Shall We Play a Game?
WarGames Can Teach NJ Businesses About Cybersecurity
In the 1983 techno-thriller WarGames, a teenage hacker accidentally accesses a U.S. military supercomputer and nearly launches a global nuclear war—mistaking the system for a game. The film, ahead of its time, captured the rising anxiety about computer security in a networked world. Four decades later, one chilling line still echoes: “Shall we play a game?”
Today, this quote takes on a new meaning—not as a threat, but as a tool. Across industries, including right here in New Jersey, small businesses are starting to “play games” of their own: cybersecurity simulations designed to help IT teams prepare for real-world attacks before they happen.
Why Simulate Cyberattacks?
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month—a reminder that threats are constant, evolving, and not limited to large enterprises. Small businesses are increasingly targeted due to often having weaker defenses. According to the 2024 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, 61% of small businesses experienced at least one cyber incident in the past 12 months.
Simulations and war games offer a proactive way to build resilience. They allow your internal teams—and your IT partners—to test systems, stress-test protocols, and train people on how to respond when the stakes are high. Think of it like a fire drill, but for cyberwarfare.
WarGames: More Than a Movie
In WarGames, the fictional supercomputer “WOPR” learns from simulations, ultimately realizing that nuclear war is a game no one wins. That’s an apt metaphor for modern cybersecurity. Simulations train teams not just how to fight off attacks, but how to think like attackers. The goal isn’t to scare, but to learn.
In a typical cybersecurity war game, teams are divided into attackers (Red Team) and defenders (Blue Team). Red tries to breach a system using known exploits or novel tactics. Blue monitors, defends, and responds. Sometimes, a White Team oversees the whole exercise to keep it structured and educational.
For small businesses without in-house IT staff, trusted Managed IT providers—like IT Radix—can run scaled, customized versions of these simulations. Whether it’s a mock phishing attack, a simulated ransomware breach, or a tabletop exercise walking through a crisis scenario, the outcome is the same: your team gets better prepared.
How Simulations Help New Jersey Businesses
Small businesses across New Jersey—from law and accounting firms in Morristown to manufacturers in Edison—are realizing that cybersecurity isn’t just an IT problem. It’s a business continuity issue. It affects your data, your reputation, and your ability to operate. Simulations can help:
- Boost Response Time. Teams learn how to spot, report, and act on suspicious behavior faster.
- Reveal Weaknesses. You’ll uncover gaps in your processes, backups, or communication lines.
- Train Staff. Everyone from reception to leadership becomes part of the security perimeter.
- Meet Compliances. Fulfill insurance and regulatory requirements.
Let’s Not Wait for Reality to Hit
In WarGames, it takes a near-catastrophe for people to realize the seriousness of digital threats. Don’t let that happen in your business.
October is the perfect time to run a cybersecurity simulation, assess your readiness, and take steps to improve. The investment is minor compared to the cost of a real breach, which now averages over $150,000 for small businesses—and often leads to irreversible damage.
Contact IT Radix to help you simulate an attack before a real one hits. Because when it comes to cybersecurity, the best defense is preparation—and the best time to start is now. Game on!
First published in our October 2025 IT Radix Resource newsletter