Red team training is an incredibly valuable asset in preparing your business for a wide range of cybercriminal activities and attacks.

A red team exercise, or training, is essentially an attempt to gain access to a form of the system by any means necessary. From a cyber penetration, a physical breach, testing wireless access, phishing attempts and also testing the ability of employees to deal with such threats. The training session is timed, in order to help an organization determine how fast they are able to detect and react to threats. A red team is usually a group of external experts, trained in harmlessly testing a system for breaches, using hacking methods. The Red Team will challenge the defenses of the business imitating a potential outside threat of a cyber attack.

Below we have summarised some of the best reasons to invest in red team training for your team of employees and business.

Identifying possible vulnerabilities

Identifying weak spots in your cyber security defense is extremely important. Many companies may outsource their cyber defense to a range of different providers or companies and making sure there are no weak links in the chain will ensure your business can stay as protected as possible.

Experiencing a ‘real-life’ scenario

A red team exercise is as close to a real cyber attack as your business can get without experiencing its devastating effects. This can help prepare your business and allow you to understand the full effects a breach could have on your company and data. By experiencing a fake data breach, it could make certain stakeholders or CEO’s more aware and willing to invest in cyber security. After reading a red team training report certain stakeholders may be willing to listen more to the very real threats a cyber-attack could pose to the business.

Testing your employee’s response

Another valuable experience red team training provides is having your employees tested in their ability to actually respond to the cyber attack. Their organization, timing, effectiveness, and attitude can all be measured to see how effectively they deal with the cyber threat they are experiencing.

Fresh perspective

An external red team who were not involved in creating the cyber security system you have in place will be looking at the situation with fresh eyes. It is possible that your cybersecurity team overlooked a simple but fatal step that would allow a cybercriminal to gain access to your Wi-Fi. An external term may use different testing methods and approaches that push your cybersecurity system in different ways.

Cyber training of any form is an extremely valuable time investment for your business and employees. Red team training exercises are beneficial to help protect your business, from identifying weaknesses and allowing your team to learn from their mistakes to preparing them for a real-life cyber hack scenario. Red team training can be immeasurable in its ability to secure and protect your business.