Red Team – test your incident response

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To what extent is your information security department able to detect an attack?

It is not enough today to simply build up a wall using information security solutions. Even the most sophisticated and modern security system will be useless if your employees cannot detect a cyberattack.

There is a solution, it is training. You can organise an unexpected covert attack on your own company. H-X Technologies’s Red Team security services go further than just conventional penetration testing by utilising our tactical threat strategies and the hostile attitude employed by threat actors to test the boundaries of your security protocols.

What is a Red Team?

It is hard to predict when your company will be the victim of a cyberattack, but a Red Team assault simulation is the closest thing you can do to gauge how prepared your company is.

Red Team audit, as opposed to penetration testing, focuses on evaluating an organisation’s response and detection skills against a modelled threat with specific goals, including data theft. Red Team security services could be advantageous for businesses that currently perform frequent pen testing and have a strong vulnerability management program.

By thoroughly assessing the efficiency of security systems, personnel, and procedures in recognising and reacting to highly focused assaults, a Red Team audit from H-X Technologies is intended to go beyond the bounds of typical security testing.

In order to free up more time for you to prioritise future expansion and investments, our team assesses your organisation’s reaction to an attack, assisting you in classifying security risks, identifying hidden vulnerabilities, and addressing detected exposures.

The objectives

During the Red Team security audit, we aim for several objectives:

gaining entry to an environment containing confidential information;
successful exfiltration of confidential information;
gaining control of a particular equipment or an IoT device;
compromising the top management passwords;
obtaining access to enable the widespread distribution of ransomware;
gaining access to a data centre or other critical area physically;
compromising a user or group by social engineering or phishing.

All of these are done to test your existing cybersecurity measures and find their weak points.

What are the options, and why do you need this?

The Red Team’s main task is to conduct the deepest analysis of your organisation’s security systems. Red Teaming allows you to understand how prepared your security department is for real threats. Unlike pentesting, this service implies a deep assessment of possible attack vectors at all levels, from social engineering and a web application to physical access into your server room.
The Blue Team’s main task is to protect the organisation’s infrastructure and assets: the defence team is not warned about an attack. This is one of the best ways to test both the defence systems and the ability of security specialists to identify and block attacks, and subsequently investigate incidents. After the exercise is completed, it is necessary to compare the applied attack vectors with the recorded incidents in order to improve the infrastructure protection system and controls.
So who are the Purple Team? They combine the skills of Red and Blue Teams. Both teams work together to provide an ultimate audit. The Red Team provides detailed reports of all the performed operations. The Blue Team documents all corrective actions that were taken to resolve the problems found during testing. The Purple Team coordinates the actions of the Red and Blue teams, ensuring equal opportunities and not bringing the competition to an early end if one of the teams is obviously stronger.

Key features

In order to provide you with flexibility, clarity, and support, our Red Teaming methodology was designed from the ground up using the best modern practices.
Our skilled team of certified specialists thoroughly tests your organisation’s cybersecurity measures and incident response protocols against the necessary technical, legal, and regulatory requirements.
Red Team exercises replicate an assault and offer your company actionable security results using evasion, deception, and stealth tactics comparable to those used by skilled threat actors.
Phishing, social engineering, exploiting weak services, using proprietary adversarial tools and tactics, and physical access methods are just a few of the attack methods that are employed in the process.

Red Teaming process

Our method of Red Team audit offers you a precise and accurate picture of your security situation, and offers a workable plan with immediately apparent advantages.

We provide executive and management teams with high-level overviews that include assessment results, the discovered vulnerabilities, and tactical suggestions for resolving the identified issues or systemic problems.

We give a thorough analysis of all discovered security issues, including their possible outcomes, as well as extensive technical input enabling teams to comprehend, duplicate, and correct results.

A clear expert opinion is included in tactical and strategic suggestions to assist in handling hazards. When evaluating the effectiveness of your organisation’s threat response and detection capabilities, our Red Team specialists use a methodical approach. The phases below are an example of a typical Red Team exercise:

Any Red Team test’s success depends on proper reconnaissance. In order to obtain information on networks, employees, and active security systems that might be utilised to infiltrate the target objects effectively, our white hat hackers deploy various tools, tactics, and resources.
The next step starts when weak entry points have been found, and our specialists have created an assault strategy. Staging includes preparing and hiding the tools and materials required to launch attacks, such as configuring servers to carry out social engineering and control operations.
Red Team operations’ first access phase is when the attackers first obtain a presence in the targeted system. Our ethical hackers will try to accomplish their goal by exploiting known weaknesses, using brute force to break weak employee passwords, and using fake email conversations to initiate phishing attacks and deliver malware.
The Red Team focuses on carrying out the operation’s goals after gaining a footing on the target network. This stage’s goals might include lateral network movement, privilege elevation, and data extraction.
After the Red Team exercise is finished, a thorough assessment report is created to assist clients.

