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Red/Blue/Purple Teaming

A red team exists to attack, and a blue team exists to defend. The goal is to improve an organization’s security by learning from the ensuing conflict.

A purple team is optionally formed to assist with the process. A red-and-blue team exercise can be quite valuable because it allows you to truly test your organization’s defenses.

A red team in cyber security is often hired by a firm (target) to covertly test its defenses. The team is made up of expert ethical hackers whose goal is to uncover and exploit gaps in the target’s cyber security or physical perimeters.

What are Red, Blue, and Purple Teams?

Most companies regularly assess and test their security systems and protocols to ensure their effectiveness. Your organization is likely one of them. In the field of cybersecurity, you might have come across terms like “Red,” “Blue,” or even “Purple” teams. But what exactly are these teams, what do they do, and how do they operate within your organization?

The origin of the names “Red” and “Blue” is uncertain, but one popular theory suggests that they originated from Player versus Player video games. In these games, teams are randomly assigned, and it’s crucial to know which team each player is on, as a teammate in the previous round could become an opponent in the next round. To make it clear to all players, many games used different colors for the armor or uniforms of each team, with one side being red and the other side being blue.

When assessing the effectiveness of security protocols in a company, it is necessary for someone to actively test and challenge these protocols and defense to ensure their reliability. Similarly, another individual should analyze what worked and what didn’t during the testing process, and take necessary measures to safeguard the systems before and after. Consequently, two distinct teams of security professionals emerge, each working towards the best interests of the company, albeit employing contrasting approaches.

Red Team – The attacker

 

Anything can happen in a red team engagement. If that involves dressing up as a delivery driver and asking to “quickly pop into the post room,” then so be it. They’ll sneakily insert a USB drive into a PC as they pass through. The mission was completed.

The red team’s aims and responsibilities include the following:

  • Putting the target’s security at risk via stealing information, penetrating its systems, or violating its physical boundaries.
  • Keeping the blue team at bay. Many attacks happen in a flash, making it incredibly difficult for the blue team to negate the threat before the ‘damage’ is done.
  • Exploiting flaws and vulnerabilities in the target’s infrastructure. This identifies holes in the organization’s technological security that must be addressed, thereby enhancing its security posture.
  • Starting hostile action, including advanced penetration testing, to provide an accurate assessment of the blue team’s defensive capabilities.

Methods used by the red team include:

  • Initial reconnaissance – gathering information about the target using open source intelligence (OSINT).
  • Deploying command-and-control servers (C&C or C2) to connect to the target’s network.
  • Using decoys to catch the blue team off guard.
  • Using social engineering and phishing techniques to trick employees into exposing or disclosing information in order to breach their devices.
  • Physical and digital penetration testing is often performed in a vacuum chamber.
  • Search for the methodology and how the service can help the client. Patricia

Blue Team

A blue team is a company’s own cybersecurity professionals, usually located in a Security Operations Centre (SOC). The SOC is made up of highly skilled analysts that work around the clock to defend and improve their organization’s defenses.

The blue team is responsible for detecting, opposing, and weakening the red team. The fake attack scenario is intended to improve their abilities by preparing them for potentially harmful real-world attacks.

Many of today’s risks, such as malware and phishing emails, will be eliminated by automated tools deployed at the network’s perimeter, such as endpoint security products and threat detection platforms. The SOC, or blue team, augments the tools and technology with critical human intelligence and is both proactive and reactive.

Blue Team – The defense.

The blue team will detect and neutralize more complex attacks, as well as closely monitor current and emerging threats, in order to defend the company in advance.

The blue team’s aims and responsibilities include the following:

  • Understanding the various stages of an occurrence and responding accordingly.
  • Identifying symptoms of compromise and detecting abnormal traffic patterns.
  • Putting an end to any type of compromise as soon as possible.
  • Identifying and preventing the red team/threat actors’ command and control (C&C or C2) servers’ connectivity to the target.
  • Conducting analysis and forensic testing on the many operating systems that their firm uses, including the use of third-party systems.

