Category: Threat Intelligence & Simulation

Red Teaming

Also known as: Red Team, Adversary Emulation

Simply put

Red teaming is a method of testing an organization's security by having authorized ethical hackers simulate real-world attacks against it. The goal is to find weaknesses before actual criminals can exploit them. Depending on the engagement, these simulated attacks may target digital systems, physical facilities, or emerging technologies such as AI systems.

Formal definition

Red teaming is a structured, adversarial testing exercise in which a group is authorized and organized to emulate a potential adversary's attack or exploitation capabilities against an enterprise's security posture. Operating at the direction of the target organization, red teams conduct simulated physical or digital intrusions to safely attack security controls and identify weaknesses ahead of a real threat actor. Variants include AI red teaming, a structured adversarial testing process designed to uncover vulnerabilities in AI systems before attackers do. Red teaming should not be conflated with routine security operations; a virtual CISO may advise on scoping, commissioning, or interpreting red team results as part of governance and risk management, but the hands-on execution of a red team engagement is typically performed by dedicated offensive-security specialists and is generally out of scope for advisory security leadership unless explicitly contracted.

Why it matters

Red teaming matters because it tests an organization's security the way a real adversary would, rather than through checklists or theoretical assessments. By authorizing ethical hackers to emulate a potential adversary's attack capabilities, an organization can discover how its controls, people, and processes actually hold up under pressure and can identify weaknesses before an actual criminal exploits them. This provides evidence of security effectiveness that is difficult to obtain through routine testing alone, and it can educate defenders by exposing gaps in detection and response.

The value of red teaming often depends heavily on organizational maturity, clearly defined scope, and cooperation from stakeholders. An organization with limited security foundations may gain more from foundational assessments before commissioning an adversarial exercise, while a more mature organization can use red team results to validate and refine existing defenses. Because engagements may target digital systems, physical facilities, or emerging technologies such as AI systems, the scope must be deliberately set so that results are meaningful and actionable.

Red teaming should not be treated as a guarantee against breaches, nor should it be confused with routine security operations or ongoing monitoring. It is a point-in-time adversarial exercise whose findings must be interpreted and acted upon by the organization. Where security leadership is involved, the accountability for acting on red team findings and for security decisions generally remains with the client organization and its officers, not with any advisor who helps commission or interpret the work.

Who it's relevant to

Security and Risk Leaders

CISOs, virtual CISOs, and other security leaders use red teaming to validate whether their security posture holds up against a simulated adversary and to prioritize remediation. A virtual CISO may advise on scoping and commissioning an engagement and on interpreting the results within a broader governance and risk program, while typically leaving the hands-on offensive testing to dedicated specialists.

Offensive Security Specialists

The ethical hackers who plan and execute simulated attacks are central to red teaming. Authorized and organized at the direction of the target organization, they emulate a potential adversary's attack or exploitation capabilities against digital systems, physical facilities, or emerging technologies such as AI systems, then report the weaknesses they identify.

Executives and Boards

Organizational officers who hold accountability for security decisions rely on red team findings as evidence of how their defenses perform under realistic conditions. Because accountability for acting on results generally remains with the client organization, executives benefit from understanding that red teaming informs risk decisions rather than transferring liability or guaranteeing breach prevention.

Defensive Security Teams

Teams responsible for detection and response can use red team exercises to test and improve their capabilities, since a core purpose of red teaming is to safely attack security controls and educate defenders by exposing gaps before a real threat actor exploits them.

Inside Red Teaming

Objective-Based Scenario

Red teaming typically begins with a defined objective, such as accessing a specific data set or system, rather than broadly scanning for all vulnerabilities. This goal-oriented approach distinguishes it from a general vulnerability assessment and helps simulate the intent of a realistic adversary.

Adversary Emulation

The exercise often emulates the tactics, techniques, and procedures associated with a plausible threat actor relevant to the organization. This may include social engineering, physical access attempts, and technical exploitation, depending on the agreed scope.

Scope and Rules of Engagement

A formal document typically defines what is in and out of bounds, permitted techniques, timing, and escalation procedures. This is essential because red teaming can be intrusive, and boundaries protect both the organization and the testers.

Detection and Response Testing

A red team exercise often measures not only whether defenses can be bypassed but also how well the organization's people, processes, and tools detect and respond to the activity. This is frequently a primary value driver, especially when paired with a blue team as a purple team exercise.

Findings and Remediation Guidance

Engagements typically conclude with a report describing the paths taken, weaknesses exploited, and recommendations. A virtual CISO commonly helps translate these technical findings into governance, risk, and program-level priorities rather than executing the fixes directly.

Governance and Advisory Role

Where a virtual CISO is involved, the role is generally to advise on when red teaming is appropriate, help scope it, select providers, and integrate results into the broader security strategy. Accountability for acting on findings usually remains with the client organization and its officers.

