Overview#
Exercises that mimic real attacker tactics to test detection and response readiness. Used by purple and red teams to validate controls, run tabletop scenarios, and strengthen playbooks.
Core objectives#
- Establish shared definitions of Adversary Simulation for security, engineering, and leadership teams.
- Connect Adversary Simulation activities to measurable risk reduction and resilience goals.
- Provide onboarding notes so new team members can quickly understand how Adversary Simulation works here.
Implementation notes#
- Identify the primary owner for Adversary Simulation, the data sources involved, and the systems affected.
- Document the minimum viable process, tooling, and runbooks that keep Adversary Simulation healthy.
- Map Adversary Simulation practices to standards such as ISO/IEC 27001, NIST CSF, or CIS Controls.
Operational signals#
- Leading indicators: early warnings that Adversary Simulation might degrade (e.g., backlog growth, noisy alerts, or missed SLAs).
- Lagging indicators: realized impact that shows Adversary Simulation failed or needs investment (e.g., incidents, audit findings).
- Feedback loops: retrospectives and metrics reviews that tune Adversary Simulation continuously.
Related practices#
- Align Adversary Simulation with defense-in-depth planning, threat modeling, and disaster recovery tests.
- Communicate updates to stakeholders through concise briefs, dashboards, and internal FAQs.
- Pair Adversary Simulation improvements with tabletop exercises to validate expectations.