Red Teaming
Red teaming goes further than just testing your defences, it also tests your response and recovery as part of a simulated cyber attack.
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What is Red Teaming?
Red teaming gives organisations a way to proactively uncover, understand and fix security risks in both their ability to protect their digital assets and respond to potential threats.
Our UK-based red teaming adopts an ethical hacking “adversarial lens”, to help organisations identify security vulnerabilities that real attackers are likely to exploit.
Our proactive, adversarial approach ensures you strengthen the security of your systems and protect sensitive data even in the face of evolving cyber threats. Our service ensures that you can be confident in the security of your digital infrastructure, keeping your business secure in an ever-evolving cyber threat landscape.
Challenges Addressed by Red Teaming
Overconfidence
Many SMBs are over-confident in their controls because they have never been tested in a real-world attack. This leads to under-investment and more vulnerabilities.
Blind Spots
Organisations often miss advanced threats due to their sophisticated nature creating blind spots in their ability to detect and respond to real world attack scenarios.
Advanced Persistent Threats
Nation-states and organised crime are on the rise and are relentless in their attack and evasion techniques. Red Teaming mirrors these persistent tactics deployed, testing how well an organisation will actually respond.
Protection vs. Response
Invariably, most SMBs focus too much on protection rather than response or recovery capabilities. In a world where being targeted is inevitable, testing your ability to respond is crucial to building resilience.
What Our Clients Say
Benefits of Red Teaming
Our Red Teaming service empowers you to rigorously test both your ability to protect your assets, and respond / recover when crisis hits.
Real-World Attacks
Red Teaming offers a realistic simulation of your ability to respond to real-wold cyber attacks testing not only technical controls but also response process and procedures.
Hidden Vulnerabilities
Standard penetration tests are great to uncover first line security gaps, however, Red Teaming goes a layer deeper to uncover deeper more advanced vulnerabilities in your network and processes.
Incident Response
Incident response is the most critical component to your cyber security. Red Teaming tests your incident response processes in real-time, evaluating you against a simulated real-world attack.
Enhanced Awareness
Red teaming ensure employees gain a deeper understanding of how attackers operate and what they need to look out for by living the experience first hand as part of a simulation.
Validate Security Investments
Red Teaming provides actionable insights that demonstrate whether your existing security tools and processes are delivering value and providing the return on investment you expect.
Increasing Regulatory Focus
Regulatory demands are continually increasing and evolving, with many now specifically stating penetration tests and red teams are an explicit requirement.
Future-Proof Resiliency
The cyber threat landscape is highly dynamic, with threat actors switching up their strategies daily to catch organisations off-guard. Red teaming ensures you are always staying one step ahead of the attackers.
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Case Study: UK Manufacturing Firm
Client Challenge
After a series of ‘near misses’, a rapidly scaling SME in the manufacturing sector, handling sensitive customer data, wanted to assess their ability to defend against advanced cyber-attacks.
While they had baseline security controls in place, they lacked the confidence in their detection and response capabilities especially in a real-life attack.
Our Approach
Our team followed a client-centred approach, scoping and delivering a comprehensive Red Teaming exercises that targeted the client’s people, processes and technology.
- Using open-source intelligence, we identified a range of exploitable vulnerabilities, including employee emails and unpatched systems.
- Attack simulations included spear-phishing, external network exploitation and a physical intrusion attempt.
- Our team formulated simulation findings in a detailed report which was played back to the client, outlining actionable recommendations to close these security gaps.
Value Delivered
Time to Respond
Inefficiencies in their ability to respond quickly were identified and helped speed up future responses.
Fewer Incidents
Vulnerabilities in the external network perimeter were fixed which saw a drop off in total number of incidents.
Cyber Team Upskilled
By performing a real-world simulation, the cyber team learnt things they wouldn’t have done from a pen test.
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Who Needs Red Teaming?
Red Teaming was historically reserved for large enterprises, however, there has been a shift due to evolving cyber threats targeting small to medium enterprises (SMBs) and emerging companies.
As these threats grow more sophisticated and relentless, businesses that require continuous resilience and trust with their customers, need to consider red teaming to identify and address security vulnerabilities proactively.
- Small To Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs): SMBs are often targeted with the same techniques and strategies from threat actors as large Enterprises. The difference is SMBs often lack the resources to implement full-time in-house security teams to fight back.
- Fast-Growing Companies: Due to the nature of the company being a rapidly scaling business, emerging companies and scale ups need to ensure their security posture evolves and matches the pace of their growth.
- High-Value Targets For Cybercriminals: Specific industries that house sensitive data and offer critical services are often targeted by cybercriminals. For example, financial instructions, healthcare and critical infrastructure organisations.
