Cyber threats don’t play by the rules - neither should your testing. Red Team engagements go beyond traditional penetration tests, simulating real-world attacks that target your technology, people, and physical security. By thinking like an adversary, we expose the gaps others miss and help you build true resilience.
Expose Real-World Risks
Simulate advanced, goal-driven attacks to reveal how adversaries could exploit your technology, people, and physical security.
Test Beyond Technology
Go further than traditional Pen tests by assessing human behaviour, processes, and physical entry points - not just systems.
Strengthen Resilience
Identify gaps across your entire security posture and prioritise fixes that make the biggest impact.
Prove Your Defences
Validate your security investments and demonstrate readiness against sophisticated, multi-layered threats.
Thousands of organisations across the UK trust us, here’s why…
CREST & CHECK Accredited
We are certified for both CREST and CHECK Green Light testing - an achievement not all testing companies can claim.
Clear and Concise Reports
We provide easy-to-understand reports with detailed findings and actionable recommendations.
CREST Infrastructure & App Testing
We are certified in both CREST Infrastructure and Application testing to the highest standards.
Specialised Testing Teams
Developer-trained testers deliver comprehensive app, API, and cloud testing for deeper, more effective results.
Experienced & Senior Consultants
Our team consists of highly experienced, senior consultants and penetration testers with over 15 years of expertise.
We Save You Time and Money
Clients consistently tell us that we deliver higher-quality testing in less time.
Outstanding Communication
We establish dedicated Teams or Slack channels to ensure seamless two-way communication between all.
Forward-Thinking Security
Our team goes beyond identifying vulnerabilities, offering proactive solutions to mitigate future risks.
Red Teaming: The CyberLab Approach
Red Team engagements go beyond traditional penetration tests, simulating real-world attacks that target your technology, people, and physical security. By thinking like an adversary, we expose the gaps others miss and help you build true resilience.
- Gather intelligence on the target organization, infrastructure, employees, and security posture.
- Use OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence), social engineering, and passive network scanning to identify potential attack vectors.
- Identify high-value targets (HVTs), key personnel, exposed services, and weak points.
- Develop tailored payloads, exploits, and attack vectors based on gathered intelligence.
- Set up Command and Control (C2) infrastructure for post-exploitation activities.
- Craft phishing emails, malicious documents, or pretexting scenarios for social engineering.
- Execute the attack by delivering payloads via phishing, USB drops, malicious web applications, or exploiting known vulnerabilities.
- Bypass security controls such as email filtering, endpoint protection, and network monitoring.
- Establish an initial foothold within the target environment.
- Escalate privileges from the initial compromised host (e.g., bypassing UAC, exploiting misconfigurations, or credential dumping).
- Move laterally within the network using pass-the-hash, Kerberoasting, or pivoting techniques.
- Identify and escalate to domain admin or high-value assets.
- Maintain access via backdoors, persistence techniques (scheduled tasks, WMI, registry modifications, etc.).
- Use custom C2 channels (HTTP, DNS tunneling, encrypted traffic) to avoid detection.
- Conduct stealthy operations to evade endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.
- Achieve mission goals – e.g., data exfiltration, unauthorized system access, or disrupting critical operations.
- Access sensitive files, financial data, customer records, or operational systems.
- Simulate real-world attacker motivations (financial gain, espionage, sabotage, etc.).
- Maintain stealthy access for long-term presence, mimicking advanced persistent threats (APT).
- Use covert exfiltration techniques (steganography, encrypted channels, cloud storage, or DNS tunneling).
- Securely exit without leaving forensic artifacts, covering tracks to challenge blue team detection.
- Provide a detailed report outlining findings, attack paths, detection gaps, and security recommendations.
- Conduct a purple team session, allowing defenders to learn from real-world attack scenarios.
- Deliver actionable insights to enhance incident response, threat detection, and security resilience.
One of our CREST, CHECK, and Cyber Scheme certified consultants will work with you to define the scope of the engagement and ensure that our tests will fulfil your requirements.
