What type of simulation should a security analyst perform to determine if all parties know how to respond effectively?

A tabletop exercise is a simulation that allows security analysts to evaluate how well all parties involved understand their roles and responsibilities during a particular incident or scenario. This type of exercise typically takes the form of a guided discussion where participants walk through the steps they would take in response to a predefined scenario, without the need for technical resources or actual deployment of systems.

The key benefit of a tabletop exercise is that it promotes communication and coordination among various stakeholders, helping to clarify procedures and ensure everyone understands the response plan. By engaging in this type of interactive simulation, participants can identify gaps in knowledge, procedures, or coordination that may exist, enabling them to address those weaknesses proactively before an actual incident occurs.

In contrast, other options such as checklists and walk-throughs provide valuable information but do not offer the same level of interactive engagement or the opportunity for real-time assessment of situational understanding among team members. Active failover refers to a technical process related to system redundancy and availability, which is not directly relevant to assessing response understanding among personnel.