No matter how much you plan, your adversaries have their own idea of an offense that you may not have considered when building your security defense. Most prominent sources suggest that the average number of security tools used by an organization ranges from 50 to 100 +. Even then, how confident are they about their security posture? Is it time to consider a different approach to security?
As cyber threats continue to evolve and become more complex and sophisticated every day, it is essential for organizations to stay ahead of the game by proactively identifying vulnerabilities and mitigating risks. Red teaming is a proactive approach that involves simulating attacks and testing the effectiveness of an organization’s security defenses but it is often a “Point In Time” exercise. Continuous automated red teaming takes this approach a few steps further using automation to continuously test an organization’s security posture.
The Evolving Threat Landscape:
The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and cyber attackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their techniques. Cybercriminals are using a variety of tactics, including phishing, ransomware, and social engineering, to gain access to sensitive data and systems. This has made it more challenging for organizations to protect their assets and defend against attacks.The Traditional Approach To Cybersecurity Is Insufficient:
The traditional approach to cybersecurity involves implementing a range of security controls to prevent and detect attacks. While these controls are essential, they are often reactive in nature and may not be effective against sophisticated attacks. This is where red teaming comes in.
Benefits of Continuous Automated Red Teaming:
Improved Detection of Vulnerabilities: Continuous automated red teaming provides organizations with a more comprehensive view of their security posture by identifying vulnerabilities and weaknesses in real-time. This allows organizations to detect and respond to threats more quickly and effectively, reducing the risk of a successful attack. Only by continuously testing the security defenses, organizations can ensure that they are prepared to defend against the latest threats.
Reduced Cost and Effort: Continuous automated red teaming helps organizations save time and money by automating the testing process. This can help organizations to reduce the cost and effort involved in manual testing and focus on the most important vulnerabilities first.
Increased Visibility into the Security Posture: Continuous automated red teaming provides organizations with increased visibility into their security posture. By continuously testing the security defenses, organizations can gain a more comprehensive view of their security posture and identify areas for improvement. This can help organizations to make more informed decisions about their cybersecurity strategy and prioritize their efforts.
Challenges of Continuous Automated Red Teaming:
False Positives: One of the challenges of continuous automated red teaming is the risk of false positives and false negatives. False positives occur when the software identifies a vulnerability that does not exist. This often results in unnecessary alerts and wasted resources, or undetected vulnerabilities that can be exploited by attackers. FireCompass, the SaaS Platform for External Attack Surface Management & Continuous Automated Red Teaming, eliminates false positives using active validation.
Organizational Resistance: Organizational resistance can also be a challenge when adopting continuous automated red teaming. Some employees and stakeholders may be resistant to the new approach, seeing it as a threat to their role or the organization’s culture. This can make it difficult to implement the new approach effectively and gain buy-in from key stakeholders. However, the FireCompass Platform actually works as a Force Multiplier using Hunting and Attack Playbooks to stay ahead of cyber attacks while reducing the mundane tasks performed by the expensive resources.
Is Continuous Automated Red Teaming Right for Your Organization?
While the answer to this is usually yes, depending on the size and maturity of your organization, the reasons and the benefits may differ. When considering if a CART solution is right for you, it may help to consider the solution in terms of its two broad areas of functionality:
- The gathering & processing of all the information that helps you understand what can be discovered by someone about you that can be used to plan and execute an attack. Otherwise known as the Reconnaissance phase.
- The actual testing and attacking that leverages the information gathered with an advanced knowledge of the tools and methods (the TTPs) that attackers use to surface your actual security risks.
Continuous Automated Red Teaming is a powerful approach to cybersecurity that can help organizations stay ahead of attackers and respond to threats more quickly and effectively. By continuously testing the security defenses, organizations can gain a more comprehensive view of their security posture, reduce the risk of successful attacks, and save time and money by automating the testing process.
About FireCompass:
FireCompass is a SaaS platform for Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART) and Attack Surface Management (ASM). FireCompass continuously indexes and monitors the deep, dark and surface webs using nation-state grade reconnaissance techniques. The platform automatically discovers an organization’s digital attack surface and launches multi-stage safe attacks, mimicking a real attacker, to help identify breach and attack paths that are otherwise missed out by conventional tools.
Feel free to get in touch with us to get a better view of your attack surface.
