Strength through collaboration and preparation: MSU-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative hosts cyber tabletop exercise on healthcare scenarios

VICKSBURG, Miss.—Protection of personal healthcare information is a well-established right for patients, and technology underpins almost every aspect of healthcare operations.

But what happens when patient data is targeted by cyber criminals, or ransomware attacks bring hospital operations to a halt?

Stakeholders from across the Magnolia State explored those scenarios in Vicksburg recently as the Mississippi State University-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative, or MCI, held a cyber tabletop exercise focused on the healthcare sector. The organizing team included the Mississippi Hospital Association, Mississippi Cyber Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation and national Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

The collaborative event, held at ERDCWERX’s event space in the Mississippi Center for Innovation and Technology, or MCITy, provided information, best practices and risk mitigation strategies to agencies combating ransomware attacks.

Mississippi Sen. Briggs Hopson said that as an attorney and a state official, he often sees the negative impacts created by cyber incidents such as data breaches and ransomware attacks. He noted that in addition to helping prepare industry and government to face these challenges, efforts like the MCI position the state to grow its technology sector.

“We want our state to be a leader in technology,” Hopson said. “We want to create the kinds of jobs that keep our best and brightest in Mississippi. What you all are doing today helps us with that.”

 A cyber tabletop exercise is a simulation-based activity designed to help organizations prepare for potential cybersecurity incidents. It typically involves a group of key stakeholders—such as IT professionals, security teams, legal advisors, public relations staff and senior executives—who work through hypothetical cyberattack scenarios in a structured setting.

The main goal of a cyber tabletop exercise is to test and refine an organization’s incident response plan, decision-making processes, communication strategies and coordination among various teams when facing a cyberattack. While the exercise does not involve live systems or actual attacks, it helps participants think critically and make decisions on how to respond to different cybersecurity challenges, such as data breaches, ransomware attacks or denial-of-service incidents.

Richard Roberson, CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association, shared insights from the challenges medical facilities face in keeping systems secure. Several state agencies, including the Mississippi Cyber Unit and Mississippi Insurance Department, also provided information on how to best address cyber incidents.

The MCI was created in 2021 to meet the challenges of the cybersecurity reality in the state and around the nation, positioning Mississippi as a leader in a field that will be of critical importance in the years and decades ahead. The mission of MCI is to provide statewide leadership that prepares Mississippi’s future economy through unparalleled collaboration and innovation in cybersecurity. It leverages the collective expertise among academia; the private sector; state, federal and local government; law enforcement; the U.S. Department of Defense; and the Mississippi National Guard.

Jim Martin, MSU associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development, highlighted some of the successful collaborations and capabilities that have been established through MCI, such as a digital forensics lab that supports law enforcement investigations and a cyber ecosystem that can be used for K-12, university and industry training scenarios.

“The success of this initiative is based on the collaboration of people in this room,” Martin said. “You are all getting together and solving problems, and it is having a great impact on the state.”

Future plans for MCI include construction of the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center, a 100,000-square-foot building planned on Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. The facility will serve as MCI headquarters and includes space for government, military and industry partners, as well as event space.

For more on the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, visit www.mscyberinitiative.org.