For the first time, the Department of Homeland Security is including a social media simulator in its annual exercise that simulates how the United States and the international community respond to a global cyber attack, Jeanette Manfra, the head of cybersecurity at DHS, told Axios at the exercise's kickoff at U.S. Secret Service's headquarters this morning.

How it works: The social media simulator is intended to replicate how people respond to news of a cyber attack, including simulations of tweets and news articles online, Manfra said. She would not discuss whether the exercise simulates the way bots have been increasingly impacting the way news spreads on Twitter.

The exercise: It’s been happening biannually since 2006 in an effort to understand how actors respond when critical infrastructure is attacked. This year the exercise includes DHS, law enforcement, and participants from the manufacturing, IT, and communications sectors, Manfra said during a press briefing.