What Is Red Teaming? 

Benefits, Examples, and Methodologies in 2023  

With cyber attacks becoming increasingly common, it’s no surprise that red teams are in high demand. According to a recent survey, 74 percent of organizations use red teams to test their security posture.

This article explores the role of the red team, common tasks they perform, and the benefits of having a red team. It also compares and contrasts the red team with the blue team and purple team, as well as discusses the steps involved in red team security testing methods. Overall, red teaming is an effective way to improve an organization’s security posture and reduce the risks of cyber threats.

And speaking of red teams, PlexTrac is a top red team tool that streamlines the planning, execution, and reporting processes for many red team activities, saving valuable time and empowering effective collaboration. 

What Is a Red Team

A red team is a group of individuals who are responsible for simulating attacks on a system or organization. The objective of a red team is to identify weaknesses and vulnerabilities in a system or organization’s security and to provide recommendations for improvement. Red teaming is considered a more advanced methodology than pentesting as it goes beyond vulnerability identification and focuses on emulating sophisticated attacks to evaluate an organization’s overall security posture.

The Role of the Red Team

The role of the red team is multifaceted and can vary depending on the specific goals of an organization. However, the main objective of the red team is to provide a comprehensive assessment of an organization’s security posture. This can include testing security controls, identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and providing recommendations for improvement.

Common Red Team Tasks

Some common tasks that the red team may handle include the following:

• Penetration testing: Attempting to exploit vulnerabilities in a system to gain unauthorized access or extract sensitive information
• Social engineering: Testing an organization’s ability to detect and prevent phishing attacks, pretexting, or other forms of social engineering
• Physical security testing: Assessing an organization’s physical security controls, such as access controls, alarms, and surveillance systems
• Wireless network testing: Testing an organization’s wireless network security to identify vulnerabilities or unauthorized access points
• Application security testing: Testing an organization’s applications for vulnerabilities, such as injection attacks or authentication bypass
• Red team exercises: conducting simulated attacks on an organization to test its incident response capabilities and identify areas for improvement
• Threat intelligence: Providing information on emerging threats or vulnerabilities that may pose a risk to the organization
• Vulnerability management: Helping an organization prioritize and remediate vulnerabilities identified through testing and assessment
• Security awareness training: Providing education and training to employees on security best practices and how to detect and prevent attacks
• Compliance testing: Ensuring that an organization is meeting regulatory or compliance requirements for security and data protection.

Benefits of the Red Team

Having a red team can bring several benefits to an organization, including the following:

Improved Security Posture 

A red team can provide an objective evaluation of an organization’s security posture by simulating attacks and identifying vulnerabilities. This can lead to improvements in security controls, policies, and procedures.

Realistic Testing

Red teams can simulate realistic attack scenarios, which can help organizations identify gaps in their defenses and test their incident response capabilities.

Better Risk Management

By identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses, a red team can help an organization prioritize risks and allocate resources to the areas that need it the most.

Cost-Effective 

Identifying and fixing vulnerabilities before a real attack occurs can save organizations significant costs associated with data breaches, regulatory fines, and damage to reputation.

Regulatory Compliance 

Compliance requirements often mandate security testing, and having a red team can help organizations meet these requirements.

Employee Awareness 

Red teams can provide security awareness training for employees and help them recognize and respond to security threats.

Continuous Improvement 

Red team assessments are ongoing, and the team can provide regular feedback to help organizations continually improve their security posture.

Red Team vs. Blue Team

The red team and blue team are two different approaches to security testing within an organization. The main differences between them are as follows:

Objective 

The red team’s objective is to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses in an organization’s security posture by simulating attacks, while the blue team’s objective is to defend against these attacks.

Scope 

The red team’s scope is usually broader and more comprehensive, including both technical and non-technical aspects of security. The blue team’s scope is narrower and more focused on technical defenses.

Team Structure 

The red team is composed of offensive security experts who use their knowledge and experience to simulate attacks, while the blue team is composed of defensive security experts who use their knowledge and experience to defend against attacks.

Tools and Techniques 

The red team uses a wide range of tools and techniques to simulate attacks, including social engineering, penetration testing, and vulnerability assessments. The blue team uses tools and techniques to defend against attacks, including intrusion detection systems, firewalls, and endpoint protection.

Collaboration 

Although they have different objectives, the red team and blue team must collaborate to improve the organization’s security posture. The red team can provide feedback to the blue team on vulnerabilities identified during testing, and the blue team can use this feedback to improve their defenses.

The red team and blue team are two complementary approaches to security testing within an organization. While the red team simulates attacks to identify vulnerabilities, the blue team defends against these attacks and continuously improves the organization’s security posture.

