// THREAT DETECTION AND DATA PRIVACY TERM
Red Team
A Red Team is a group of ethical hackers that simulates real-world adversaries to test an organization's security defenses. They use various techniques to try and bypass security measures, identify vulnerabilities, and compromise systems or data, just as a malicious attacker would.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
A Red Team conducts authorized, adversarial simulations by highly skilled ethical hackers to rigorously test an organization's defensive posture, incident response capabilities, and overall resilience against sophisticated, real-world cyber threats, often targeting people, processes, and technology across multiple attack vectors.
BACKGROUND
A red team is a group that simulates an adversary, attempts a physical or digital intrusion against an organization at the direction of that organization, then reports back so that the organization can improve their defenses. Red teams work for the organization or are hired by the organization. Their work is legal, but it can surprise some employees who may not know that red teaming is occurring, or who may be deceived by the red team. Some definitions of red team are broader, and they include any group within an organization that is directed to think outside the box and look at alternative scenarios that are considered less plausible. This directive can be an important defense against false assumptions and groupthink. The term red teaming originated in the 1960s in the United States.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Adversarial Simulation
- Threat Emulation Team
- Offensive Security Team
- Attack Simulation Group
- Ethical Hacking Team
USAGE NOTE
Red Teams are employed to uncover systemic weaknesses and validate the effectiveness of security controls and human responses against persistent, multi-faceted threats, often preceding a Blue Team's defensive exercise.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Red Team.
Mandiant provides advanced red team operations and adversary emulation services to help organizations test their defenses against sophisticated attackers.
Rapid7 develops security operations technology, including the Metasploit Framework, a widely used penetration testing and red teaming tool, and offers extensive red team services.
Bishop Fox is a pure-play offensive security firm specializing in red teaming, penetration testing, and attack surface management to simulate real-world threats.
NCC Group offers expert red team services, advanced penetration testing, and security consulting to identify vulnerabilities and strengthen client security postures.
TrustedSec is a leading information security consulting firm known for its red teaming, penetration testing, and incident response services, helping organizations understand and reduce their risk.
CrowdStrike offers proactive services, including adversary emulation and red teaming, leveraging their threat intelligence to simulate real-world attacks and test defenses.
Synack operates a crowdsourced security platform that facilitates sophisticated red team-style engagements and continuous penetration testing through its global community of ethical hackers.