Think Like the Adversary.
Break Before They Do.

Red team testing is a full-scope, adversarial security engagement where a team of certified offensive security operators simulates a real-world threat actor targeting your organisation. Unlike penetration testing — which tests specific systems for vulnerabilities — red teaming tests the entire security ecosystem: technology, people, and processes simultaneously, over an extended period, with the goal of achieving defined objectives while evading detection.

Penetration testing is scoped, time-boxed, and focused on finding as many vulnerabilities as possible in a defined target. Red teaming is objective-driven — the team attempts to achieve a specific goal (steal data, access a financial system, reach executive credentials) using any means available, including social engineering, physical intrusion, and custom malware, while actively evading your blue team. Red teaming tests whether your security programme actually works end-to-end.

Typically only a small "white cell" — one or two senior executives and the CISO — are informed that an engagement is taking place. The security operations team (blue team) is kept unaware, as their genuine, un-rehearsed response to the simulated attack is exactly what the engagement is designed to measure. This "assumed breach" transparency ensures the results reflect your true operational readiness.

A typical red team engagement runs two to four weeks of active operations, followed by one to two weeks of report writing and debrief preparation. Smaller targeted engagements can complete in ten days. Large-scale, multi-site, or TIBER-EU/CBEST-aligned financial sector engagements can run six to twelve weeks. Scope, objectives, and timeline are agreed in the statement of work before any activity begins.

MITRE ATT&CK is the industry-standard knowledge base of adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) observed in real-world cyberattacks. Every technique our red team uses during the engagement is mapped to its ATT&CK ID (e.g. T1566 Phishing, T1078 Valid Accounts). This mapping lets your blue team directly tune detection rules, SIEM queries, and EDR policies against the specific techniques that bypassed your defences.

Yes. All engagements are governed by a signed rules of engagement document defining in-scope systems, prohibited actions, and emergency stop procedures. Our operators use carefully controlled techniques that simulate impact without causing it — for example, staging a data exfiltration scenario to demonstrate access without actually removing data. A 24/7 emergency contact line is available throughout the engagement should any issue arise.

Red team testing satisfies advanced security testing requirements in TIBER-EU and TIBER-UK (financial sector), CBEST (Bank of England), CORIE (Australia), DORA (EU Digital Operational Resilience Act), and aligns with NIST SP 800-53 CA-8 and ISO 27001 A.14.2.8. Our reports include framework-specific mapping appendices and are formatted for direct submission to regulators and auditors.

A purple team exercise is a collaborative session where our red team operators and your blue team work together simultaneously — the red team executes specific ATT&CK techniques in real time while the blue team attempts to detect and respond, immediately tuning their controls if they miss. It is the most efficient way to rapidly improve detection capability. We offer purple team exercises both as standalone engagements and as optional add-ons following a full red team engagement.