Red Teaming is a method in information security where a team of security experts (the so-called Red Team) attempts to penetrate an organization's systems, networks, and physical security. The goal is to uncover vulnerabilities before real attackers can exploit them. It involves a realistic simulation of attacks to test the effectiveness of existing security measures.
Where does the term Red Teaming come from?
The term originates from the military. Traditionally, "Red Teams" were used to simulate opposing forces to test and improve their own strategies and tactics. Over time, this concept was transferred to the field of cybersecurity to help organizations strengthen their defenses against potential cyber attacks. This is particularly noticeable in the choice of terminology, which strongly resembles military terms.
Who conducts Red Teaming?
Red Teaming is an interdisciplinary endeavor. An effective Red Team consists of various specialists - though the composition can vary greatly and is significantly influenced by the objective. Typically, you'll find a penetration tester, a social engineer, and possibly a developer in a Red Team. IT experts familiar with network security, application security, and physical security are also in demand and are deployed as needed. If the focus is heavily on social engineering, you occasionally see psychologists in the team for complex operations. A good combination is classical penetration testers together with experts who are familiar with Bug Bounty Hunting (like DSecured).
What are the advantages of Red Teaming?
Holistic Security Assessment: Examination of technology, processes, and employees.
Realistic Attack Scenarios: Preparation for actual threats.
Improvement of Security Culture: Raising employee awareness of security risks.
Optimization of Defense Strategies: Identification of vulnerabilities enables targeted improvements.
What are the challenges in Red Teaming?
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Costs and Resources:
Red Teaming can be time-consuming and costly. -
Data Protection and Compliance:
Ensuring all activities comply with laws. -
Operational Risks:
Simulated attacks can have unintended effects on business operations. -
Internal Acceptance:
Employees might feel monitored or tested.
What scenarios are used in Red Teaming?
Red Teaming encompasses a variety of scenarios that simulate realistic cyber attacks to comprehensively test a company's security mechanisms. These scenarios are designed to cover various attack methods and vectors used by actual threat actors. Generally, there are three main categories of scenarios: external attacks, internal attacks, and physical attacks.
External Attacks
External attack scenarios simulate threats from outside the corporate network. The Red Team attempts to penetrate the system without prior access. This can happen through exploiting publicly accessible services or through targeted phishing campaigns. Therefore, it's important for companies to regularly check their external interfaces. Shadow IT and unsecured cloud services are common entry points for external attackers. Poorly configured load balancers, firewalls, or servers in general are also popular targets for attackers.
Internal Attacks
Internal scenarios assume that the attacker already has some access to the internal network, for example as an insider or through compromised credentials. Here, the Red Team focuses on escalating privileges and conducting lateral movements within the network. Often, internal attacks are harder to detect as they resemble legitimate activities. However, it's often the case that the Red Team can spread relatively quickly because internal security is unfortunately often not as good as external security.
Physical Attacks
Physical attack scenarios include breaking into company buildings or data centers. The Red Team tries to gain physical access to devices or network infrastructure to directly access sensitive data or install malware. Here, one should focus on physical security and implement access controls and surveillance systems. Techniques like Tailgating are used here.
Who benefits from using a Red Team?
Theoretically, every company, regardless of size, would benefit from Red Teaming engagement. The probability that the Red Team finds a way in is relatively high. In practice, however, Red Teaming is not an inexpensive matter, which is why larger companies and government agencies tend to use it. Companies that fall into the Critical Infrastructure category are advised to use Red Teaming - especially since these are particularly important institutions and companies with very high protection needs.
How should a company proceed if the budget excludes Red Teaming?
Many companies are interested in an approach that goes beyond classical penetration testing and moves towards Red Teaming. Here it's worth choosing a combination of relatively simple risk analysis, focused penetration tests, and approaches known from the Bug Bounty field. Automation can play a big role here - External Attack Surface Management would be an example. The data collected by such systems can then serve as a basis for penetration tests. Penetration Tests as a Service are also good ideas that should be discussed with experts.
What are the differences between Red Teaming and Penetration Tests?
Although both Red Teaming and Penetration Tests aim to uncover vulnerabilities in IT systems, they differ significantly in their methodology, scope, and objectives. While penetration tests provide a broad overview of technical security gaps, Red Teaming focuses on simulating realistic attacker behavior to evaluate a company's entire security strategy.
Methodology and Approach
Penetration testers use standardized methods and tools to identify known vulnerabilities. They often work according to a predefined plan and within clear boundaries. In contrast, the Red Team acts more flexibly and creatively by seeking unconventional ways to penetrate systems. Therefore, the Red Team is able to discover unknown or complex vulnerabilities or effectively convert data collected over time into vulnerabilities.
Timeframe and Intensity
Penetration tests are usually time-limited and focus on specific systems or applications. Red Team operations, on the other hand, can extend over several weeks or months and include a comprehensive analysis of the entire security infrastructure. This allows for identifying deep-rooted vulnerabilities that might remain undetected in shorter tests.
What are the differences between Red Teaming and Assume Breach?
The "Assume Breach" approach and Red Teaming share the common goal of evaluating an organization's security posture, but differ in their perspective and focus. While Red Teaming tries to break into a system, "Assume Breach" assumes that the breach has already occurred and focuses on response capability and damage control.
Attacker vs. Defender Perspective
Red Teaming takes the perspective of the attacker and tries to bypass security measures. "Assume Breach," on the other hand, puts itself in the role of the defender who discovers and contains an attack that has already occurred. Therefore, both approaches complement each other and provide a comprehensive picture of the security situation.
Focus on Detection and Response
While Red Teaming focuses on penetration, "Assume Breach" emphasizes a company's ability to detect, analyze, and respond appropriately to attacks. Here, one should start with implementing effective detection and response mechanisms to minimize the impact of an attack.
