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Difference Between Red Team and Blue Team in Cyber Security

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Pre-requisites: Cyber Security

In terms of cyber security, teaming refers to procedures and plans for enhancing an organization’s safety. It is carried out differently by both the red and blue teams. A red team imitates an attacker by looking for weaknesses and trying to get past cybersecurity barriers. When an incident occurs, a blue team answers and defends attacks.

Red Team

A red team is “a collection of personnel authorized and organized to simulate a prospective adversary’s attack or exploitation capabilities against an enterprise’s security posture,” according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). To find weaknesses in a system, the red team assumes the role of the attacker or rival.

Blue Team

“The group responsible for protecting an enterprise’s usage of information systems by maintaining its security posture against a set of mock attackers,” according to NIST, is what a blue team is. When an organization’s essential assets are being protected, the blue team is playing defense while the red team is on offense.

Difference Between Red Team and Blue Team in Cyber Security

Parameters Red Team Blue Team

Activities 

The red team requires to think like a hacker to compromise an organization’s security (with their permission). Red team exercises frequently include:
• Social engineering
• Card cloning
• Intercepting communication
• Penetration testing
• Improving blue teaming

The blue team member is to assess the organization’s current security posture and take action to remediate any gaps or vulnerabilities. Being on the blue team also entails keeping an eye out for breaches and being prepared to act when they do. A few of these tasks are:
• Monitoring network activity, 
• least-privilege access, 
• Installing and configuring firewalls, 
• DNS audits, 
• Analyzing digital footprints, 
• Installing and configuring endpoint security software

Team skills

Red team exercises necessitate a unique set of abilities due to their offensive approach. Developing these talents could position you for success if you’re interested in a red team role:
• Software development: By understanding how apps are created, you may more easily see any potential flaws (as well as write your programs to automate the attack process).
• Threat intelligence and reverse engineering: Being aware of potential dangers and learning how to imitate them can help an attacker be more successful.
• Innovation: Discovering ways to get through a blue team’s defenses frequently necessitates developing fresh and cutting-edge offensive strategies.
• Penetration testing: Finding and attempting to exploit known vulnerabilities on a network makes up a large portion of a red team’s duty. This involves being knowledgeable about vulnerability scanners.
• Social engineering: A company’s people are frequently more vulnerable than its computer network. There are instances when social engineering techniques like phishing, luring, and tailgating are the simplest method to get past security barriers.

Understanding which assets need to be safeguarded and the best way to do so is essential to defending a business from assault. The following abilities could be very useful for you in a blue team role:
• Risk assessment: By prioritizing your resources to protect the essential assets that are most in danger of exploitation, risk assessment enables you to identify those assets.
• Threat intelligence: To properly plan your defenses, you’ll need to know what risks are present. Attackers must always be one step ahead of blue teams.
• Hardening methods: Knowing how to repair security flaws in your business is just as important as identifying them.
• Systems for monitoring and detecting: You must be proficient in the usage of packet sniffers, security and information event management (SIEM) software, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems to work on the blue team (IPS).

                                                                      Certification

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
• Certified Red Team Operations Professional (CRTOP)
• Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)
• Licensed Penetration Tester (LPT) Master
• CompTIA PenTest+

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
• CompTIA Security+
• GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
• Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
 


Last Updated : 18 Mar, 2023
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