Aly McDevitt

Whether fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric pays the ransom or not in the aftermath of its cyber incident, the two pathways quickly splinter off in different directions with varied endings, each with important lessons to be learned.

The “patient zero” of fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric’s ransomware crisis learns her fate.

The field of cybersecurity features a growing list of terminology to describe the many forms, channels, and motivations behind cyberattacks and hacking culture. Learn further definitions for some key terms featured throughout the ransomware case study.

No matter what, the deck is stacked against fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric as it weighs whether to pay the $5 million ransom demanded by a cybercriminal who breached its systems. Which path do you take?

With Day 2 of fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric’s ransomware crisis comes the need to grasp the extent of its situation. The cyber incident response team’s synchronized efforts are pivotal as time is of the essence.

Systems at fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric remain impacted in the aftermath of a ransomware attack, but the chief executive decides it’s time to be forthright with employees and customers.

When one of fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric’s most dedicated employees falls victim to a social engineering hack, her actions in the immediate aftermath are crucial to what will soon become a crisis for the C-suite.

Following the events that triggered a double extortion ransomware attack, the CEO of fictional private utility company Vulnerable Electric mobilizes her cyber incident response team to begin assessing the path forward to dealing with the cybercriminal(s).