Red teaming is a cybersecurity technique that simulates a cyber attack to see how an organisation would respond in a real-life scenario. It is done using an ethical hacking team – authorised individuals who use hacking techniques to identify, and subsequently fix, security vulnerabilities in organisation’s systems.
In this scenario, the ‘red team’ is typically an independent cyber security provider who launches the attack on the ‘blue team’ – this is the organisation’s defensive cybersecurity capability. The attack is launched without warning so that the organisation has no time to prepare and it is a more realistic simulation of a genuine cyber attack.
Take look at how red teaming works and how it might be an effective strategy for strengthening your organisation’s cybersecurity capabilities.
What is Red Teaming?
Red teaming is a type of penetration test with specific goals, customised to align with the organisation’s maturity and business objectives. While typical penetration tests aim to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in accordance with a predefined set of company systems, red teams are target-driven with specific objectives to achieve by exploiting weaknesses across the entire organisation.
As a result, red teaming tends to be more complex, more time-consuming and a more thorough measurement of the organisation’s response capabilities and security measures.
Red teams are able to realistically simulate how an organisation could be targeted and test the response of the blue team. When simulating an attack, a red team uses tacting, techniques and procedures (TTPs) modeled on real-world threats to identify gaps in the security response.
The idea is by carrying out this process in a simulated way, red team exercises can help companies boost their cybersecurity before a real attack is carried out. As the organisation’s security team is caught unawares by the red team, the exercises can realistically test an organisation’s security capabilities and reaction to an attack – in a safe way.
During the exercise, the red team carries out various techniques to simulate an attack while the blue team has to respond. This is a dynamic process with the red team working to counteract the blue team’s response and evade controls. As the two teams learn about each other’s methods, the organisation yields a wealth of real-world value.
What Are The Benefits Of Red Teaming?
When companies choose to carry out penetration testing, and specifically red teaming, they are trying to stay ahead of the game. By carrying out red teaming, they are able to identify their organisation’s vulnerabilities before malicious actors are able to.
Key benefits of red teaming including:
- – Early identification of vulnerabilities – allowing companies to fix holes in their security system before attackers target key business information assets
- – Assessment and improvement of how the ability is able to detect, respond and prevent threats
- – Enhanced incident response and threat detection capabilities
- – Real-world simulation of cyber attacks – this can test defenses in a highly realistic way to better prepare the organisation
- – TTPs of threat actors are simulated in a way that is safe, risk managed and controlled
How Does Red Teaming Work?
1.
Planning and Reconnaissance:
This part of the process involves gathering intelligence about the target organisation’s network (including infrastructure, employees and security position) in order to identify potential system vulnerabilities.
Reconnaissance is crucial for all the stages of red teaming that come after and lies at the centre of being able to effectively plan and simulate targeted cyber attacks. It helps to identify the most vulnerable entry points into the organisation and develop a targeted approach.
At this stage, it is also typical to look at historical attacks for organisations of similar size and industry as well as specific organisational concerns to take into account during threat modeling.
2.
Initial Access:
During this phase, the red team will use the information gathered to simulate common cyber attack origins. This can include, but is not limited to, accessing exposed systems using known and unknown vulnerabilities, targeting leaked or weak credentials, or testing phishing campaigns to gain access to the network via an employee’s computer.
The goal of the initial access phase is to perform a realistic threat simulation using external sources to gain entry. We use safe exploitation techniques in order to bypass security restrictions and access the system.
3.
Lateral Movement, Exploitation and Attack Simulation:
After access has been gained, lateral movement is employed to exploit system weaknesses, vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.
The red team will work both physically – bypassing gates, locks, cameras – as well as digitally – compromising servers, networks and apps. They may even exploit staff using email or phone phishing, SMS, social engineering or even face-to-face interactions. After identifying cybersecurity weaknesses, they can also install hardware trojans for remote access.
