what your organisation might do differently. Bring an insider event inside your organisation. This half-day workshop, delivered by Polpeo is fully customised for your organisation. This 4-hour workshop, you’ll feel how an insider event could impact you in real time. How do you fare? How would you prevent, manage and recover differently next time?
Immersive ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Collaborative ✔️ ✔️ ✔️
Fee   ✔️ ✔️
Real-Time Responses   ✔️ ✔️
Customisable     ✔️

Proven Effectiveness

Designed by NPSA behavioural scientists and crisis communications specialists, the scenarios are inspired by real life events and test unauthorised disclosure, sabotage and physical threat (violence). Tested with security and non-security leaders, NPSA data suggests that:

  • 92% found the exercises supported their learning goals
  • 82% had an improved understanding of insider risk and what to do
  • 79% knew what to do during an insider event
  • 87% agreed that immersive learning was effective in helping think about how an insider-related crisis may be different from any other crisis
  • 93% would recommend the training to a friend or colleague
Source: NPSA IR Simulation Review 2023-2024

Civil Nuclear Constabulary logo“Insider risk is complex but the session was able to engage with the audience in a way that a presentation couldn’t and related the subject back to specific roles. The feedback from participants has been overwhelmingly positive and has sparked conversations that will help drive our strategy.” 

Civil Nuclear Constabulary, October 2023

AWE logo"The IR simulation enabled senior stakeholders who engage with security less frequently to grapple with the complex demands of an emerging security emergency and consider how mitigating actions would play out in our environment. This has and will continue to enhance the way we operate.” 

Atomic Weapons Establishment, February 2024

“The task opened my eyes to the communication aspect. Being careful about what information we release, but how to reassure the public at the same time was an interesting dynamic and one I enjoyed”.

Defence Security, January 2024

The Power of Practice

See how practice can help you.

View Video Transcript

Our management team is having an internal meeting in their board room.

 

NEW INTRO TITLE: (Typed on screen over the top of our footage)

Wednesday 9.03am

Just an ordinary team meeting

Until…


SFX: Someone’s phone rings.

VISUAL: One of the team takes the call. Their face suddenly drops. 

 

VO: SECURITY HAS JUST ALERTED YOU…

VISUAL: Cracks appear on the edges of the screen.

 

VO: THE SENSITIVE INFORMATION THAT YOUR ORGANISATION HAS DEVELOPED…IT’S BEEN LEAKED, OR STOLEN!

VISUAL: We cut in on the reactions from the team. They look horrified.

 

FADE TO SHOW A PASSAGE OF TIME

 

Someone hurriedly walks into the room clutching a memo for them to read.

VO: I.T CONFIRM IT’S COME FROM YOUR SERVERS, SO ONE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES HAS DONE THIS.

 

SFX: The cracks start to spread and become more noticeable.

 

VO: THE LEAK COULD DAMAGE YOUR REPUTATION, PUBLIC CONFIDENCE, EVEN RUIN YOUR ORGANISATION

VISUAL: As team members sit head in hands, oversized shattered words flash on screen: REPUTATION, CONFIDENCE

 

FADE TO ANOTHER PASSAGE OF TIME

 

SFX: Suddenly, their laptops all simultaneously ping loudly.

VO: IT’S NOW ALL OVER A NEWS OUTLET.

VISUAL: The cracks on screen immediately deepen and splinter into more cracks.

 

VO: THE BOARD IS ASKING QUESTIONS. EVERY SECOND COUNTS. WHAT’S THE RIGHT RESPONSE?

 

We hold on our team looking out of their depth. Clearly no one has a defined action plan.

 

VO: SHOULD AN INSIDER EVENT HIT YOUR ORGANISATION, WILL YOU BE READY? 


Someone steps into frame. They clap their hands to immediately break the tension and begin to address the group. 

 

COACH: (to the group) WELL DONE! REHEARSING BUILDS UP YOUR ‘MUSCLE MEMORY’ AND GETS YOU INSIDER RISK READY.

It is the session coach and this is an Insider Crisis Simulation workshop. Our team are sitting back looking relaxed and ready to learn more.

 

VO: YOU’VE BEEN WATCHING AN INSIDER CRISIS SIMULATION.

 

VO: PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL PROTECTIVE SECURITY AUTHORITY, THESE WORKSHOPS HELP PREPARE AND PROTECT ORGANISATIONS LIKE YOURS FROM THE THREAT OF INSIDER EVENTS.

 

As our VO continues, we animate some of the key benefits on the screen.

 

VISUAL & VO:

  • The effective immersive simulations
  • are designed to stress-test your response
  • in a secure learning environment.
  • It builds confidence
  • and will increase your team’s resilience

 

VO: YOU CAN SELECT THE SCENARIO THAT BEST SUITS YOUR ORGANISATION. CHOOSE FROM 3 TYPES OF INSIDER EVENT.

 

VISUAL: Big words displaying the different scenarios flash on screen:

 

Unauthorised Disclosure

Sabotage

Physical Threat


VO: THESE EVENTS ARE SERIOUS WITH CASES RISING SIGNIFICANTLY, AT HUGE COST TO ORGANISATIONS.

 

VO: IF YOU HAVE PEOPLE WORKING FOR YOU, YOU HAVE INSIDER RISK.
 

VO: SO, THE MORE PREPARED YOU ARE, THE LESS IMPACT WILL BE CAUSED.

VISUAL: NPSA animated logo / BE INSIDER RISK READY lockup

 

VO: TO BE INSIDER RISK READY, VISIT NPSA.GOV.UK/INSIDER-RISK

 

VISUAL: npsa.gov.uk/insider-risk 

 

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