Methods used by the red team include:

  • Examining and evaluating log data.
  • Using a security information and event management (SIEM) platform to monitor and detect live intrusions, as well as triage alarms in real time.
  • Gathering fresh threat intelligence and prioritizing necessary actions considering the dangers.
  • Analysis of traffic and data flow.

Purple Team

A purple team is not permanent; it serves an interim role of overseeing and optimizing the red and blue team exercises. It is usually made up of security analysts or senior security experts from the firm.

Purple team: integrated cyber security

If the red and blue teams perform successfully together, the purple squad may become obsolete. It may be a notion rather than a function, requiring the red team to test and target certain components of the blue team’s protection and detection capabilities.

The purple team’s goals and responsibilities include the following:

  • Working alongside the red and blue teams, assessing how they interact and advising or noting any necessary changes to the current exercise.
  • Seeing the big picture and adopting both teams’ mindsets and duties. A purple team member, for example, will collaborate with the blue team to analyze how events are detected. The team member will then be transferred to the red team to investigate how the blue team’s detection capabilities might be circumvented.
  • Analyzing the findings and supervising the appropriate corrective measures, such as fixing vulnerabilities and implementing employee awareness training.
  • Finally, get the most out of the exercise by implementing what you’ve learned and fortifying your defenses.

Cyber risks demand ongoing monitoring and the quickest possible response to detect and contain threats. The Cyber Security Operations Centre (CSOC) RNR provides the intelligence you need to safeguard your organization from these threats.

Cyber security starts with protecting identities

Red teams, blue teams, and their purple team counterparts play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of data systems and networks. By constantly testing for the latest vulnerabilities, these teams help companies determine whether their systems are secure or not. Although you may not witness their actions directly, their work is evident in the form of enhanced security and safer systems. One of the most significant vulnerabilities in cybersecurity is the targeting of Office 365 email through phishing and social engineering attacks. These attacks primarily exploit the weakest link in the security chain – users. To address this risk, organizations prioritize safeguarding identity and access management systems such as Active Directory, Azure AD, or SecureAuth IAM, making it a top priority in cybersecurity.

Your Security Definitions of the Day

  • Vulnerability – A vulnerability is a potential pathway that could be used to gain access to a system or data, or to otherwise compromise a system.
  • Exploit – An exploit is an actual attack against a vulnerability which gains access to a system or data – or performs the compromise itself.

A red team exists to attack, and a blue team exists to defend. The goal is to improve an organization’s security by learning from the ensuing conflict.

A purple team is optionally formed to assist with the process. A red-and-blue team exercise can be quite valuable because it allows you to truly test your organization’s defenses.

A red team in cyber security is often hired by a firm (target) to covertly test its defenses. The team is made up of expert ethical hackers whose goal is to uncover and exploit gaps in the target’s cyber security or physical perimeters.

What are Red, Blue, and Purple Teams?

Most companies regularly assess and test their security systems and protocols to ensure their effectiveness. Your organization is likely one of them. In the field of cybersecurity, you might have come across terms like “Red,” “Blue,” or even “Purple” teams. But what exactly are these teams, what do they do, and how do they operate within your organization?

The origin of the names “Red” and “Blue” is uncertain, but one popular theory suggests that they originated from Player versus Player video games. In these games, teams are randomly assigned, and it’s crucial to know which team each player is on, as a teammate in the previous round could become an opponent in the next round. To make it clear to all players, many games used different colors for the armor or uniforms of each team, with one side being red and the other side being blue.

When assessing the effectiveness of security protocols in a company, it is necessary for someone to actively test and challenge these protocols and defense to ensure their reliability. Similarly, another individual should analyze what worked and what didn’t during the testing process, and take necessary measures to safeguard the systems before and after. Consequently, two distinct teams of security professionals emerge, each working towards the best interests of the company, albeit employing contrasting approaches.

