Red Teaming is an essential component of modern cybersecurity, helping organizations identify weaknesses by simulating real-world attacker behaviors. While penetration testing typically focuses on vulnerabilities in specific systems, red teaming evaluates the broader security posture by emulating adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures. This article provides an overview of red teaming goals, scope, methodologies, frameworks, and real-world examples.

Goals of Red Teaming

The primary goal of Red Teaming is to simulate a real-world attack scenario and identify weaknesses in an organization’s security posture. The Red Team attempts to think like an attacker and use the same techniques and methods to breach an organization’s defenses. By doing so, Red Teams can help organizations understand their risk profile and identify areas of improvement in their security controls. Red Teaming can also help organizations identify gaps in their detection and response capabilities.

Scope of Red Teaming

Red Teaming can be conducted on a wide range of targets, including physical locations, networks, applications, and people. The scope of Red Teaming depends on the goals of the assessment, the resources available, and the level of risk that the organization is willing to accept. Red Teaming can simulate a variety of attacks, such as phishing attacks, social engineering attacks, network attacks, and physical breaches. Red Teams can also test an organization’s incident response capabilities, employee awareness, and disaster recovery plans.

Planning a Red Team Engagement

Effective red teaming requires careful planning and coordination. A typical engagement involves the following phases:

  1. Goal Definition – Align objectives with the organization’s threat model and determine what “success” looks like (e.g., access to sensitive data, evading detection).
  2. Rules of Engagement (ROE) – Establish clear boundaries, scope, communication protocols, and safety controls to minimize operational risk.
  3. Reconnaissance & Initial Access – Conduct open-source intelligence (OSINT) and enumeration, then choose techniques like phishing, vulnerability exploitation, or physical intrusion.
  4. Execution – Perform the attack chain: gaining foothold, escalating privileges, lateral movement, persistence, and exfiltration simulation.
  5. Reporting & Debrief – Provide actionable findings, walkthroughs of successful attack paths, and concrete recommendations for remediation.

Methodologies of Red Teaming

Several methodologies are used in red teaming. Some of the popular methods are:

  1. Adversary Emulation: In this methodology, the Red Team simulates the actions of a specific threat actor or group of threat actors. This approach can help organizations understand the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by a particular adversary and assess the effectiveness of their security controls against them.
  2. Scenario-based Testing: In this methodology, the Red Team creates a realistic scenario that simulates a specific attack or incident. The scenario can involve multiple attack vectors and can be designed to test the organization’s incident response, detection, and recovery capabilities. Scenarios may include covert exfiltration simulations or long-term persistence exercises to evaluate deeper detection and response capabilities.
  3. Blue Team vs. Red Team: In this methodology, the Red Team works in collaboration with the organization’s Blue Team to simulate a real-world attack scenario. The Blue Team is responsible for defending the organization’s assets, while the Red Team tries to penetrate the defenses. This approach can help organizations identify gaps in their defenses and improve their incident response and recovery capabilities.

Frameworks of Red Teaming

There are several Red Teaming frameworks available that can help organizations plan and execute a Red Team assessment. Some of the popular frameworks are:

  1. Mitre ATT&CK: Mitre ATT&CK is a framework that describes the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors. The framework provides a comprehensive list of TTPs that can be used to assess an organization’s security posture. The Mitre ATT&CK framework is widely used in the cybersecurity industry and is a valuable resource for Red Teams.
  2. NIST SP 800-115: NIST SP 800-115 is a guideline that provides a structured approach to Red Teaming. The guideline describes the critical steps involved in planning and executing a Red Team assessment, including defining the scope, selecting the methodology, and reporting the results.
  3. Open Source Security Testing Methodology Manual (OSSTMM): OSSTMM is a framework that provides a structured approach to security testing. The framework includes guidelines for planning and executing security tests, including Red Team assessments. The OSSTMM framework emphasizes the importance of maintaining a professional relationship with the organization being tested and ensuring that the results are communicated clearly and concisely to the stakeholders.

