CIRT360:
Build.
eXercise.
Control.
Have an efficient CIRT: establish it, test it, and continuously improve it.
Why CIRT matters for your organization
A Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) is only effective if it exists, is clearly structured, and can perform under pressure.
When incidents are not handled effectively, they can quickly escalate — causing operational disruption, extended system downtime, and significant financial losses. Organizations are also increasingly expected to demonstrate that they can detect, manage, and respond to cyber incidents in a structured and accountable way.
A well-prepared incident response capability allows organizations to react faster, limit operational downtime, and keep operational losses under control when incidents occur.
With CIRT360, BxC helps you build a structured response capability, test it under realistic conditions, and continuously strengthen it so your organization is ready when incidents happen.
The challenge organizations face
Cyber incidents rarely happen at a convenient time — and when they occur, every minute matters.
Systems may become unavailable, operations may be interrupted, and teams must quickly determine what is happening and how to respond.
Many organizations discover during their first serious incident that their response capability is not as ready as expected.At the same time, organizations must deal with continuously evolving regulatory expectations and compliance requirements.
Companies are increasingly expected to demonstrate that they have a structured incident response capability, clearly defined responsibilities, and tested procedures.
Common challenges include:
Lack of a defined response leader: When an incident occurs, it is often uncertain who is responsible for leading the response and coordinating actions across teams.
Poorly defined roles and responsibilities: IT, security, operations, and management may all be involved, but without clear ownership, decision-making slows down and actions are delayed.
Undefined escalation paths: Critical decisions — such as isolating systems, activating crisis processes, or involving external partners — may be delayed because escalation procedures are not clearly defined.
Limited situational awareness: Teams often lack a clear, real-time understanding of what is happening, making it difficult to assess impact and prioritize the right actions.s down and actions are delayed.
Untested response plans: Many organizations have incident response documentation, but the teams responsible for executing it have never practiced in a realistic scenario.
The result can be longer operational disruptions, delayed recovery, compliance exposure, and increased operational and financial impact.
In today’s threat environment, incident response is not just a technical process — it is a core operational capability that determines how quickly an organization can stabilize and recover from a cyber event.
CIRT360:
Build. eXercise. Control.
CIRT360: Build. eXercise. Control. introduces controlled, realistic pressure to move your team beyond theory and into action.
We bring structured, real-life dynamics into the room — allowing your team to think fast, collaborate effectively, and improve continuously without real-world risk.
Build
A CIRT that is not clearly defined is not truly in control
Establish a clearly structured Cyber Incident Response Team with defined roles, responsibilities, escalation paths, and decision authority.
Exercise
A CIRT that is not exercised is not operational
Validate your response capability through realistic incident simulations that prepare teams to react quickly and collaborate effectively under pressure.
Control
CIRT360 does not end with a workshop.
Continuously assess and improve your response capability to ensure your organization remains prepared for evolving cyber threats and operational risks.
Turning Incident Response Into Real-World Performance
A manufacturing company under growing regulatory pressure (NIS2, ISO 27001) faced a critical challenge: unclear responsibilities, inconsistent escalation, and fragmented coordination across IT, OT, and leadership. When an incident hits, that’s the difference between control—and chaos. We stepped in to change that.
Build
We established a structured Cyber Incident Response Team with clear roles, responsibilities, and decision authority.
Exercise
We ran a tailored ransomware simulation—forcing the team to respond under real pressure, exposing gaps and strengthening coordination.
Control
We assessed performance, identified critical weaknesses, and implemented targeted improvements—ensuring the capability continues to evolve as threats and requirements change.
The Result: A response capability that is structured, tested, and continuously improving.
Faster decisions.
Stronger coordination.
Proven readiness—today and over time.
A Methodology Grounded in Industry Frameworks
BxC's CIRT360 is based on internationally recognized standards and adapted to operational technology environments:
Architecture & Standards
IEC 62443 – International standard for industrial automation and control systems security. Our assessments evaluate maturity against IEC 62443-2-1 (program requirements), 62443-3-3 (system security requirements), and 62443-4-2 (component requirements).
ISO 27001 – Assessment against information security management system standards, supporting certification preparation or maturity evaluation.
NIST Cybersecurity Framework – Assessment can be structured around NIST CSF v2.0 functions (Govern, Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover) when clients prefer NIST alignment.
