A red team’s primary responsibility is to make systems fail:
- This answer suggests that the red team’s job is to test the resilience of the organization’s security by actively trying to exploit vulnerabilities, which could lead to system failures. The intent behind this statement might be to convey that red teams simulate real-world attacks to discover how well systems can withstand an intrusion or breach. However, the phrasing “make systems fail” is somewhat misleading. The red team’s goal is not to cause failure but to uncover vulnerabilities in a controlled manner so they can be addressed before a malicious actor exploits them.
The blue team is responsible for implementing red team findings and yellow team recommendations:
- This answer recognizes the blue team’s role in taking the output from red team operations (such as penetration tests) and using it to strengthen the organization’s defenses. If we incorporate the less commonly mentioned “yellow team,” which could be responsible for the organization’s security architecture and infrastructure, their recommendations would also be crucial for the blue team. The blue team would use these insights to ensure that the organization’s security measures are robust and that any gaps identified are closed.
In practical terms, red team exercises provide a test for blue team defenses, and the blue team must then react to these tests by improving security measures. The potential inclusion of a “yellow team” implies a broader approach where architectural and infrastructural recommendations are also considered critical inputs for the blue team’s security enhancement activities.