04 — RED TEAMING
Red teaming and adversary simulation.
A red-team engagement starts from a concrete objective and tests the whole organization’s ability — technology, processes and people — to detect and respond to a realistic attack.
RED TEAMING VERSUS PENETRATION TESTING
A penetration test aims to find as many relevant weaknesses as possible in a defined system. A red-team engagement aims to reach a defined objective, such as access to a particular system or information, while measuring how well defences detect and respond.
Engagements run under controlled conditions with a small, informed point of contact on your side and clear rules on what is permitted.
WHAT CAN BE TESTED
- Detection capability
Is the activity detected — and if so, when and where?
- Response
How is an incident escalated and handled in practice?
- Attack paths
How can weaknesses across the environment be chained to reach the objective?
- Assumptions
Do controls work as intended when someone actively tries to bypass them?
Scoping
- One or more clearly defined objectives.
- Rules of engagement, including what is explicitly excluded.
- An informed contact group and procedures to pause or stop.
- Timeframe and any phases.
What you receive
- A narrative account of how the engagement unfolded.
- Observations on detection and response.
- Technical findings and recommendations.
- A walkthrough with relevant teams when included.
PROCESS
- 01
Scope
Establish objectives, asset boundaries, access, constraints and rules of engagement.
- 02
Test
Perform structured testing, combining suitable automation with hands-on investigation.
- 03
Validate
Verify findings, assess real-world implications and gather appropriate supporting evidence.
- 04
Report & Retest
Deliver prioritized findings, remediation guidance and follow-up validation where agreed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Are we ready for red teaming?
If you have monitoring and incident response in place and want to test how it performs, it may be right. Otherwise we often recommend starting with penetration testing.
Who in the organization knows about the engagement?
Only a small contact group you appoint. They can pause or stop the engagement at any time.
NEXT STEP
Let’s start with your security objectives.
Tell us what you want to test, build or improve. We will suggest a suitable approach and explain the next steps.