AM I PREPARED FOR A RED TEAM ENGAGEMENT?

Before engaging in red teaming, security teams should validate the following:

1. Logging Infrastructure
   1. Are the network, endpoints, and cloud telemetry centralized?
   2. Are logs retained and searchable for the duration of the engagement?
2. Alerting and Detection
   1. Are rules in place for common adversary techniques (MITRE ATT&CK coverage)?
   2. Can alerts be correlated across all layers (identity, endpoint, application, and network)?
3. Incident Response Playbooks
   1. Are processes well documented in the incident response plan (IRP) and communicated?
   2. Have these playbooks been tested in simulations or real incidents?
4. Access Control Hygiene
   1. Are privileged accounts limited and monitored?
   2. Is multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforced on high-risk systems?
5. Environment Stability
   1. Are production systems and cloud infrastructure reasonably stable?
   2. Can the organization tolerate simulated malicious behavior without business disruption?

A red team engagement is not the time to test foundational control deployment. These components should already be operational.

Technical readiness is only part of the picture. Red teaming also tests people and processes. Indicators of organizational readiness include:

• Executive support for offensive testing
• Legal and compliance alignment on rules of engagement
• Willingness to expose gaps in detection, coverage, and communication
• Operational maturity to act on findings post-engagement

Cross-functional collaboration is essential to success. Red teaming is effective at exposing problems with internal communication and a team's ability to escalate and make decisions in high-stress situations.

Organizations may not be ready for red teaming if:

• There is no centralized logging or monitoring
• Alert fatigue has not been addressed in the SOC
• Recent tool deployments have not yet stabilized
• IR plans exist only in documentation with no testing history
• There is no internal owner to coordinate findings or remediation

In these cases, starting with penetration testing, tabletop exercises, or adversarial controls testing may offer greater short-term value and prepare teams for a full red team operation.

Security leaders can customize red team testing models based on current maturity. Selecting the right model ensures the engagement produces insight rather than confusion.

Red team operations reach multiple business units. Preparing stakeholders ensures alignment on objectives and risk control measures to achieve maximum value:

• SOC teams and engineers understand what will be tested
• IT teams are briefed on test windows and fail-safes
• Legal, HR, and communications are looped in on response roles
• Executives understand the risk profile and expected outcomes

A well-prepared organization treats red teaming as a learning opportunity, not a test to pass or fail.