Additional frameworks include:

  • TIBER-EU – A framework developed to test the resilience of financial institutions in the European Union.
  • CBEST – A red team testing framework used by the UK financial sector under guidance from the Bank of England.
  • Red Team Operations Manual (RTOM) – A resource from CISA providing guidance for red team operations in federal environments.
  • Atomic Red Team – A library of small, repeatable TTPs used for adversary emulation. While often used by defenders, it can aid red teamers in validation testing.

Difference Between Red Teaming and Penetration Testing

A key difference is mindset: penetration testers operate as ethical hackers within a defined scope, while red teamers emulate real attackers with a broader, goal-oriented approach that may include social engineering, physical intrusion, or lateral movement.

Examples of Red Teaming

Let’s look at some examples of Red Teaming to understand how it can be used to enhance an organization’s security.

Phishing

Phishing is a common attack vector used by threat actors to gain access to an organization’s network. A Red Team can simulate a phishing attack to assess the effectiveness of the organization’s security controls. The Red Team can send a phishing email to a group of employees and monitor how many employees click on the link or provide their login credentials. The Red Team can then provide training to employees who fell for the phishing attack and improve the organization’s security controls to prevent future attacks.

Social Engineering

Social Engineering is a technique used by threat actors to trick employees into divulging sensitive information or granting access to their network. A Red Team can simulate a social engineering attack to assess the effectiveness of the organization’s security controls. The Red Team can create a fake persona and try to gain access to the organization’s network by tricking employees into providing sensitive information. The Red Team can then provide training to employees who fall victim to social engineering attacks and improve the organization’s security controls to prevent future attacks.

Network Attacks

Network attacks are a common attack vector used by threat actors to gain access to an organization’s network. A Red Team can simulate a network attack to assess the effectiveness of the organization’s security controls. The Red Team can use a variety of techniques, such as port scanning, vulnerability scanning, and exploitation, to gain access to the organization’s network. The Red Team can then provide recommendations to improve the organization’s security controls, such as patching vulnerabilities and implementing intrusion detection systems.

Lateral Movement

Lateral movement refers to techniques attackers use to move from one compromised system to others within the network. A Red Team can simulate this by pivoting through internal hosts, harvesting credentials, and escalating privileges to demonstrate how an attacker could traverse an enterprise environment undetected.

Physical Security

Physical security is an essential component of an organization’s security posture. A Red Team can simulate a physical breach to assess the organization’s physical security controls. The Red Team can try to gain access to the organization’s premises by using social engineering techniques, bypassing access control systems, or exploiting vulnerabilities in the physical infrastructure. The Red Team can then provide recommendations to improve the organization’s physical security controls, such as implementing surveillance systems and conducting regular security audits.

Post-Engagement Activities

The conclusion of a red team operation is just the beginning of its value. A thorough debrief should include:

  • Attack Chain Walkthroughs – Replay how specific objectives were achieved and which defenses were evaded or triggered.
  • Detection Engineering Opportunities – Work with the blue team to build or refine alerts based on missed TTPs.
  • Metrics and KPIs – Measure response time, containment, and detection accuracy to benchmark improvement over time.
  • Tabletop Exercises – Use lessons learned to simulate future incident scenarios with key stakeholders.

Conclusion

Red Teaming is a critical component of an organization’s security strategy. By simulating a real-world attack scenario, Red Teams can identify vulnerabilities in an organization’s security posture and help improve their overall security. Red Teaming can also help organizations identify areas where security controls can be improved, such as employee training, incident response, and vulnerability management. Red Teaming frameworks, such as Mitre ATT&CK, NIST SP 800-115, and OSSTMM, can provide a structured approach to planning and executing a Red Team assessment. As cyber threats become more advanced, red teaming plays a vital role in helping organizations proactively defend their most critical assets.