Once access is established, the red team seeks to maintain it – be it by picking locks or copying keys or installing malicious files.
4.
Exfiltration
Exfiltration involves simulating the extraction of sensitive information from a targeted environment while avoiding detection. Depending on the company, this could be something like trade secrets or financial data. This step is important in mirroring common cyber attack trends like double extortion, where attackers steal data to pressure victims further.
At any stage during this process, the blue team could detect the red team’s activity and terminate access. This allows the red team a ‘leg up’ to gain initial network access. Through this approach, an organisation gains a full view of their cybersecurity by demonstrating what would happen if defenses fail. It helps them see how well internal security measures are able to detect and mitigate an attack.
5.
Reporting and Debriefing
Once the assessment is complete, the red team can gather information from the different stages in order to deliver a comprehensive report to organisations explaining the strengths and weaknesses of their defensive team.
This is crucial in highlighting the vulnerabilities that need to be addressed. The red team, based on their assessment, can also offer recommendations to improve the company’s security position.
Tools and Techniques Used by Red Teams
Red teams use a range of advanced tools and techniques which vary depending on the type of simulation they are carrying out as well as the organisation itself. Some of the tools used for red teaming include:
- – Bloodhound
- – Cobalt Strike
- – EyeWitness
- – Githarvester
- – Maltego CE 4
- – Metasploit
- – Nikto 2
- – Nmap
- – OWASP Amass
- – Recon-ng 5
- – Shodan
- – Sn1per
- – Spiderfoot
- – theHarvester
- – the Social Engineering Toolkit (SET)
Why Choose Rosca Technologies?
A professional, personalised approach
Cross Sector Success
Whether it’s the latest tech-startup to more established financial institutions or national infrastructure, we can adapt our approach to simulate the most relevant threats for your organisation.
We’re CREST Certified
Any red team simulation services carried out by us are done by a fully vetted team of CREST certified and CHECK approved professionals. We are proud to be one of only a few vendors to have achieved CREST STAR (Simulated Targeted Attack and Response) status.
Multifaceted Approach
From physical intrusion exercises and large-scale convert red teams to examining individual technical debt networks, we have extensive testing experience and rely on multiple techniques.
Constant Progress
In an ever-evolving sector, we stay at the forefront of cybersecurity, with our consultants constantly advancing their technical expertise and staying abreast of evolving threats.
FAQs
What are the Facets of a Red Team Exercise?
A typical red team attack simultation is:
- Goal-oriented – unlike typical penetration testing, red teaming is used to see if attackers can carry out actions which are specifically linked to events that the business wants to prevent
- Threat-driven – red teaming uses advanced techniques, tactics and procedures which threat actors are likely to use to target the client’s organisation
- Covert – these exercises are conducted as a cover assessment. They won’t have privileged information about the target so that they can more realistically simulate an external attack
- Realistic – red team attacks are designed to simulate real-world cyberattacks as much as possible so that the organisation can practice and evaluate their response in a real-life scenario.
What is the difference between Red Teaming and Penetration Testing?
In comparison to Penetration Tests, red teaming is technically more complex, takes more time, and is a more thorough exercise of testing the organization’s response capabilities and the security measures they have in place. Unlike Penetration Testing, a red team assessment also tends to be objective-oriented.
What Types of Organisations Benefit from Red Teaming?
Any organisation that relies on security infrastructure to protect valuable assets and data can benefit from a Red Teaming assessment. This includes government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and businesses of all sizes and industries
What Types of Organisations Benefit from Red Teaming?
Any organisation that relies on security infrastructure to protect valuable assets and data can benefit from a Red Teaming assessment. This includes government agencies, financial institutions, healthcare organizations, and businesses of all sizes and industries
How Long Does a Typical Red Team Engagement Take?
Red team engagements typically run for four to six weeks, providing a thorough examination of your security defenses. Pen tests are shorter, usually one to two weeks, and focus on identifying specific vulnerabilities.
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