- Organisations With Stringent Compliance Requirements: Organisations that fall under heavily regulated industries and therefore, strict regulatory frameworks (e.g. UK DPA, FCA/PRA, DORA, GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001) benefit from Red Teaming to ensure compliance and demonstrate preparedness.
Who Doesn’t Need Red Teaming Services?
- Large Enterprises With Established Security Operations: Enterprises that have already invested in robust, in-house security operations and have dedicated teams handling cyber threats around the clock may not require external 24×7 monitoring, e.g., a global corporation with a mature IT security department and advanced internal SOC capabilities.
- Sole Traders: Very small businesses with limited online presence and digital resources, such as a local service provider (e.g., a small plumbing business), may only need basic cybersecurity measures rather than Red Teaming.
- Businesses With Zero Compliance Requirements: Companies that do not fall under strict regulatory or compliance requirements, such as a small local consultancy that doesn’t handle sensitive customer or financial data, may not need the rigorous oversight that Red Teaming provides.
Our Approach
We follow a client-centred methodology to deliver red teaming to ensure that simulated attacks are highly realistic to your business and technological environment.
Test Planning
We begin with an in-depth consultation to establish clear objectives and outcomes for testing, making sure it aligns to not only your technical goals but also your organisation’s strategic objectives.
Gather Intelligence
Adopting a risk-based approach, our team conducts a thorough open-source intelligence search to identify potential vulnerabilities and technologies in your environment. This is tailored within your context to make sure it is realistic and relevant for your business.
Threat Modelling
Once complete, our team then establishes realistic simulations based on real-life adversarial attacks identified from their research and discussions with your team. These simulations are set up aligned to your specific risks and industry security landscape.
Rules of Engagement
Our security team then documents a clear test plan, attack scenarios, roadmap and timelines aligned to your expectations and operational boundaries. This ensures testing is not disruptive to your team or daily operations.
Execution of Attacks
Our team then executes the simulated attacks, using physical, social and technical attack vectors. The testing is completed in an adaptable manner, mimicking how genuine attacks evolve based on the client’s environment and response.
Detailed Reporting
Our team details the outcomes of the testing in comprehensive reports, tailored for both non-technical and technical audiences. This includes thorough actionable insights and recommendations, so your team can implement remediation strategies accordingly.
Continuous Improvement
Security is never static, and neither is our approach. Our red teaming regularly reviews and updates the service to ensure ongoing optimisation. This includes adjusting testing based on evolving threats.
Lessons Learnt
Finally, in parallel to the report shared, we hold a debriefing session to finalise findings and ensure your team is equipped to perform the recommendations.
Secure your business.
Elevate your security, accelerate your growth. We take care of cyber security for high-growth companies, at every stage of their journey.
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Your Team
Rob McBride
Rob leads our Cyber-Security-as-a-Service offering at CyPro and is a highly experienced CISO. Starting his career with a successful tenure at Deloitte, Rob has since built a distinguished career in cyber security, notably advising multinational corporations on their cyber resilience and leading security initiatives for financial institutions.
At CyPro, Rob leverages his extensive experience as a CISO across multiple industries including finance, telecommunication, travel, manufacturing, and energy. He is passionate about empowering small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with cutting-edge cyber security solutions to safeguard their operations and drive sustainable growth.
Rob’s expertise and strategic vision are instrumental in delivering tailored, comprehensive security services to our diverse client base.
Additional Consultants
Jordan is an experienced and highly skilled senior SOC analyst who is certified as a GIAC incident handler (GCIH). He specialises in ensuring the efficient onboarding of clients to our SOC service, focusing on deploying detection rules tailored to each client’s specific threat landscape.
Jordan excels in identifying and responding to sophisticated cyber threats, leveraging his deep knowledge of threat detection tools and techniques to provide proactive protection.
Previously serving as a SOC Manager for the UK Home Office, Jordan brings extensive experience in managing large-scale security operations for critical government infrastructure. He is responsible for overseeing 24×7 monitoring, incident response, and the continuous improvement of detection strategies within our 24×7 SOC.
Luke is a seasoned Senior SOC Engineer with extensive experience in designing and managing complex SOC environments across different sectors.
As a specialist in automated detection rule development, Luke builds sophisticated detection mechanisms that enable real-time identification of potential threats. His expertise in crafting tailored SIEM rules and integrating advanced threat intelligence allows for proactive threat detection, significantly reducing response times and improving the overall security posture of the businesses he supports.
With a passion for continuous improvement, Luke also works on refining detection capabilities, ensuring that the SOC evolves alongside the latest cyber threat trends and technological advancements.
A graduate in Criminology, Elsie also has an MSc in Crime Science with Cyber Crime from UCL. She brings a solid foundation in cyber security principles and practices.