Red Teams – Cyber Security Attackers

Red Teams are typically composed of external contractors, although some large organizations may also have internal Red Teams. The primary role of Red Teams is to simulate attackers by attempting to infiltrate a company’s systems and identify vulnerabilities. By not having prior knowledge of existing security measures, Red Teams can provide a thorough evaluation of a company’s defenses. However, this approach can be risky if the security measures are not properly configured, as it may lead to the oversight of vulnerabilities. To ensure objective testing, organizations often hire contracted firms to supplement their internal Red Teams.

Red Team members possess expertise in various methods of digital attacks, social engineering, and other techniques to breach a company’s systems. They are bound by employment agreements or legal contracts to maintain confidentiality and not disclose any findings to anyone other than the company being tested. Additionally, they are obligated to refrain from removing or altering any accessed information beyond the scope of the test. Once the testing and auditing are complete, any acquired company data is promptly destroyed.

The company acknowledges and accepts that the Red Team will employ all possible means to penetrate sensitive systems. This agreement allows the Red Team to conduct rigorous testing without fear of legal consequences, should they successfully breach private or privileged systems. Simultaneously, the company gains confidence knowing that the testing was comprehensive and thorough, leaving no stone unturned.

Blue Teams – Cyber Security Defenders

Blue teams are the defenders in a company’s cybersecurity operations. They are typically employees of the company, specifically in the IT Security or Data Security divisions of the company’s IT group. Blue teams have two main roles. First, they continuously work to strengthen the security of the company’s data systems and networks, even when there is no ongoing testing. Second, they actively participate in defending against attacks launched by the Red Team.

At first glance, it might seem counterproductive for the Blue Team to assist the Red Team in their attacks. However, it is important to understand that Red Team testing occurs in multiple phases over time. The initial attack is unlikely to involve direct interaction with the Blue Team. However, subsequent re-attacks are designed to test if any vulnerabilities have been addressed or mitigated. This is where the Blue Team collaboratively engages, working together with the Red Team in a cooperative manner.

Despite working for the same company, the Blue Team operates independently from the Red Team, focusing entirely on defensive operations. Both teams collaborate to provide a comprehensive audit of every test conducted, highlighting successful and unsuccessful attempts, along with detailed explanations. The Red Team submits detailed logs of their operations, while the Blue Team documents all the corrective actions taken to address any issues identified during the testing process.

 

Purple Team – Cyber Security Attackers and Defenders Combined

With the increasing demand for companies to strengthen their defenses and assess their security measures, a new type of team called Purple Team has emerged in the cybersecurity world in recent years. A Purple Team is a unified group of individuals responsible for both conducting Red and Blue testing as well as ensuring the security of a company. These teams can be either external IT security consultants hired for an audit or employees within the company itself. Unlike specialized teams that solely focus on attacking or defending, Purple Teams perform both functions. In order to maintain their skills, team members often alternate between the two roles, although they may have specific areas of expertise. While Purple Teams are effective for conducting periodic checks on systems in larger organizations, it is generally recommended to have separate and independent teams whenever possible.

Cyber security starts with protecting identities

Red teams, blue teams, and their purple team counterparts play a crucial role in ensuring the safety of data systems and networks. By constantly testing for the latest vulnerabilities, these teams help companies determine whether their systems are secure or not. Although you may not witness their actions directly, their work is evident in the form of enhanced security and safer systems. One of the most significant vulnerabilities in cybersecurity is the targeting of Office 365 email through phishing and social engineering attacks. These attacks primarily exploit the weakest link in the security chain – users. To address this risk, organizations prioritize safeguarding identity and access management systems such as Active Directory, Azure AD, or SecureAuth IAM, making it a top priority in cybersecurity.

Your Security Definitions of the Day

  • Vulnerability – A vulnerability is a potential pathway that could be used to gain access to a system or data, or to otherwise compromise a system.
  • Exploit – An exploit is an actual attack against a vulnerability which gains access to a system or data – or performs the compromise itself.

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