Data Encryption – Restore from Backups

Exercise Goal	Key Participants	Length	Incident Severity
Rehearse technical roles and restoration procedures following a ransomware event.	District Tech Team and Backup Partners	2.5 hours	High

Resource Downloads

PDF Presentation | Google Slides Template | Facilitator’s Guide

Purpose

The objective of this exercise is to evaluate the technical team’s ability to restore critical systems and files following a data encryption (ransomware) event. Participants will test the efficacy of their restoration playbooks while practicing communication strategies for non-technical

Participant Profile

Primary: District Tech Team.
Support: Any external vendors or managed service providers (MSPs) involved in the district’s backup and restoration processes.

Prerequisites

A draft or finalized Cybersecurity Incident Response Plan (CSIRP).
A draft or finalized Data/System Restore Playbook (Technical Runbook).

Prioritized Outcomes

Plan Validation & Optimization: Identify gaps in current planning and technical documentation to refine and validate incident response plans and playbooks.
Role & Skill Alignment: Clarify specific roles and responsibilities while identifying gaps in team coordination, knowledge or technical skills.
Operational Readiness: Train personnel on plan execution and rehearse response procedures to build the “muscle memory” needed for a swift, instinctive reaction.
Strategic Coordination & Awareness: Enhance communication across different departments and deepen the collective understanding of threat types, business impacts, and prevention.

Facilitator Notes

Technical vs. Strategic: While this exercise is technical, push the team to translate their actions into “business impact.” For example, instead of just discussing “Veeam recovery points,” have them practice explaining to a Superintendent why a certain system will take six hours to return to service.

The “Clean Room” Dilemma: A key part of this exercise is the tension between wanting to restore data quickly and the forensic necessity of ensuring the environment is “clean” so the encryption doesn’t happen again immediately.