Red teaming vs real-world risk: Are you truly secure?

Most organisations who hire red teams walk away with the same feeling: confident, capable, secure. After all, if your internal systems withstood a simulated attack by a team of skilled professionals, what more proof do you need?

Here’s the problem: red team results can create a false sense of readiness.

Red team exercises are valuable, but only when their limitations are recognised. They are not the same as experiencing a real-world breach. And many businesses make the mistake of thinking they are.

What is a "Red Team" exercise?

A red team is a group of ethical hackers or security experts tasked with simulating a real-world attack. Their job is to test your defences without tipping off internal teams, much like a threat actor would.

They aim to breach networks, exploit physical security, intercept data, and find the cracks that defenders miss. The goal? To stress-test systems and expose weaknesses before an actual adversary does.

Red teams think creatively, mimic adversarial techniques, and play dirty. That’s what makes them valuable.

But they are still controlled engagements:

• There are legal and ethical boundaries they won't cross.

• They operate on fixed timelines.

• Their success metrics are agreed in advance.

• They rely on known attack vectors and simulation boundaries.

  
  

And most importantly, they don’t account for unpredictable chaos. Real attacks don't play by rules. They don’t pause for clarification. And they don’t stop until damage is done. A real threat actor doesn’t care about your test environment, they’re aiming for disruption, theft, or destruction.

A simulation attack to analyse weaknesses.

The value of red teaming

Despite their limitations, red team exercises are immensely valuable. They provide:

• Objective analysis of vulnerabilities across digital, physical, and procedural domains.

• Validation of existing controls and a reality check for assumed defences.

• Insight into attacker mindsets and how security measures can be bypassed.

• Awareness training for internal teams who may be unaware of how easily they can be manipulated or exploited.

  
  

Used properly, red teams help organisations see their infrastructure and behaviours through the lens of a determined adversary. They generate high-quality data that supports decision-making and investment in security improvements.

The danger of passing the test

Many organisations pass their red team assessment and think, "We’re good." But passing doesn’t mean bulletproof. It means your organisation was resistant to the specific tactics tested under specific conditions, by a team that wanted to help you improve.

It’s not unusual for companies to frame red team results in board presentations as proof of cyber maturity. That narrative can be dangerous.

What about threats that don’t follow the script?

• Coordinated attacks blending cyber and physical infiltration.

• Threat actors with time and patience, willing to move slowly for weeks or months.

• Compromised insider access through bribery or coercion.

• Advanced persistent threats (APTs) using unknown or customised exploits.

• Zero-day vulnerabilities that even your red team wasn’t allowed to use.

  
  

Red teams help identify vulnerabilities, but they are not a substitute for resilience. You don’t win a war by surviving a drill.

What red teams can’t teach you

A successful red team engagement may tell you where the doors are unlocked, but not how well your team responds to someone walking through them. That’s where the real difference lies:

• Crisis coordination: Who is in charge when things go wrong?

• Incident communication: How quickly is the breach reported and to whom?

• Containment capability: Can the breach be isolated before it spreads?

• Legal and regulatory exposure: Are you prepared for fallout and reporting?

• Post-breach recovery: Do you have tested recovery plans?

  
  

These are the areas that real attackers stress. And they’re often overlooked in a traditional red team report.

Auditing the results is key to address areas of vulnerability.

Bridging the gap: from simulation to real-world readiness

To make the most of a red team assessment, businesses must treat it as a springboard, not a final result.

• Post-test audits: Review and investigate why vulnerabilities existed in the first place. Was it a people issue, a process failure, or a system weakness?

• Remediation tracking: Don’t just log the findings. Assign owners, set deadlines, and follow up. Make resolution a KPI.

• Continuous threat modelling: Update your assumptions based on emerging threats. Threats evolve, your scenarios should too.

• Live drills and stress tests: Test your crisis management under pressure. Simulate what happens if the attacker gets through.

• Third-party involvement: Test your external partners and vendors. Many breaches enter through supply chains or poorly vetted integrations.

• Layered testing strategies: Mix red teaming with tabletop exercises, purple teaming, and real-time adversary simulations.

  
  

Final thought

Red teams are a powerful tool, but they’re not the final answer. They show you where to look, not how to stay secure.

Don’t mistake a passed test for a hardened defence. Real adversaries won’t follow the rules. They don’t care about scorecards, and they’re not bound by ethics.

The best security posture isn’t one that survives a test, it’s one that adapts, evolves, and stays alert long after the red team has left the building.

Train like it’s real. Because one day, it might be!