Red Team
A red team is a group of security professionals who simulate real-world adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to test an organization's detection and response capabilities.
In cybersecurity, a red team is an independent group tasked with emulating the actions of a real adversary to challenge an organization's security posture. Unlike penetration testing, which typically focuses on finding as many vulnerabilities as possible within a defined scope, red team engagements are objective-driven and aim to achieve specific goals such as gaining access to sensitive data, compromising critical systems, or testing detection and response capabilities.
Red team exercises are designed to be as realistic as possible. Operators use the same tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) employed by real threat actors, as categorized in frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK. This includes social engineering, phishing, physical intrusion, network exploitation, and lateral movement. The red team operates under rules of engagement but with significant freedom in how they achieve their objectives.
The value of red teaming lies in testing the organization holistically, including people, processes, and technology. While automated tools may detect known vulnerabilities, red teams assess whether security operations center (SOC) analysts can detect sophisticated attacks, whether incident response procedures work in practice, and whether security controls function as intended under adversarial pressure.
Red team findings are typically presented to both technical and executive audiences, highlighting gaps in detection, response times, and areas where security controls failed. These insights are invaluable for improving an organization's overall security maturity and readiness against advanced persistent threats.