Offensive Security
Purple Teaming
Attack and defence participants work through agreed techniques, observe telemetry and refine controls together.
- Threat scenarios selected with defenders
- Controlled technique execution
- Telemetry and alert review
- Detection and response improvement backlog
The proposition
Turn adversary activity into defensive learning
Turn controlled adversary activity into specific defensive learning while both sides can compare evidence. The work focuses on threat scenarios selected with defenders and records where evidence or authorization limits the conclusion.
A collaborative exercise, not a contest
Purple teaming brings offensive and defensive perspectives into the same learning cycle. The exercise tests selected behaviors and follows the evidence from execution through telemetry, alerting and analyst action.
Scope, safety controls and data handling are agreed before activity begins. A missed alert is treated as a hypothesis to investigate, not proof that an entire security program is ineffective.
Joint attack and detection loop
- Chosen behavior. Attackers and defenders pick a technique relevant to the threats the organization cares about.
- Controlled run. The behavior is executed once, within safeguards, while defenders watch.
- Telemetry review. Both sides inspect what data appeared and how analysts read it, deciding if it was enough.
- Tuned control. Logging, rules or workflow are adjusted and the check is run again to see the difference.
Why it matters
- Business risk: Security tools may be installed yet fail to flag the behaviors that matter, and nobody learns until an incident.
- Decision it supports: Security leaders can decide which detections and hand-offs to improve, and which checks to repeat later.
- What you receive: A record of what ran and what was seen, the tuning tried, and a backlog of open questions for later testing.
Defensive evidence from each technique
Technique plan
Maps agreed behaviors to assets, expected telemetry and safety controls.
- Why it matters
- Planning ties each technique to expected evidence, so gaps are visible rather than assumed away.
- Supports
- Choice of behaviors worth testing first
Observation log
Records what was executed, what data appeared and how analysts interpreted it.
- Why it matters
- A shared log removes arguments about what happened and shows how analysts reasoned.
- Supports
- Evidence for analyst training and rule review
Control changes
Documents tuning, logging or workflow improvements tested during the exercise.
- Why it matters
- Improvements made on the day are tested while the context is fresh.
- Supports
- Confirmed changes to logging and workflow
Retest backlog
Lists unresolved questions and repeatable checks for later validation.
- Why it matters
- Some questions cannot be closed in one session, and a list keeps them from being forgotten.
- Supports
- Scheduling of follow-up validation
How a purple-team cycle runs
Why choose Cyberus for purple teaming
The exercise can show where selected controls need tuning and where hand-offs need clarification. Results apply to the techniques, systems and timing tested.
Team certifications
Individual qualifications held by members of the Cyberus team. They are not company accreditations, and not every consultant on an engagement holds every badge.
OSCP
Hands-on penetration testing skills, from enumeration to exploitation and privilege escalation.
OSWE
Web application security skills, including source code review and exploiting complex web vulnerabilities.
OSED
Exploit development skills, including analysing Windows software and writing custom exploits.
OSCP+
Hands-on penetration testing skills, from enumeration to exploitation and privilege escalation.
CRTA
Red team analysis skills, including adversary tactics and techniques.
eWPT
Web application penetration testing skills, from assessment method to exploiting common web flaws.
eWPTX
Advanced web application penetration testing skills, including complex attack techniques.
eMAPT
Mobile application penetration testing skills for Android and iOS applications.
BTL1
Defensive security skills across security operations, phishing analysis, forensics and incident response.
eCIR
Incident response skills, including investigating, containing and analysing security incidents.
CRTE
Red teaming skills focused on Windows environments and the tradecraft used against them.
CCT
EC-Council's Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT) validates foundational security, network, and defense skills.
Security+
CompTIA Security+ validates core skills in baseline cybersecurity, risk management, and threats.
Purple Teaming
Frequently asked questions
Does purple teaming replace red teaming?
No. Purple teaming is deliberately collaborative and technique-focused; a red-team exercise may test a wider objective with different visibility.
Must we have a security operations team?
A named defensive owner and access to relevant telemetry are needed, but the operating model can be scaled to the organization.
Are controls changed during the exercise?
Only changes approved through the customer’s process are made; recommendations can instead be documented for later implementation.
Plan a joint learning cycle
Tell us which threats, detections or response hand-offs your team wants to examine.