According to Statista, the estimated annual cost of cybercrime worldwide is increasing gradually. It is projected to reach $15.63 trillion by 2029. Cybersecurity should therefore be at the top of the priority list for organisations.
One aspect of a strong security strategy is proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities within your systems and networks. Penetration testing and red team testing are two highly regarded methods used to assess and strengthen security measures. Understanding the differences between these approaches will help you make an informed decision about which is best suited for your needs.
Let’s take a look at these two techniques in a little more detail and explore how they can improve your organization’s defences.
What is Penetration Testing?
Penetration testing, also commonly known as pen testing or ethical hacking, is a simulated cyberattack carried out by security professionals to assess how strong your security is. The goal is to find and exploit weaknesses just like a real attacker would, so they can be fixed before they’re used maliciously. With standard penetration testing, your team is aware of what is happening and that the test is being conducted. The benefit here is that the penetration testers can focus on finding as many weaknesses as possible.
While penetration testing is great for identifying and fixing vulnerabilities within a defined scope, it doesn’t fully replicate the complexity or unpredictability of real-world attacks. For a more realistic assessment, red team testing goes further, simulating full-scale attacks to evaluate how well your organisation can detect, respond to, and recover from threats across systems, people, and processes.
What is Red Team Testing?
At first glance, a red team assessment might seem similar to a penetration test, but it goes far beyond simply identifying technical vulnerabilities. Red teamers take on the role of real-world adversaries, operating without predefined rules to test not only your systems, but also your people and internal processes. This often includes advanced tactics such as phishing campaigns, social engineering, and even attempts to gain physical access to restricted areas. The objective is to simulate a multi-layered, full-scale attack to uncover how resilient your organisation truly is, not just technologically, but operationally.
An important part of red team testing is evaluating how effectively your security team (known as the blue team) can detect and respond to these threats in real time. The blue team is responsible for defending against attacks, monitoring systems, and managing incident response. After the engagement, they share any indicators of compromise (IoCs) they detected during the test. These findings are then cross-referenced with the red team’s own activity logs to build a detailed timeline of events. To ensure long-term value, the red team also provides a full debrief, explaining the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) they used and offering actionable recommendations to improve detection, response, and overall security posture moving forward.
The red and blue team concept comes from 19th-century military wargames, where the red team represented the enemy and challenged the strategy of the defending blue team. This helped uncover gaps in defence plans. In cybersecurity, red teams simulate attackers to probe for weaknesses, while blue teams are responsible for monitoring, detecting, and responding to threats. Together, they create a realistic, high-pressure environment that tests the effectiveness of both technical controls and human responses, helping organisations build stronger, more resilient security defences.
The Difference Between Red Team and Penetration Testing
As touched upon, penetration testing focuses on finding vulnerabilities within a specific system, network, or application, simulating a controlled cyberattack with clear boundaries and predefined testing periods. Red team testing, on the other hand, is a more in-depth, real-world assessment. It uses tactics like social engineering to challenge an organisation’s ability to detect, respond to, and recover from a full-scale attack.
Below we have created a comparison table outlining the key differences between penetration testing and red team testing, covering aspects like purpose, scope, approach, and time frame.
Aspect | Penetration Testing | Red Teaming |
Purpose | Identifies specific vulnerabilities in systems. | Simulates real-world attacks and assesses how well an organisation can detect, respond to, and recover from threats. |
Scope | Focused on a defined scope (e.g., specific systems, apps, or networks). | Covers all attack vectors across systems, people, and processes. |
Approach | Focuses on identifying and exploiting specific technical vulnerabilities within a defined scope, often with the knowledge of internal teams. | Emulates real-world attackers to test not just systems, but also the organisation’s detection, response, and overall security readiness without prior warning to internal teams. |
Attack Techniques | Focuses on exploiting technical vulnerabilities. | Uses a variety of attack methods, including social engineering, phishing, and physical breaches. |
Time Frame | Short-term, typically lasts a few days to weeks. | Longer-term, often lasting weeks or even months. |
Visibility to Target | Usually, the organisation knows about the test in advance. | Certain members within the organisation are often unaware, mimicking a real cyberattack. |
Outcomes | A detailed list of discovered vulnerabilities, their severity, and recommendations for fixes. | Insight into the effectiveness of security controls, detection and response capabilities, and areas where processes, technologies, or staff may need improvement. |
Target Audience | Primarily, security teams, system admins, and developers. | Security teams, executive leadership, and incident response teams. |
Cost | Generally less expensive than red teaming. | More expensive due to the nature of testing. |
Choosing the Right Approach: Penetration Testing vs. Red Teaming
Selecting between penetration testing and red team assessments largely depends on your organisation’s budget and goals. Here’s how to determine which approach is right for you:
1. Organisation Size
Penetration testing is ideal for organisations that are new to cybersecurity testing or have basic security measures in place. If your business is smaller or just starting to establish its security approach, penetration testing offers a more focused and cost-effective way to identify vulnerabilities in systems, networks and applications.
Red Teaming is more suited for organisations with an established security framework already in place. If you have conducted regular penetration tests and are confident in your current security measures, a red team assessment can provide deeper insights into how your organisation handles advanced cyberattacks.
2. Budget Considerations
Penetration testing is usually more affordable and can be conducted on specific systems or networks. If your security budget is limited, penetration testing offers a targeted approach to identifying and fixing vulnerabilities.
Red Teaming involves a broader scope and is more resource-intensive, as it mimics real-world cyberattacks over an extended period. The cost is higher, but it provides a thorough assessment of your organisation’s ability to respond to sophisticated attacks and evaluate the strength of your internal processes.
3. Security Goals
Penetration Testing is appropriate if your goal is to identify and fix vulnerabilities in specific systems or applications within a set timeframe. It’s also a great way to test the resilience of a particular part of your organisation’s infrastructure, such as a web application or network.
Red Teaming should be the choice if your goal is to test your organisation’s overall security readiness. This includes how well your staff, processes, and systems can detect, respond to, and recover from a coordinated cyberattack. Red teaming tests all aspects of your security, including physical breaches, social engineering, and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
4. Industry or Compliance Requirements
Depending on your industry, you may have specific compliance requirements that guide your choice. For instance, organisations in highly regulated sectors (like finance or healthcare) might opt for red team assessments as a way to thoroughly test their security against a range of potential threats.
However, if you’re required to comply with standards like PCI-DSS or HIPAA, regular penetration testing might be required for the security of payment systems or patient data.
5. Future Planning
If you plan to scale your organisation’s security efforts over time, you might start with penetration testing to address the most immediate risks. As your security maturity improves, you can transition to red team assessments to identify more complex vulnerabilities and enhance your organisation’s resilience against evolving threats.
Choosing the Right Security Assessment for Your Organisation
In cybersecurity, there are various strategies to protect your organisation’s assets. Both penetration testing and red team assessments provide invaluable insights into your organisation’s security posture, but the right choice depends on your needs and security systems. If you aren’t sure which methods are best for your organisation, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the security professionals at Rootshell Security. Our team can guide you in selecting the most effective security solutions for your specific requirements.