With a research background in human factors in cyber security, Elsie brings a proactive approach to analysing security landscapes. Highly analytical and committed to supporting clients, she excels at crafting solutions to enhance organisational resilience.
Elsie is proficient in identifying and addressing cyber threats, and committed to staying ahead in the ever-evolving digital security landscape, while her analytical skills, honed through experience and academic studies, enable hrt to extract valuable insights to inform strategic decisions.
Enthusiastic and knowledgeable, Elsie strives to be a catalyst for change in security paradigms, and is dedicated to developing innovative approaches to combat emerging threats.
John is a highly skilled Security Operations Manager and a leader within our UK-based Security Operations Centre.
With a strong technical background, John excels at engineering SIEM tools and developing detailed incident response playbooks.
His ability to communicate complex security risks effectively to diverse audiences sets him apart.
John has extensive experience across multiple sectors, including a notable tenure as a Senior Security Analyst for the UK Government.
His expertise and leadership ensure robust security operations and proactive threat management for our clients.
With a degree in Cybersecurity specialising in Digital Forensics, Gianluca brings a robust academic foundation to the table. His educational background is complemented by hands-on experience in a Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) environment, where he has honed his skills in delivering Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and Managed Extended Detection and Response (MXDR) services to a diverse clientele across the globe.
In his role, he has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in blue team operations, excelling at identifying, analysing, and mitigating cyber threats. His expertise extends to fortifying organisational security through proactive defence strategies and comprehensive threat management. He is adept at leveraging advanced security tools and technologies to safeguard critical assets and ensure compliance with industry standards.
His commitment to continuous learning and staying abreast of the latest cybersecurity trends and threats underscores his dedication to protecting organisations from evolving cyber risks.
Originating from Deloitte, Ellie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role as a Cyber Security Manager.
She specialises in the field of threat intelligence, enabling clients to proactively identify and respond to threats before they escalate into issues.
Technically adept and highly knowledgeable, Ellie excels at developing robust security strategies tailored to each client’s unique needs.
Known for her warm and collaborative approach, Ellie is a natural motivator and people person, making her a trusted partner in implementing and operating effective security controls.
Comparison: Red Teaming vs Penetration Testing
If deciding between Red Teaming and Penetration Testing, it’s important to understand the distinct benefits each option offers.
Red Teaming
- Objective: Simulates real world attacks to test and validate both defences and the ability to respond to cyber attacks.
- Scope: Broad and stealth focused, targeting a mixture of people, technology and processes through a variety of attack vectors e.g. social engineering and technical exploitation.
- Approach: Emulation of adversaries using tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) of threat actors.
- Outcome: Identified gaps in detection and response capabilities, with actionable insights into security improvements to operations.
- Who Is This Best For? Organisations with more mature security capabilities that seek to test both detection, response and mitigation strategies against advanced cyber threats.
Penetration Testing
- Objective: Identifies vulnerabilities in specific systems, applications, or networks through controlled testing (it does not test response capabilities).
- Scope: Narrow and predefined scope that focuses on finding technical weaknesses in agreed assets.
- Approach: Direct exploitation of vulnerabilities, following a checklist methodology (e.g., OWASP).
- Outcome: A detailed report of vulnerabilities and misconfigurations, with clear recommendations for remediation.
- Who Is This Best For? Organisations that seeking to ensure the security of specific assets or meet compliance requirements (e.g., Cyber Essentials).
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Blue or Purple Team?
Red teams simulate threat hunting attacks to test organisations’ security effectiveness. Blue teams defend organisations from attacks and simulate incident response processes. Purple teams blend both roles as a mixed team or facilitate collaboration between the other two.
- How does Red Team testing security work?
Generally, it involves 8 steps to scope up and deliver Red teaming outcomes:
- Define Objectives: set clear testing objectives aligned to your business strategy and technology set up.
- Gather Intelligence: Understand the risks and threats in your environment and business context.
- Threat Modelling: Create real world attack simulations aligned to the intelligence captured.
- Planning and Rules of Engagement: Documenting a clear test plan, attack scenarios, roadmap and timelines
- Execution of Attacks: Delivering the simulated attacks.
- Detailed Documentation: Document the findings, results and recommendations.
- Continuous Improvement and Feedback: Review and update the service to ensure ongoing optimisation.
- Post Test Analysis and Lessons Learnt: Hold briefing session on gaps and recommendations based on the testing performed.
- What are common Red Teaming Tactics?
Red teams use many tools and techniques that are available to malicious hackers. Some tools and tactics are:
- Application and network penetration testing
- Physical security testing
- Intercepting communication
- Phishing
- Social engineering
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