Red team tests are one of the most reliable ways for an organisation to understand how it would cope with real-world threats. These exercises simulate real-world cyberattacks to show where security measures are strong and where serious gaps remain. They also help decision makers understand how attackers think, how they gain access, and how security teams should respond. When used well, red team tests offer a clear view of how people, processes, and technology perform under pressure.

This guide explains the best red team exercises for a modern business, how they work, and the benefits of red teaming in a fast-moving cyber threat landscape. It also outlines what these tests should measure, where common weaknesses appear, and why a structured testing red teaming exercises plan gives a more realistic picture than traditional penetration testing alone.

What Red Team Exercises Aim to Achieve

Red team tests are designed to identify vulnerabilities that might not appear through routine checks. Unlike simple audits or a short penetration test, they focus on practical attack routes. This reveals how an organisation holds up when facing tactics, techniques and procedures TTPs used by actual threat actors.

A typical exercise focuses on four aims that guide the entire process:

Understanding exposure to real-world threats

A strong security setup can still be bypassed if attackers find a weakness in a system, process, or human decision. Red team tests explore these routes in depth, including places where security controls may not operate as expected.

Improving incident response

Responding quickly to unusual activity can prevent security breaches from escalating. Red team exercises measure how fast monitoring teams detect suspicious behaviour and how well they contain it.

Strengthening security measures

When weaknesses are revealed through realistic testing, teams can put in targeted improvements. This includes technical fixes, procedural updates, and changes to staff behaviour.

Supporting a culture of awareness

Security is not just a technical challenge. People remain a frequent target during cyber attacks, so exercises that involve social and physical elements help create a culture where suspicious activity is recognised and reported.

How Red Team Exercises Work in Practice

Although each exercise is shaped around a business and its systems, most red team tests follow a clear progression.

Planning

The red team and leadership define the scope, goals, and rules. At this stage, they decide whether the focus should be technical, physical, social, or a combination. They also agree on which systems are in scope and how far the red team is allowed to go when they attempt to gain access.

Reconnaissance

The red team gathers information from public and internal sources. This includes technical details, staff information, building layouts, exposed accounts, and anything else that might help simulate real-world attacks. Reconnaissance usually reveals more potential weaknesses than organisations expect.

Exploitation

Once potential entry points are found, the red team attempts to exploit them. They use realistic attack patterns to find a route into the environment. This part of the test is where the difference between penetration testing and red teaming is most noticeable. Instead of scanning for every weakness, the team behaves like an intruder, focusing on the most effective route.

Post exploitation

If the red team gains access, they move through the network to understand how far they could go. This includes lateral movement, privilege escalation, accessing sensitive accounts, and identifying key assets. This stage shows how an attacker would act after the first breach and how far they could progress without detection.

Reporting

At the end of the exercise, the team provides actionable recommendations that explain what happened, which weaknesses were identified, and which areas need improvement.

The Best Red Team Exercises for Organisations

There are many possible forms of red team tests, but a core group of exercises offers the most value for most organisations. These provide a broad view of how exposed a business is to real-world threats and how well its teams, tools, and controls respond.

1. Phishing and Social Engineering Tests

Social engineering remains one of the most successful methods used in cyber attacks. Many breaches start with a single convincing message. A red team uses email, phone, messaging tools, or crafted documents to trick users into revealing information or clicking unsafe content.

These exercises test the people side of security. They show how likely staff are to fall for a believable request, how quickly the blue team spots suspicious activity, and how well email security measures filter out harmful messages. Social engineering tests are especially effective for spotting weaknesses in incident response because early detection of unusual logins or behaviour can prevent a breach from spreading.

2. Physical Security Assessments

Physical security plays a major role in digital protection. A red team attempts to enter office spaces or restricted areas without permission to see how easily an attacker could reach equipment or confidential material.

This may involve tailgating, badge cloning, or impersonating a member of staff. The exercise reveals whether reception teams, access points, and building procedures are prepared for unusual behaviour. Even a brief moment of unauthorised access can give attackers an opportunity to connect a device or steal sensitive information.

3. Network and Infrastructure Penetration Routes

Although penetration testing focuses on finding technical weaknesses, a red team uses only the routes that would be most attractive to an attacker. This demonstrates how an advanced persistent threat (APT) group might attempt to breach a system.

Techniques may include exploiting outdated software, weak passwords, misconfigured services, or insecure cloud accounts. Once the red team has a foothold, they test lateral movement and privilege escalation. This helps measure how network segmentation, monitoring tools, and security controls respond to unusual behaviour.

4. Endpoint and Malware Simulation

This exercise evaluates how devices react to attempts to bypass antivirus, firewall, and behavioural tools. A red team may attempt to run scripts, drop malicious files in controlled conditions, or use fileless techniques that mimic modern threat methods.

The aim is not to cause harm but to test how effectively security measures detect unfamiliar or suspicious actions. It also gives teams a clear understanding of how fast alerts are received and whether the organisation has the right processes to contain an emerging attack.

5. Credential and Access Route Testing

Attackers often target passwords and authentication systems because these can open the door to valuable resources. Red team exercises may include password spraying, exploiting legacy authentication, or searching for exposed credentials in public sources.

This kind of test often reveals poor credential habits and highlights areas where multi-factor authentication, privileged access controls, or account monitoring need improvement.

6. Scenario Led Adversary Simulation

For organisations that face complex threats, scenario-based tests offer a deeper look at exposure. The red team follows a realistic attack pattern from start to finish. This might involve gaining initial access, remaining undetected for a period, moving through the network, and attempting to reach a defined target such as sensitive data or a key system.

Scenario-based tests give leadership a clear picture of how well the organisation withstands a coordinated attack. They also reveal how well different teams communicate during pressure and where incident response needs refinement.

What These Exercises Reveal

When red team tests are done well, they highlight patterns across people, processes, and technology. Some of the most common findings include:

- Over-reliance on single security tools

- Incomplete detection rules that miss early signs of intruders

- Staff who are not trained to spot social engineering attempts

- Weak network segmentation that allows easy movement

- Slow communications when suspicious activity is detected

These insights form the basis of actionable recommendations that help organisations strengthen their approach and build long-term resilience.

How to Measure the Success of a Red Team Exercise

A successful exercise is not defined by whether the red team gained access. Instead, success is measured through improvement in three areas:

Detection

How quickly unusual activity was spotted and whether alerts were clear and actionable.

Response

How teams worked together to contain and understand the event. This includes communication, decision-making, and the speed of containment.

Recovery

How long it took to restore normal operations and how well lessons were recorded for future planning.

Clear metrics help an organisation track progress over time. They also support better planning by showing where incident response needs more refinement.

Why Red Team Exercises Matter

The benefits of red teaming reach far beyond a single assessment. Regular tests help organisations build a realistic understanding of where risk exists. This supports more confident investment decisions, stronger staff training, and better planning for complex cyber attacks.

As threats evolve, it becomes increasingly important to test systems in the same way attackers operate. Red team exercises simulate real-world attacks and help organisations stay ready for whatever comes next.