Red teaming is one of the most useful tools in a cybersecurity team’s toolbox. It allows companies to pressure test their defenses and uncover risks that other methods might miss. But what about blue teaming and purple teaming? How do they differ from red teaming, and how do you choose the best one for your company?
All three concepts are important elements of a modern cybersecurity strategy, and they all play different roles. In short, red teaming is all about attacking, blue teaming is about defending, and purple teaming is about collaboration.
This article will look at the key differences between blue, purple, and red teaming and how they work together to keep your organization safe from cyber threats.
Red Teaming: Simulating Attacks
Red teaming is all about simulating attacks on your organization. A red team is a group of skilled security professionals who think and behave like real cyber criminals with the intention of breaking through your defenses and compromising your assets. Some key red team functions include:
- Launching “attacks” on your company to test your defenses
- Mimicking the behavior, tools, and strategies commonly used by real attackers
- Exposing key vulnerabilities and weak points in your security
Red teaming is like a trial run for a real cyber attack. It highlights the areas in your security infrastructure that might fail in a real cyber incident and clearly shows you where improvement is needed. Good red teams will produce a detailed report showing key vulnerabilities and giving recommendations on how to fix them.
Blue Teaming: Building Solid Defenses
If red teams focus on attack, it’s the blue team’s job to do everything it can to defend. The blue team refers to the various members of your organization who are tasked with building up your cyber defenses and ensuring no attacker can access your assets and data. Blue team tasks include:
- Ensuring your organization is fully equipped with all necessary cybersecurity tools and technologies
- Putting the right processes and strategies in place to keep your company safe
- Constantly monitoring for threats and taking rapid action when necessary
The best blue teams are highly proactive. They view security as something you do to prevent attacks, not just as a response to attacks that are already happening. They embody an attitude of continuous improvement — fighting to ensure your organization remains ahead of evolving cyber threats and is always as prepared as possible.
Purple Teaming: Bringing Red & Blue Together
Purple teams exist to help red and blue teams bring their skill sets together and benefit from each other’s knowledge and expertise. In a mature, highly functioning organization, you might not need a purple team at all, since your red and blue teams will already be well aligned. A purple team might:
- Help blue teams understand and analyze red teams’ findings and data
- Work as a link between red and blue teams to ensure they’re learning as much as possible from each other
- Record and document key findings and improvement recommendations
Blue teams and red teams are both essential for a successful, robust cybersecurity infrastructure. If they are unable to work together and learn from each other efficiently and productively, many of the benefits disappear — this is where a purple team comes in.
Should You Work With an Expert?
Blue, purple, and red teaming can be done internally, but it can be extremely costly in terms of time, money, and resources. A much better option for many businesses is to work with an experienced third party that can provide the team members, experience, and tools to meet all your blue and red teaming needs at a high level.
At DYOPATH, we have plenty of experience doing just that. Our expert teams can help with red teaming exercises and support you with in-depth security strategy, cutting-edge tools, and ongoing assistance to build a more mature and robust organization.
If you’re interested in tapping into a powerful network of cyber resources and veteran team members, contact us to schedule a call.