The report contains an assessment of how effective the security system is, the attack vectors that were employed, and suggestions on how to fix the problems and reduce the risks.

Results of the Red Team cyber exercises:

Assessment of your cybersecurity team’s readiness and ability to deal with real threats and detect potentially dangerous activity behind familiar processes
Evaluation of your specific information security systems, solutions, and controls.
Recommendations on how to improve information security hardening, monitoring, incident response, and many other processes and mechanisms.

Service summary

⏳ Duration of project or delivery	In average, 2 to 3 weeks or more. Continuous monitoring takes several months or even years.
🎁 Can it be free or have a testing period?	Use free vulnerability scanners, e.g. https://service.h-x.technology/scan and get a free consultation.
💼 What type of business needs it?	Financial institutions, government agencies, healthcare organizations, retail and e-commerce companies, critical infrastructure providers, etc.
💡 When is this service needed?	When you have compliance requirements, recent security incidents, change of the threat landscape or your security team, or lack of understanding of potential threats.
📈 Your profit	Prevented costly security incidents, which can result in financial losses, reputational damage, and legal liabilities. Prioritized security investments and more effectively allocated resources.
⚙️ Our methods and tools	Social engineering, penetration testing methods, physical security testing, threat modelling, custom tools, OSINT, etc.
📑 Deliverables	Executive summary, detailed technical report, vulnerability assessment results, recommended remediation actions, and a debriefing session with key stakeholders.

Check out our additional services and business cases. Send the form below to request the Red Team or to get a free consultation.

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FAQ

1️⃣ What does a Red Team do?

A Red Team is a group of security professionals who simulate attacks on an organization's security infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses. Their goal is to find flaws in an organization's defenses that could be exploited by real attackers. They employ tactics similar to those used by actual hackers, including social engineering, phishing, and other attack methods. After the simulation, the Red Team provides recommendations to the organization on how to improve their security posture and prevent future attacks.

2️⃣ How long does it take to conduct a Red Teaming operation?

The duration of a Red Teaming operation can vary significantly depending on several factors:

Scope and complexity of the project
Objectives of the operation
Available resources and budget

Operations can range from a few days to several weeks or even months. They typically involve multiple phases:

Reconnaissance
Planning
Execution
Reporting

The duration of each phase may vary based on the project's specific requirements.

3️⃣ What is the difference between pen testing and Red Teaming?

Penetration Testing (Pen Testing)

Conducted by a "white team"
Focuses on identifying and exploiting specific vulnerabilities
Aims to provide recommendations on fixing identified vulnerabilities

Red Teaming

More comprehensive approach
Simulates real-world attacks on an organization's entire security infrastructure
Uses tactics similar to actual attackers
Aims to identify weaknesses in the overall security posture
Provides broader recommendations for improving overall security

In summary, pen testing is more focused on specific vulnerabilities, while Red Teaming assesses the organization's overall security effectiveness.

4️⃣ Could a Red Team operation cause any damage or disruption?

A Red Team operation could potentially cause damage or disruption if not properly planned and executed. Since it simulates real-world attacks, the team may attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the organization's security infrastructure. Without careful planning and execution, their actions could inadvertently disrupt systems or operations. It's crucial that Red Team operations are meticulously planned and conducted with the organization's specific goals and objectives in mind, balancing realism with safety.

5️⃣ What are the steps to respond to an incident?

Incident Response Process

Preparation: Develop an incident response plan and train relevant personnel.
Identification: Detect and confirm the incident through monitoring.
Containment: Isolate affected systems to prevent further damage.
Analysis: Gather and analyze evidence to determine the incident's scope and nature.
Eradication: Remove the incident source and associated malicious elements.
Recovery: Restore systems and data to a secure state.
Post-incident activities: Review, learn, and improve security measures.

6️⃣ How do you respond to an incident on your network?

Identify and contain the incident: Isolate affected systems or disable network services.
Assess the impact: Gather information about the incident type, affected systems, and potential damage.
Notify stakeholders: Inform management, IT staff, and potentially affected customers or clients.
Investigate the incident: Determine the cause and identify exploited vulnerabilities.
Remediate the incident: Address vulnerabilities and implement preventive measures.
Review and improve: Analyze the response process, update policies and procedures, enhance security controls, and provide additional staff training as needed.