Penetration Testing

Red Team Test

Realistic Attack Simulation for Detection & Response

A red team test is a multi-week, goal-driven attack simulation. It uses real adversary tactics to holistically assess your security architecture, your blue team, and your organizational processes.

Unlike classic penetration tests, the focus is not the number of vulnerabilities found — but the central question:

How far does a real attacker get in your environment — and how quickly does your organization respond?

Request Red Team Test

Pentest Overview

🎯 Goal-driven

Clearly defined objectives and success criteria instead of “collecting findings”.

Detection & Response

Tests detection, escalation, communication, and decision-making paths.

Realistic kill chain

Attack chains aligned to MITRE ATT&CK — documented clearly and traceably.

What is a Red Team Test?

A red team test simulates real threat actors with clearly defined objectives — for example:

Access to sensitive data
Compromise of critical systems
Bypassing security controls
Persistence in the network (if in scope)

Real-world techniques are used (e.g. initial access via phishing, credential abuse, lateral movement, or cloud paths) — without informing the internal security team upfront, if this is agreed in the Rules of Engagement.

Is this relevant for you?

Typical triggers

SOC / SIEM or MDR is in place — you want to measure effectiveness
New architecture (cloud/hybrid), many changes, high complexity
After security incidents or “near misses”
Maturity check for detection & incident response
Before audits/assessments (e.g. TISAX/ISO 27001) as evidence

Common weaknesses red teaming uncovers

Alerts are generated, but not triaged correctly
Privileged accounts/service accounts are too powerful
Segmentation/trust boundaries are porous in practice
Response processes exist — but fail under stress
Communication & escalation take too long

Methodology: MITRE ATT&CK

Our red team tests align with the MITRE ATT&CK framework and map complete attack chains:

Initial Access

Entry via realistic in-scope vectors.

Movement & Escalation

Lateral movement & privilege escalation through to objective completion.

C2 & Exfiltration

Controlled simulation; IOCs and observations documented.

This provides a realistic view of your external attack surface and internal defensive capability — not isolated findings.

Typical Scope

Technical

External attack surface & entry points
Phishing / initial access (optional)
Identity/AD attacks & privilege escalation
Lateral movement & access paths
Cloud environments (AWS/Azure/GCP in scope)
Command & control simulation (controlled)

Organizational

Detection, alerting, triage
Incident response processes
Escalation paths & communication
Decision-making under pressure
Lessons learned & improvement plan

Red Team vs Penetration Test (quick)

Red Team Test	Penetration Test
Goal-driven attack chain	Vulnerability-focused within scope
Tests detection & response	Primarily tests technical controls
How far does an attacker really get?	Which gaps exist?
Typically lasts weeks	Typically lasts days

Process

1) Objectives

Objectives, success criteria, boundaries

2) RoE

Rules, legal, informed/uninformed

3) Recon

Passive recon, exposure map

4) Access

Initial access in scope

5) Objective

Movement, escalation, objective

6) Debrief

Report, lessons learned, plan

Typical duration: 3–8 weeks (depending on objectives, complexity, and RoE).

Deliverables

Executive Summary

Business risk, key gaps, clear priorities.

Kill Chain / Attack Path

Detailed attack chain from entry to objective completion.

Technical Report

Exploit paths, screenshots, reproduction, evidence.

🧷 Detection & Response Assessment

Which signals were visible? What was detected, and how quickly?

Optional: IOC List & Retest

Indicators of compromise, rules/queries, plus retest to verify implemented measures.

Typical Costs

SMBs

clearly defined objectives, limited scope

€25,000–60,000

Enterprise

multiple domains/sites/clouds

€50,000–120,000

What affects effort?

Simulation duration & number of objectives
Infrastructure size, sites, trust boundaries
Cloud and identity complexity
Informed vs uninformed (RoE)
Retest / verification

Legal & Safety

Before we begin, the following is defined and agreed in writing:

Formal foundations

Management approval & authorization letter
NDAs & confidentiality
Rules of engagement (RoE)
Liability scope & abort rules

Operational Safety

Controlled testing procedures
Coordination of critical actions
Emergency stops & escalation contacts

Red team tests are performed only with explicit authorization.

FAQ

Is a red team test the same as a penetration test?

No. Penetration tests focus on finding specific vulnerabilities. Red team tests simulate complete attack chains with realistic objectives and also evaluate detection & response.

Will our blue team be informed?

That is defined in the Rules of Engagement: informed, partially informed, or uninformed.

Can results be used for audits?

Yes — often as evidence of detection and response capability (including lessons learned & an action plan).

Is social engineering included?

Optional — depending on the agreed scope and legal framework.

Is there a retest?

Yes — optional to verify implemented measures.