Organisations are under constant cyber attack each and every day. The traditional security models just don’t keep up with attackers! That’s where a purple team strategy takes the game entirely in a different direction. A purple team strategy is a combination of the red team approach (attackers) and the blue team approach (defenders). Both teams work together, sharing information and enhancements of their defenses.
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The Core Benefits of a Purple Team Strategy
1. Real-Time Knowledge Transfer Between Attackers and Defenders
In a traditional setting, red and blue teams work in parallel, and knowledge of which team is kept secret. In a traditional organization, red and blue teams work in parallel and don’t know which team the other one is. One of the walls, however, is thrown away with a purple team approach. When a vulnerability is found, red teamers open up to defenders about their attack methods. Therefore, the blue teams can immediately access valuable and actionable information that they can use to make decisions.
The collaborative model is actively adopted by the X-Force team of IBM in incident simulations. They are able to develop their attack and defence abilities simultaneously under the guidance of their analysts. As a result, the entire security team becomes stronger, stronger after each and every exercise.
2. Faster Threat Detection and Response
Successful security teams are those that can keep up with speed. In addition, a purple team strategy is a great way to rapidly improve an organization’s detection skills, everywhere. Throughout purple team exercises, Darktrace is actively utilising its AI-driven insights to provide intelligence.
When defenders get the first-hand experience of actual attacks, they are better able to identify anomalies with their self-learning platform. This means that organisations have a much faster mean time to detect (MTTD) and mean time to respond (MTTR).
3. Stronger Security Controls Through Continuous Validation
When the organization does not actively test its security controls, they will get worse with time. But with a purple team strategy, there is a continual validation loop that is something that organizations need.METCO (Middle East Telecommunications Company) constantly tests its security setup with continuous purple team engagements.
They routinely test their firewall rules, endpoint detection and access controls as a whole in real-time. That means that there are no “low and slow” security lapses that slowly get worse over a period of months. Rather, teams actively locate and fix the vulnerabilities prior to attackers.
4. Improved Return on Security Investment (ROSI)
Executives and boards of all countries and jurisdictions are ever questioning security budgets. However, a purple team approach clearly shows that every security dollar made can be used to improve security.
Adversary Intelligence (AI) is a team at CrowdStrike that does just that – actively translates purple team information into real-world business risks. Organizations then know what tools are effective and which ones require replacement in response to the proper controls.
5. Bridging Skill Gaps Across the Security Team
There are significant gaps in security teams’ knowledge between practitioners on the offensive and defensive sides. But a purple team strategy dynamically shares skills between the two disciplines. Sectona embraces purple team approaches in its training courses on Privileged Access Management (PAM).
They make sure that security teams are aware of privileged credentials as the target of attacks. As a result, defenders will learn to think like an attacker to help them become more effective at detecting attacks. .
6. Better Alignment with Threat Intelligence
Teams really start to leverage threat intelligence when they use it during a realistic exercise scenario. So a Purple team strategy converts intelligence into defensive enhancements.
Resecurity proactively provides threat actor profiles and TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) to its clients for their purple team practice. They also use their intelligence capabilities to ensure the teams undertake realistic, up-to-date attack scenarios.
7. Compliance and Regulatory Readiness
It’s important to keep in mind that regulatory standards, such as NIST, ISO 27001 and GDPR, are explicit in their demands for an organization to show continuous security testing. In addition, a purple team approach is, of course, an efficient way to meet many of these requirements.
IT Butler e-Services will actively support and assist clients in documenting the outcomes of the purple team in case of a compliance audit. They develop a structured approach, which means clear evidence trails that are highly appreciated by regulators and auditors.
So businesses can boost their security and continue to comply with regulations at the same time. Furthermore, it is a very cost-effective compliance solution, as there is a dual benefit with the purple team strategy.
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Getting Started with a Purple Team Strategy
It is common for institutions to ask themselves, “Where do I start? Many institutions ask themselves, “Where do I start? Luckily, it’s not a big initial investment or resources to get a purple team strategy off the ground.
One thing is certain: first, organizations proactively strategize around common security goals involving their red and blue team leaders. Then, teams work together to choose scenarios of attacks for the real threat intelligence. Then both teams perform exercises together, making continuous notes on the improvements and observations made.
There are companies out there, such as CrowdStrike, Darktrace, Resecurity, that actively provide purple team services for companies of all sizes. That means even smaller companies can readily gain access to expert-level Purple Team capabilities without development of all the components from within the company.
Conclusion
The cyber world is a dynamic place that is in constant flux. But a purple team approach creates an organization with a powerful security engine that is self-improving. They are proactive in eliminating the gap between attackers and defenders, lower the chances of breaching the system significantly and clearly demonstrating the value of security to the leadership.
No matter how small you are, it’s essential that you start to reshape your security culture from reactive to relentless, which is why it’s necessary to work with industry giants such as IBM, CrowdStrike, or Darktrace who can support you in this journey. Get your purple team game on today: your enemies are not.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a purple team strategy different from a red team engagement?
A red team engagement is an exercise conducted separately, and only reporting back after the exercise. But purple team is an approach that actually brings the attackers and defenders onto the same team and does so all along the way. This means that organisations get real-time improvements, instead of waiting a couple of weeks for a final report.
How often should organizations run purple team exercises?
Organizations should actively conduct purple team exercises at least quarterly to stay ahead of evolving threats. In addition, METCO conducts monthly (or more frequently) purple team exercises to ensure that the companies have robust security positions at all times, which is particularly important for the high-risk industries in which they operate.
Can small organizations benefit from a purple team strategy?
Absolutely. Small organizations can effectively implement purple team techniques through managed security providers like IT Butler e-Services or Sectona. These providers deliver purple team capabilities tailored to smaller budgets and leaner teams.