How does a typical Red Team operation work?
A typical Red Team operation follows a structured process that includes several phases. The process begins with information gathering and ends with reporting the results. Generally, there are the following steps that are followed in a Red Team operation.
Phases of a Red Team Operation
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Reconnaissance:
Collection of information about the target company to identify possible attack vectors. This involves identifying services, scanning ports, using external sources, and so on. -
Initial Access:
Attempt to penetrate the network, for example through phishing or exploitation of vulnerabilities in the perimeter. Classic examples include finding unpatched systems. -
Privilege Escalation:
Escalation of rights to gain deeper access to systems. Local exploits often allow initial user rights to be elevated to become root/system. - Lateral Movement:
Movement within the network to compromise additional systems. Usually the target is deeper in the system - a specific database server, the CEO's PC, or similar. -
Goal Achievement:
Access to defined targets, such as sensitive data or critical systems. Data exfiltration - without being noticed - is particularly important here. -
Covering Tracks:
Measures to avoid detection and maintain access. Traces are covered by cleaning log files, deactivating AV and similar services when necessary. -
Reporting:
Documentation of vulnerabilities found and recommendations for improvement - this often happens in the classic form of a report and/or presentation.
What tools and techniques are used in Red Teaming?
Red Teaming uses a variety of tools and techniques that are also used by real attackers. These range from technical tools to social manipulation methods. Therefore, it's important that the Red Team possesses a broad spectrum of capabilities.
Technical Tools
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Network Scanners:
Tools like Nmap to identify open ports and services. -
Exploit Frameworks:
Platforms like Metasploit to exploit known vulnerabilities. -
Custom Malware:
Development of custom malware to bypass antivirus systems. -
Password Cracking Tools:
Applications like Hashcat to decrypt encrypted passwords. -
Post-Exploitation Tools:
Tools like Cobalt Strike to establish persistent access.
Social Engineering
Social Engineering is an effective method to obtain access credentials or confidential information. Phishing campaigns or impersonating false identities are typical approaches. In detail, you often see very focused attacks on a specific group of people (see Whaling).
Why is Red Teaming important for a company's cybersecurity?
Red Teaming is a crucial component of a comprehensive security strategy. It enables companies to test their defense mechanisms under realistic conditions and proactively address vulnerabilities. Therefore, it's important that companies regularly conduct Red Team exercises.
Increasing Resilience
By identifying and addressing vulnerabilities, resilience against cyber attacks is increased. This helps minimize potential damage and ensure business continuity.
Improving Detection and Response Capabilities
Red Teaming helps improve the capabilities of the security team by simulating real attacks. This enables the Blue Team to respond more effectively to threats and detect them early. Often, you see that response times decrease significantly after such exercises.
What should a company consider before hiring a Red Team?
Before a company engages a Red Team, various aspects should be considered. It's important to define clear objectives and prepare internal processes accordingly. Legal and ethical frameworks should also be clarified. Additionally, some security measures should already be implemented to increase the effectiveness of the Red Team. Penetration tests against important systems are a good start here. Initial phishing campaigns against employees can also help increase sensitivity. You shouldn't make it too easy for the Red Team.
Clear Goal Definition
The company should know exactly which areas should be tested and what goals the Red Team should achieve. This helps determine the scope of the operation and avoid misunderstandings. Defining specific goals is useful, such as the exfiltration of a specific file from a specific computer or obtaining Domain Admin rights in the network.
Legal Framework
All legal aspects must be clarified to ensure that the Red Team's activities take place within a legal framework. This includes contracts, disclaimers, and any necessary permits. Especially when Red Teaming also includes physical tests of doors, windows, buildings, and similar.
What's the difference between a Red Team, Blue Team, and Purple Team?
In cybersecurity, the terms Red Team, Blue Team, and Purple Team are frequently used to describe different roles. These teams work either against or with each other to improve an organization's security posture.
Red Team
The Red Team takes on the role of the attacker and tries to penetrate the systems and exploit vulnerabilities. It simulates the tactics and techniques of real threat actors to test defense mechanisms.
Blue Team and Purple Team
The Blue Team is responsible for defense and works to detect and prevent attacks. The Purple Team emerges from the collaboration between Red and Blue Teams to improve communication and jointly develop strategies for security improvement.
Why is it important that the Blue Team is not informed about Red Teaming measures?
The Blue Team's unawareness of planned Red Team activities is crucial for the realism of the simulation. Only this way can the defender team authentically react to unexpected attacks, providing valuable insights into the effectiveness of existing security measures.
Testing Real Response Capability
When the Blue Team isn't forewarned, it can demonstrate its actual capabilities. Therefore, it's important that the tests take place under realistic conditions to uncover weaknesses in detection and response.
Avoiding Bias
Prior information could influence the Blue Team's behavior and lead to unnatural reactions. The neutrality of test conditions ensures objective results that are essential for improving security strategy.
Relevance of Red Teaming within TIBER and DORA
Red Teaming in Germany and the EU is increasingly influenced and required by specific regulatory frameworks. TIBER-EU (Threat Intelligence-based Ethical Red Teaming) and its German implementation TIBER-DE, developed by the European Central Bank, aim to improve cyber resilience in the financial sector through standardized Red Teaming tests. From 2025, the EU regulation DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) will come into effect, mandating Red Teaming tests for certain financial companies. These frameworks ensure that Red Teaming activities take place in a controlled, ethical, and legally compliant environment, considering aspects such as data protection, liability, reporting, and compliance. Companies conducting or commissioning Red Teaming must be aware of these legal requirements and take appropriate precautions to minimize risks and meet regulatory requirements.
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