Common questions

Answers to the questions practitioners most commonly ask about Red Teaming.

Is red teaming the same as a penetration test?

No, though the terms are often confused. A penetration test typically focuses on identifying and validating technical vulnerabilities within a defined scope, often against specific systems or applications. Red teaming is generally broader and objective-driven, simulating a realistic adversary attempting to achieve a goal such as accessing sensitive data, and it may combine technical exploitation with social engineering and physical approaches. Penetration testing tends to measure how many weaknesses exist, while red teaming tends to measure whether an organization can detect and respond to a determined attacker. The distinction can vary by provider, so it is worth confirming scope and objectives in the engagement definition.

Does a virtual CISO personally conduct red team exercises?

Typically not as a hands-on operator. A virtual CISO usually operates at the strategy, governance, and oversight level, so their role is often to determine whether red teaming is appropriate for the organization's maturity, define objectives and rules of engagement, select or coordinate a specialized red team provider, and translate findings into risk-based remediation priorities. The offensive execution itself is generally performed by dedicated red team specialists, whether internal or external, unless the engagement explicitly contracts the individual for that work. Conflating advisory leadership with hands-on offensive testing is a common misunderstanding.

When is an organization mature enough to benefit from red teaming?

Value from red teaming often depends on organizational maturity. Organizations that have not yet established foundational controls, asset inventories, or a basic detection and response capability may gain more from vulnerability assessments and penetration testing first, because a red team may simply confirm gaps that are already known. Red teaming generally provides the most insight when there is a functioning security program and detection capability to test against. A virtual CISO can help assess readiness before committing to this type of engagement.

How should rules of engagement be defined for a red team exercise?

Rules of engagement typically define the objectives, permitted and prohibited techniques, in-scope and out-of-scope systems, timing, escalation paths, and safety limits to avoid operational disruption or harm. They often specify which stakeholders are aware of the exercise, since limited awareness may be intentional to test detection. Clear rules of engagement also clarify legal authorization and data handling. Because accountability for these decisions generally remains with the client organization and its officers, the client usually approves the scope in writing, with the virtual CISO advising on appropriate boundaries.

What should an organization do with red team findings?

Findings are typically translated into prioritized, risk-based remediation rather than treated as a simple pass or fail. This often includes addressing exploited technical weaknesses, closing detection and response gaps revealed during the exercise, and improving processes such as escalation and communication. A virtual CISO commonly helps map findings to the organization's broader risk picture and, where relevant, to control objectives in frameworks the organization uses. The value depends heavily on stakeholder cooperation and follow-through after the engagement concludes.

How does red teaming relate to compliance frameworks?

Red teaming can support security readiness and may provide evidence relevant to certain framework or regulatory expectations, but it does not by itself confer compliance or certification. Some standards and regulations reference adversarial or threat-led testing, yet requirements vary and formal attestation involves separate assessment processes. A virtual CISO may position red teaming as one input into demonstrating and strengthening a security program, while being careful to distinguish supporting readiness from asserting compliance.

Common misconceptions

Red teaming is the same as a penetration test or vulnerability scan.

These are related but distinct. A vulnerability scan or penetration test often aims to identify and confirm as many weaknesses as possible, while red teaming is typically objective-driven and adversary-focused, emphasizing whether a specific goal can be reached and how well the organization detects and responds. The terms can overlap in practice, so scope should be defined explicitly rather than assumed.

A virtual CISO performs the red teaming exercise.

A virtual CISO generally provides strategy, scoping, provider selection, and interpretation of results rather than executing hands-on offensive testing. Operational red team activity is typically delivered by specialized testers unless explicitly contracted otherwise, since this falls outside the usual governance and advisory scope of a vCISO.

A successful red team exercise guarantees the organization is now secure or breach-proof.

Red teaming provides a point-in-time assessment against a defined objective and scope. It does not guarantee prevention of future breaches, and its value depends heavily on organizational maturity, the realism of the scenario, stakeholder cooperation, and whether findings are acted upon.

Best practices

Define clear objectives, scope, and rules of engagement in writing before any activity begins, and confirm escalation and stop procedures with relevant stakeholders.

Treat red teaming as a test of detection and response capability, not only of preventive controls, and consider pairing red and blue teams as a purple team exercise where appropriate.

Align the chosen adversary emulation to threats plausibly relevant to the organization rather than pursuing generic or unrealistic scenarios.

Involve security leadership, such as a virtual CISO, to integrate findings into governance, risk, and program priorities rather than treating results as a purely technical checklist.

Ensure findings are translated into an actionable remediation plan with assigned ownership, recognizing that accountability for acting on results typically remains with the client organization.

Assess organizational maturity beforehand, since red teaming often delivers the most value when foundational controls and monitoring are already in place.