Red Team vs Purple Team

The purple team is a newer approach to security testing that combines the red team and blue team methodologies. The main differences between the red team and purple team are as follows:

Objective 

The red team’s objective is to simulate attacks and identify vulnerabilities in an organization’s security posture, while the purple team’s objective is to test and improve the effectiveness of an organization’s existing security controls.

Methodology 

The red team uses a wide range of techniques to simulate attacks, while the purple team focuses on testing specific security controls and validating their effectiveness.

Team Structure 

The red team is composed of offensive security experts, while the purple team is composed of both offensive and defensive security experts who collaborate to test and improve security controls.

Collaboration 

The purple team encourages collaboration between the red and blue teams to improve communication and knowledge sharing.

Continuous Improvement 

The purple team’s focus is on continuous improvement of security controls, while the red team’s focus is on identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses.

In summary, the purple team combines elements of the red and blue team methodologies to provide a more comprehensive approach to security testing and continuous improvement of security controls.

Red Team Security Testing Methods

Red team security testing typically involves several steps:

1. Reconnaissance: Gathering information about the target organization’s systems, network, and employees to identify potential attack vectors
2. Vulnerability scanning: Using automated tools to scan for known vulnerabilities in the target’s systems and network
3. Exploitation: Attempting to exploit identified vulnerabilities to gain access to the target’s systems or data
4. Privilege escalation: Attempting to gain higher levels of access within the target’s systems or network
5. Persistence: Maintaining access to the target’s systems or network over an extended period of time to gather intelligence or perform additional attacks
6. Reporting: Documenting findings and providing recommendations for improving the target’s security posture

After the initial testing is complete, the red team may conduct follow-up testing to ensure that identified vulnerabilities have been properly remediated and that the organization’s security posture has been improved. The red team may also work with the organization to provide security awareness training for employees and help develop and test incident response plans.

Red Team Scenario Examples

Let’s say a company has just implemented a new web application that allows users to access sensitive information. The company’s security team has identified potential vulnerabilities in the application’s code and wants to test its security before making it available to users.

The red team would first conduct reconnaissance by gathering information about the web application, such as its architecture, programming languages, and any public-facing interfaces. They would also look for potential vulnerabilities in the code by performing manual code reviews and using automated tools such as static code analysis and dynamic application scanners.

Once potential vulnerabilities have been identified, the red team would attempt to exploit them. For example, they may attempt to gain access to the application’s backend systems or extract sensitive information from the application’s database. They may also attempt to escalate their privileges to gain greater access to the system.

Throughout the testing process, the red team would document their findings and provide recommendations for improving the application’s security posture. They may also work with the company’s security team to develop and test incident response plans and provide security awareness training to employees.

After the testing is complete, the red team would provide a detailed report to the company’s security team, highlighting any vulnerabilities that were identified and providing recommendations for remediation. The company’s security team would then work to address the vulnerabilities and improve the application’s security posture before making it available to users.

Tools the Red Team Uses

The red team uses a variety of tools to simulate attacks and identify vulnerabilities in an organization’s security posture. Here are some of the tools commonly used by red teams:

Reconnaissance Tools 

These tools are used to gather information about the target organization’s systems, network, and employees. Examples include Nmap, Shodan, and Recon-ng. The information gathered can be used to identify potential attack vectors and vulnerabilities.

Weaponization Tools

These tools are used to create and customize malware or exploit payloads. Examples include Metasploit, Empire, and Cobalt Strike. They allow the red team to simulate real-world attacks and test an organization’s defenses against them.

Delivery and Exploitation Tools

These tools are used to deliver malware or exploit payloads to target systems or networks. Examples include social engineering tactics, spear-phishing emails, and drive-by downloads. They allow the red team to test an organization’s ability to detect and respond to attacks.

Escalation Tools

These tools are used to gain higher levels of access within a target system or network. Examples include Mimikatz, BloodHound, and PowerUp. They allow the red team to move laterally within a network and escalate their privileges to gain access to sensitive information or systems.

Lateral Movement Tools

These tools are used to move laterally within a target system or network once access has been gained. Examples include PsExec, WinRM, and SSH. They allow the red team to pivot to other systems or networks and continue their attack.

Hacktrails

These are the traces of activities left behind by attackers in a compromised system. The red team uses hacktrails to cover their tracks and avoid detection. Examples of hacktrail tools include Metasploit, Meterpreter, and Cobalt Strike.

Collaboration and Management Tools

These tools are used to manage red team operations and facilitate collaboration among team members. Examples include Jira, Trello, Slack, and PlexTrac. They allow the red team to coordinate their efforts and track progress towards achieving their objectives.

In summary, the red team uses a wide range of tools to simulate attacks and identify vulnerabilities in an organization’s security posture. These tools allow the red team to test an organization’s defenses against real-world attacks and provide recommendations for improving their security posture.