What is the purpose of conducting a tabletop exercise in security?

Conducting a tabletop exercise primarily serves to simulate security incidents and review response plans. This form of exercise allows cybersecurity teams and stakeholders to collaboratively discuss and evaluate their incident response strategies in a controlled environment. By walking through specific scenarios, participants can identify strengths and weaknesses in their plans, clarify roles and responsibilities, and determine how effectively they can communicate during an incident. This proactive approach not only enhances readiness for real-world incidents but also promotes teamwork and critical thinking among participants.

In contrast, the other options do not align with the primary goal of tabletop exercises. Testing system performance under load pertains to stress testing and performance assessments rather than incident response. User training sessions focus on educating individuals about security awareness and best practices rather than simulating incidents. Monitoring ongoing network traffic is related to real-time surveillance and detection of threats rather than discussing and assessing response protocols in a simulated environment. Thus, the correct answer emphasizes the core function of tabletop exercises in the context of cybersecurity preparedness.