Compliance & Regulations
NIS2 Directive – EU cybersecurity regulation for essential and important entities. Our assessments evaluate NIS2-required measures: risk management, incident handling, business continuity, supply chain security, network security, and access controls. We identify entity-specific gaps.
KRITIS – German regulatory framework for critical infrastructure protection, requiring operators to implement robust incident response and crisis management capabilities to ensure service continuity, promptly detect and handle disruptions, and fulfill reporting obligations to authorities such as the BSI.
Industry-Specific Regulations – Pharmaceutical (FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU GMP Annex 11, GAMP 5), Chemical (CFATS), Energy (ISO/IEC 27019, IT-Sicherheitskatalog per EnWG § 11(1b)), Healthcare (HIPAA). Adapted to sector requirements.
Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) – EU regulation that establishes cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements, requiring organizations to implement effective incident response processes, including timely detection, handling, coordinated vulnerability disclosure, and mandatory reporting of actively exploited vulnerabilities and incidents.
Our CIRT and Exercise framework interacts with many other foundation in your OT environment. Consider:
- Cybersecurity Architecture Advisory for strategic program planning
- Implementation Coordination for large-scale remediation programs
- OT Network Architecture for segmentation and network security gaps
- PKI Consulting for certificate management and identity issues
- Privileged Access Management for administrative access control gaps
Not sure what is your current incident response maturity and where to start?
Contact us for an initial discussion about your security challenges and objectives.
A scenario that feels real -
because it is.
We run many scenarios with our customers. Imagine an external attacker gains access through phishing, and moves quietly through your environment—until it escalates from IT into OT.
The attacker:
- Compromises an engineering workstation
- Modifies PLC logic
- Suppresses alarms
- Manipulates process parameters
What you experience:
- Production disruption
- Potential safety risks
- Time-critical management decisions
- Regulatory reporting obligations
This is where most teams struggle—not because they lack tools, but because they’ve never operated under this level of pressure together.
Would your team be able to respond with clarity?
Would you catch every critical step—or miss the one that matters?
How confident are you that your current incident response process would hold up under this pressure?
We help you be ready before it happens.
Cybersecurity Specialists Who Understand Industrial Operations
- From structure to execution. We cover the full incident response lifecycle—from structured CIRT setup to exercises and continuous improvement. We don’t stop at defining roles and processes. We ensure your incident response capability is operational, tested, and ready to perform under pressure.
- Built for real incident pressure. We simulate realistic crisis scenarios with time pressure, uncertainty, and escalation dynamics, enabling your organization to act decisively when it matters.
- Compliance that supports operations. We align your CIRT with frameworks such as NIS2 and ISO 27001 in a pragmatic way—so compliance strengthens your response capability instead of slowing it down.
- Integration of IT, OT, and business functions. We bring together IT, OT, legal, and management into a unified response model for coordinated and effective decision-making.
- Focused on measurable improvement. Each exercise and assessment delivers clear insights, identified gaps, and concrete actions—so your response capability improves with every iteration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions? We’ve got answers. Here are some common queries about our CIRT360: Build. eXercise. Control.
The right moment is before a real incident occurs—ideally after defining your incident response framework or when preparing for regulatory requirements (e.g., KRITIS or CRA), major organizational changes, or following significant updates to your systems or threat landscape.
To maximize value, organizations should have a defined incident response plan, clear roles and responsibilities, and involvement from key stakeholders. This ensures the exercise can realistically test decision-making, coordination, and regulatory obligations rather than starting from scratch.
They enable your organization to validate how well your teams can respond to a cyber incident in practice—revealing gaps in decision-making, communication, and coordination—so you can strengthen resilience and avoid costly disruptions before a real incident occurs.
A CIRT brings together specialists from multiple departments who contribute their expertise during a cyber incident. By combining perspectives across technical, legal, and business areas, the team helps reduce business impact and supports the organization’s recovery as quickly as possible.
Cyber incidents demand fast, well-coordinated decisions across technical, legal, and operational areas—something ad hoc structures cannot provide. A CIRT establishes clear responsibilities and processes in advance, helping organizations maintain control, meet regulatory expectations, and minimize operational disruption.
A structured incident response capability supports compliance with frameworks such as NIS2, ISO 27001, and other regulatory expectations relevant in the EU. By defining roles, processes, and documentation in advance, a CIRT helps ensure that incidents are handled in a controlled and auditable manner.