How do you communicate and collaborate with the red and blue teams during purple team security testing?

In addition to defining scope for the red and blue teams it's just as important to define overall goals for the exercise. Sometimes teams will leave it as a blue vs red mentality without adding the element of overall goal.

One way to ensure proper testing occurs, is to have a member of management work with the blue team in private, and come up with a list of all the systems that are known to be critical, be exploitable, or that are prime targets, including intricate configuration details, IP Addresses, etc. Ask them, what would be the worst case scenario for the red team to attack, compile it into a report. Once it is completed, hand it over to the red team, because the goal is not to see how much the Red team can figure out, guess at, and get lucky at. The goal is to withstand even a coordinated, well planned, sophisticated, potentially insider assisted attack with as little impact as possible.

The first step is to survey critical assets. In past experiences, there was an asset management program that prioritized and classified each asset by its importance. The second step is to evaluate the scenario according to the company's business, so it is easy for you to define a scope not only based on its criticality, but also based on the impact it would generate within the organization and the business in general. Finally, after surveying the assets and defining what is most relevant to the business, hand over the information to the Red Team and they will evaluate the scenarios that they will explore to carry out their exercise.

Defining the rules into a written document is essential nowadays, especially any involvement of AI or prototype systems where control may be lost and remnants are left behind creating a potential hazard or even disaster, computers are no longer simple technology, so need to add caution to any intrusion or defensive measures

These are all good things. But you also need to get assumptions on the table. Assumptions around how certain security controls will work, how detections will happen, how response process will get triggered, etc. When you find things that operate outside of those assumptions that’s a blind spot. Getting rid of those blind spots in cybersecurity is a good thing.

Within the roles and responsibilities defined by its organizational structure, in my experiences, a Red Team Leader was designated to oversee engagement exercises along with the Technical Leader of the Blue Team. To achieve success in a Purple Team exercise, the team must have a White Cell or Control Cell, serving as a referee to mediate between the Blue Team and Red Team regarding attacks and responses. The White Cell also coordinates activities and the main objectives of both teams, acting as an intermediary and facilitator for both sides. This role ensures unbiased testing and comprehensive execution of the exercise.

Effective communication and clear roles are pivotal in purple team exercises. Assigning leadership and specific tasks for attack, defense, and coordination ensures efficiency and clarity. Drawing from my experience, fostering open dialogue between red and blue teams enhances mutual understanding and respect, turning potential conflicts into opportunities for growth. Regular debriefings where teams share insights and challenges not only fortify defenses but also build a cohesive security culture. This approach transforms the exercise from a mere test into a powerful learning experience, significantly improving our security posture.

Red Team: Focus on simulating realistic attack scenarios, exploiting vulnerabilities, and demonstrating potential impact. Blue Team: Concentrate on detecting, analyzing, and responding to the red team’s activities. Purple Team Coordination: Facilitate communication between red and blue teams, ensuring alignment of objectives and activities.

In organizing roles and responsibilities for the purple team security testing, designate a leader for both the red and blue teams who will oversee offensive and defensive strategies respectively. The purple team coordinator should facilitate communication and activities between these teams to ensure cohesion and efficient testing. Specify individuals responsible for conducting attacks, monitoring defenses, and documenting findings to maintain clarity and prevent overlap. Clear assignment and communication of these roles are crucial to streamline the testing process and maximize effectiveness in identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities.

To effectively use Miter Attack and map TTPs, it goes beyond just technical aspects; it involves a business study and collaboration with CTI to align with Threat Actors relevant to your company. After defining this, adapt the TTP survey to your environment. The chosen tool must meet functional requirements, including cross-platform capability, customization options, thorough process recording, utilization of current techniques, and enabling realistic simulations. When acquiring a solution, consider your organization's scenario, whether Full-Cloud, On-premises, or Hybrid.

Collaborative Platforms: Use platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or dedicated cybersecurity collaboration tools to maintain ongoing communication. Common Toolsets: Agree on the tools to be used for testing, such as SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) systems for the blue team and penetration testing tools for the red team. Simulation Environments: Set up a controlled environment where tests can be conducted safely without impacting live systems.

Define internal communication channels, generate reports to measure metrics and ensure clear communication with the Blue Team. In experiences I had, the person responsible for White Cell made a report on how both sides did and what could be improved, in addition the Red Team brought precise insights into their modus operandi after the exercise and the Blue Team took insights so that the Red Team can improve for the next purple team exercise.

Purple team security testing fosters collaboration between red and blue teams, enabling comprehensive feedback and insights to enhance the organization's security posture effectively.

In purple team security testing, fostering open communication is key to maximizing benefits. Actively engaging both red and blue teams throughout the exercise encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing. Providing constructive feedback in a timely manner ensures continuous improvement. Emphasizing the importance of sharing perspectives and suggestions creates a collaborative atmosphere, enhancing the organization's security posture. By infusing a human touch into communication strategies, project methods become more approachable and effective, facilitating smoother collaboration and better outcomes.

Detailed Reporting: Document all findings, including vulnerabilities exploited by the red team and detections made by the blue team. Actionable Recommendations: Provide clear, actionable recommendations for improving security posture based on the findings. Knowledge Sharing: Create a shared repository of lessons learned, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by the red team and detection methods used by the blue team.

Documenting and presenting findings is probably the most important part of this process. Instead of a punch list of issues, synthesize these into a narrative around what went wrong and how it could impact the organization. Tying things back to strategic goals, enterprise risk, or some other relatable driver will help develop an effective narrative.

Regular Meetings: Hold daily or weekly stand-ups to discuss progress, challenges, and observations. Real-Time Communication: Use instant messaging and collaboration tools for real-time updates during testing. Post-Exercise Debriefs: Conduct debrief sessions after each testing phase to discuss what was detected, what was missed, and how both teams can improve.

Remember in security we’re oftentimes working through other teams. So implantation might be more about how we collaborate and persuade others to do one thing over another. It’s important that we’re humble in this process too, security isn’t the only thing many teams have to work on, we need to recognize and empathize with this.

From what I have seen the current popular methods of maintaining communication are tools like slack and discord. In certain circumstances, I am sure Microsoft teams is also used. The more advanced teams might use a combination of those tools and custom tools depending on the scope of the operation.

Track Remediation: Ensure vulnerabilities identified are tracked and remediated by the appropriate teams. Continuous Improvement: Incorporate lessons learned into security policies, procedures, and training programs. Re-evaluation: Plan for periodic re-evaluation of the implemented changes to ensure continuous improvement and adaptation to new threats.