The CSD Toolkit
A subscription-based resource library that keeps your organisation cyber-ready, always. Practical playbooks, templates, and updated scenarios grounded in our original academic research.
What subscribers get
- Incident response playbooks for ransomware, phishing, social engineering, and more
- Ready-to-use response templates and communication frameworks
- Scenario resources updated regularly to reflect the current threat landscape
- Materials grounded in the Human Layer Kill Chain
- Designed for use before, during, and after a cyber incident
Subscription model. Available standalone or as an add-on to CSD training.
Always-on cyber resilience
The CSD Toolkit is a standalone subscription product for organisations that want to stay prepared between and beyond training. It gives teams the practical resources they need to respond with confidence, whenever they need them.
Incident Playbooks
Step-by-step response guides for ransomware, phishing, insider threat, social engineering, and more, written for non-technical responders as well as technical teams.
Response Templates
Ready-to-use checklists, communication templates, and documentation frameworks to help teams act quickly and consistently under pressure.
Regular Scenario Updates
Resources updated continuously as the threat landscape evolves. Subscribers always have access to current, relevant scenarios rather than static materials.
Before, During, After
Designed for use at every stage of an incident, not just response. Includes preparedness resources for proactive readiness as well as live and post-incident support.
Psychological Resilience Resources
Materials that address the human side of incidents: stress responses, decision-making under pressure, and team recovery, grounded in behavioural science.
Research-Backed Materials
Every resource in the toolkit is grounded in the Human Layer Kill Chain and published academic work, giving you materials you can trust and cite with confidence.
Ready to subscribe to the CSD Toolkit?
Get in touch to find out about subscription pricing and access options for your organisation.
Pair your Toolkit with live training
CSD training builds the knowledge, skills, and psychological resilience your teams need to use the Toolkit effectively. Available in three tiers to suit your organisation's needs and time.
Introduction to Cyber Self Defence
In-person, half day (4 hours)A clear, practical introduction to cyber incident response for staff at any level, with no technical background required.
- The principles behind Cyber Self Defence
- Why incidents are inevitable and how to prepare
- The attacker's approach through the Human Layer Kill Chain
- Coping under pressure and building personal resilience
- Risk, the point of no return, and what to do next
Foundation-Level Training for Teams
2 days in-person or 4 online half-daysThe core CSD programme: hands-on, participatory, and designed for whole-team delivery.
- Everything in CSD Basic, plus:
- Hands-on incident response exercises
- Playbooks for ransomware, phishing, and social engineering
- Psychological resilience practices
- Optional CSD certification
Tailored Training for Your Organisation
Fully flexible, scoped in consultationFor organisations with existing cyber security processes that need a human-layer solution built around them.
- CSD Essentials content as a foundation
- Integration with your existing incident response procedures
- Bespoke materials co-developed with your team
- Onboarding of non-technical staff into existing IR capability
The Principles Behind CSD
Most people do not set out to cause harm. CSD treats incidents as learning opportunities, not failures.
Incident response is about living in the present. Rehearsing mistakes feeds anxiety and slows recovery.
Everyone in an organisation can contribute. CSD invests in the technical and psychological strengths of all individuals.
Limited cohort sizes build trust and allow support networks to develop organically within your team.
Grounded in original academic research
The CSD Toolkit and training programmes are informed by two conceptual models developed by the Cyber Innovations research team, rooted in real-world incident data and published academic work.
Human Layer Kill Chain
A framework for modelling the attacker's approach through human vulnerabilities, identifying where people can intervene at each stage of an attack. The core tool underpinning CSD design.
Read the published paper (arXiv, 2025) →
Sociotechnical Kill Plane
Combines the Human Layer Kill Chain with Lockheed Martin's Cyber Kill Chain to map attacks across both technical and human dimensions, enabling more targeted and meaningful training and resource design.
Explore the interactive model →