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28 November 2025 / Jack Morris
Issue: 8141 / Categories: Features , Profession , Cyber , Cybercrime , Technology , Risk management
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This is a drill!

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Cyber resilience goes beyond documentation. Businesses should stress-test their response in real time, writes Jack Morris
  • Paper-based cyber response strategies often collapse in real incidents; real-time adaptability is essential.
  • Simulations sharpen instincts—immersive tabletop exercises train teams to make fast, coordinated decisions under stress.
  • These drills empower legal teams, boost insurer confidence and turn organisations into proactive cyber defenders.

When a cyberattack strikes, the disruption is immediate and the clock starts ticking. Whether it’s ransomware, data exfiltration or denial-of-service, organisations don’t have the luxury of leafing through manuals. Every second counts and every decision matters.

Despite the increasing frequency and sophistication of cyber threats, many companies continue to place their trust in static, paper-based cyber incident response (CIR) plans. These documents may satisfy regulatory checkboxes, but in the heat of a live breach, they often prove inadequate. Plans that look watertight on paper can unravel in practice, especially when legal teams, IT and the board are suddenly thrust into a high-pressure, high-stakes environment.

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NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law

The Court of Appeal has slammed the brakes on claimants trying to swap defendants after limitation has expired. In Adcamp LLP v Office Properties and BDB Pitmans v Lee [2026] EWCA Civ 50, it overturned High Court rulings that had allowed substitutions under s 35(6)(b) of the Limitation Act 1980, reports Sarah Crowther of DAC Beachcroft in this week's NLJ

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