Preparing for Your Session
Welcome to your first step toward becoming an effective cybersecurity incident responder through our security training platform! Whether you’re a seasoned security professional or someone curious about cybersecurity education, this chapter will help you prepare for a successful and engaging Malware & Monsters session using our innovative incident response simulation methodology.
What to Expect
Your Learning Journey
A Malware & Monsters session is collaborative storytelling meets cybersecurity education through gamified incident response training. You’ll work with 4-5 other participants to respond to a simulated cybersecurity incident, combining your real-world knowledge with game mechanics to create an authentic team-based security training experience that drives cybersecurity skills development.
Session Structure:
- Setup: Character creation and team formation
- Round 1: Discovery - What’s happening?
- Round 2: Investigation - How bad is it?
- Round 3: Response - How do we fix it?
The Collaborative Difference
Unlike traditional training where an expert lectures, in Malware & Monsters:
- Your expertise drives the content
- Questions are more valuable than answers
- Learning happens through discovery, not memorization
- Every perspective contributes something valuable
Before You Arrive
What Expertise You Bring
Everyone has valuable knowledge to contribute. Here’s how different backgrounds enhance the experience:
Your deep knowledge provides authentic technical context, but remember:
- Share insights, don’t lecture - Build on others’ discoveries
- Ask questions that help less technical teammates learn
- Embrace uncertainty - Even experts don’t know everything
- Learn from business perspectives - Technical solutions must work for organizations
Your perspective is crucial for realistic incident response:
- Business impact awareness - What really matters to organizations
- Communication skills - Translating between technical and business needs
- Common sense - Often the most important cybersecurity skill
- User behavior insights - How people actually interact with technology
Your fresh perspective and questions drive learning for everyone:
- Curious questioning - “Why?” and “What if?” push deeper understanding
- Pattern recognition - New eyes often see things others miss
- Enthusiasm - Your energy and interest motivate the whole team
- Learning mindset - Modeling how to grow through collaboration
Setting Learning Intentions
Before your session, consider:
What do you want to learn?
- Specific cybersecurity concepts or techniques
- How incident response teams work together
- Communication skills for technical topics
- Problem-solving approaches for complex challenges
What can you contribute?
- Professional experience from your field
- Analytical or creative thinking approaches
- Communication and collaboration skills
- Questions that help everyone learn
How do you learn best?
- Through discussion and explanation
- By working through problems hands-on
- By asking questions and exploring scenarios
- Through storytelling and examples
Managing Pre-Session Anxiety
“I Don’t Know Enough” Syndrome
This is completely normal! Even cybersecurity experts feel this way when encountering new scenarios or working with specialists from other domains.
- No one knows everything - Even experts are learning constantly
- Your questions help others learn - What confuses you confuses others too
- Different types of knowledge matter - Technical, business, user, regulatory
- Facilitators support your success - They want you to contribute meaningfully
Common Concerns and Realities
“What if I say something wrong?”
- Mistakes become learning opportunities for everyone
- Other participants will build on and refine ideas collaboratively
- The facilitator guides discussions to keep them productive
- Being wrong about details doesn’t invalidate your perspective
“What if I don’t understand the technical aspects?”
- Technical participants will explain concepts as needed
- You can contribute business, user, or common-sense perspectives
- Your questions often lead to the most important insights
- Non-technical understanding is crucial for real-world cybersecurity
“What if I can’t role-play or act?”
- Character development is minimal - mostly using your real name and expertise
- You can be as much or as little “in character” as feels comfortable
- The focus is on collaborative problem-solving, not performance
- Your authentic self is the best character you can play
Practical Preparation
What to Bring
Required:
- Yourself and your experience - The most important contribution
- Curiosity and willingness to collaborate
- Openness to learning from others
Helpful but not required:
- Notebook for capturing insights - Digital or paper
- Professional experience examples to share when relevant
- Questions about cybersecurity you’d like to explore
Provided at the session:
- All game materials (dice, cards, reference sheets)
- Scenario information and context
- Technical reference materials as needed
Mental Preparation
Collaborative Mindset:
- “Yes, and…” - Build on others’ ideas rather than contradicting
- Question-driven learning - Curiosity is more valuable than certainty
- Shared success - The team wins or learns together
- Authentic contribution - Your real expertise and perspective matter
Growth Mindset:
- Learning through mistakes - Errors become insights
- Questions show engagement - Asking is better than staying silent
- Different expertise types - Technical, business, user, regulatory all matter
- Continuous learning - Everyone, including experts, is always learning
Your Role in Team Success
What Makes a Great Teammate
Active Participation:
- Share relevant insights when you have them
- Ask questions when you’re curious or confused
- Build on others’ ideas with “Yes, and…” thinking
- Support quieter teammates by inviting their input
Generous Listening:
- Give others space to share their expertise
- Ask follow-up questions to understand better
- Connect insights across different perspectives
- Acknowledge good ideas and helpful contributions
Authentic Contribution:
- Share your real knowledge and experience
- Admit when you don’t know something
- Offer your perspective even if it’s different
- Stay engaged even when topics are unfamiliar
Building Team Chemistry
During Character Creation:
- Be genuinely interested in others’ backgrounds
- Share something real about your own experience
- Look for connections and complementary expertise
- Set a tone of curiosity and mutual support
Throughout the Session:
- Refer to teammates by their character names
- Build on the team dynamic and shared story
- Celebrate team discoveries and successes
- Support each other through challenges
Setting Yourself Up for Success
Learning Mindset Checklist
Before your session, confirm you’re ready with this mindset:
Session Day Preparation
Arrive Ready to:
- Introduce yourself authentically - Share your real background and interests
- Listen actively - Others have knowledge you can learn from
- Contribute genuinely - Your perspective and questions matter
- Embrace the unexpected - Sessions evolve based on team discoveries
- Have fun learning - Enjoy the collaborative problem-solving experience
Emergency Phrases for New Participants
When You’re Lost:
- “Can someone explain what [term] means?”
- “I’m not familiar with that concept - can you give me the basics?”
- “How does this connect to what we discussed earlier?”
- “What’s the most important thing I should understand here?”
When Contributing:
- “From my experience in [your field], this seems similar to…”
- “I don’t know the technical details, but from a business perspective…”
- “That reminds me of a situation where…”
- “What if we approached this from the angle of…?”
When Supporting Others:
- “That’s an interesting point - can you tell us more?”
- “How does that connect to what [teammate] said earlier?”
- “What would that look like in practice?”
- “That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered.”
Your success isn’t measured by how much you already know, but by how effectively you collaborate, contribute, and learn with your team. Come as yourself, bring your curiosity, and trust the process!
What’s Next
Now that you’re prepared for your session experience, let’s explore the world of Malmons - the digital threats you’ll be investigating and responding to as a team. Understanding these “creatures” and their behaviors will help you contribute effectively to your incident response team’s success.
Ready to dive deeper? Continue to Understanding Malmons to learn about the digital threats you’ll encounter, or jump to Effective Participation for tips on being an excellent teammate.