Kaspersky has expanded its flagship awareness platform, Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS), introducing new and updated scenarios that reflect the evolving cyberthreat landscape. The release aims to help corporations, banks and IT companies enhance coordination, and decision-making in the face of complex modern attacks.
According to the Kaspersky Incident Response analyst report, the top most attractive industries for attackers in 2024 were industrial companies (23.5% requests for Kaspersky Incident Response services), government institutions (16.3%), financial (13.3%) and IT (7.2%) sectors. With cyber incidents becoming more complex, organisations need training tools that mirror real-life situations – allowing teams to make better decisions and learn from mistakes in a safe environment. Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation (KIPS) introduces new scenarios that enable participants to experience realistic cyber incidents and test their strategic response in a secure, engaging setting.
Kaspersky has expanded KIPS to cover a new industry vertical – IT companies. The new IT scenario immerses participants in the operations of a modern enterprise, where fragmented infrastructure and blurred network boundaries complicate cyber defence. Players face realistic attacks such as a deep fake boss (video and voice messages on behalf of top managers as part of a financial scam), binary backdoor supply chain attacks and access through trusted third-party relationships. This scenario trains teams to improve coordination between IT, security and business units, and prevent vulnerabilities resulting from issues such as neglecting security protocols. By the end of the session, participants gain a deeper understanding of how timely application security testing and collaboration help prevent revenue loss and maintain customer confidence.
The expanded range of attack vectors in the banking scenario reflects the growing sophistication of financial sector threats. Within new scenarios, participants face simulated ransomware campaigns like LockBit, encounter attacks similar to those of ExCobalt group, respond to physical ATM exploits such as Cutlet Maker and mitigate supply chain attacks. The simulation mirrors the unique pressure of the banking industry, where cybersecurity incidents directly impact financial stability, customer trust and regulatory compliance. Players must make real-time decisions to mitigate operational risk, manage communication between departments and ensure service continuity while preventing data loss and financial fraud.
The refreshed corporate scenario is designed to show how cyber incidents affect not just IT systems but entire business ecosystems. The range of attacks from which the scenario can be formed includes Text4Shell exploits, ransomware campaigns, trusted relationship attacks and insider threat cases. Strategic decision-making for these cyberattacks has a greater impact on revenue. Through this scenario, management and technical teams learn to align their actions under stress – ensuring consistent communication between IT, legal, PR and executive functions. The exercises emphasise the importance of continuous employee training, raising their cybersecurity awareness and building trust between teams for a unified response in minimising direct financial losses, operational disruption, reputational damage and legal risks.
“Every KIPS scenario is grounded in real-world cases which makes training both credible and impactful – teams face the same challenges cybercriminals use against their industry today. By combining gamification with real-world threat intelligence, we help companies build cybersecurity awareness at every level – from executives to technical specialists. Working together, participants learn how to balance cybersecurity investments, manage limited resources and make strategic decisions that determine their organisation’s survival,” says Marianna Nechetova, Security Awareness expert at Kaspersky.
To learn more about Kaspersky Interactive Protection Simulation, please visit the link.