Your assigned consultant will gather information on your organisation, including:
- IP addresses of websites and MX records
- Details of e-mail addresses
- Social networks
- People search
- Job search websites
This information will assist in identifying and exploiting any vulnerabilities or weaknesses.
Collaboratively administrate empowered markets via plug-and-play networks. Dynamically procrastinate B2C users after installed base benefits. Spectacular visualize customer directed convergence without revolutionary ROI.
Efficiently unleash cross-media information without cross-media value. Quickly maximize timely deliverables for real-time schemas. Spectacular maintain clicks-and-mortar solutions without functional solutions.
A Leading Financial Services Organisation Enhances Security with Red Team Security Testing
A leading UK financial services organisation partnered with CyberLab to independently validate and strengthen its cyber security posture during ongoing digital transformation. Operating in a highly targeted and regulated sector, the organisation required assurance that its defences could withstand modern attack techniques. Through a Red Team security testing programme, including targeted attack simulation and application testing, CyberLab identified both technical and human‑centric risks. This proactive approach improved security maturity, strengthened resilience, and supported ongoing regulatory compliance while protecting customer trust.
ISO 27001 is a globally recognised framework for managing information security risks. While penetration testing is not explicitly required, it plays a crucial role in meeting the standard’s risk assessment requirements by identifying weaknesses in systems and strengthening security controls.
Capitalize on low hanging fruit to identify a ballpark value added activity to beta test. Override the digital divide with additional clickthroughs from DevOps. Nanotechnology immersion along the information highway will close the loop on focusing solely on the bottom line.
Podcasting operational change management inside of workflows to establish a framework. Taking seamless key performance indicators offline to maximise the long tail. Keeping your eye on the ball while performing a deep dive on the start-up mentality to derive convergence on cross-platform integration.
Collaboratively administrate empowered markets via plug-and-play networks. Dynamically procrastinate B2C users after installed base benefits. Spectacular visualize customer directed convergence without revolutionary ROI.
Efficiently unleash cross-media information without cross-media value. Quickly maximize timely deliverables for real-time schemas. Spectacular maintain clicks-and-mortar solutions without functional solutions.
CREST, CHECK & Cyber Scheme Certified
CREST (the Council of Registered Ethical Security Testers) is an international accreditation with a strict Codes of Conduct and Ethics. CHECK is the Government-backed accreditation from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) which certifies that a company can conduct authorised penetration tests of public sector systems and networks.
All our penetration testers are certified by CREST, with senior consultants certified by CREST to the highest CCT Level. Our testers are also either CHECK Team Leaders (CTL’s) or Team Members (CTM’s).
Security testers that pass the Cyber Scheme exams demonstrate ‘competence and skill at the highest levels’ as defined by the National Technical Authority for Cyber Security (NCSC).
Our team have decades of combined experience and take pride in operating at the highest level of the industry – conducting a broad range of government and commercial tests – and always aim to go the extra mile.
Red Teaming Vs Penetration Testing
Key Differences Between Red Teaming and Penetration Testing
| Red Teaming | Penetration Testing | |
|---|---|---|
| Objective | Simulate a real-world, targeted attack to test an organisation’s detection and response capabilities. | Identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a defined scope to assess security weaknesses. |
| Approach | Covert and goal‑oriented, mimicking advanced persistent threats (APTs). | Typically overt; the organisation is aware of the test and it follows a structured, checklist‑based approach. |
| Scope | Broad: covers people, processes, and technology (e.g., phishing, physical intrusion, network attacks). | Predefined and limited to specific assets (e.g., web apps, networks, APIs, cloud). |
| Attack Simulation | Focuses on stealth over depth; emulates real adversarial behaviour to avoid detection. | Focuses on depth over stealth; targets in‑scope systems for vulnerabilities. |
| Defensive Awareness | Blue team is unaware (unless purple teaming); tests real‑world detection and response. | Blue team is usually aware and may assist in testing and validation. |
| Duration | Long‑term (weeks to months). | Short‑term (days to weeks). |
| Outcome | Post‑engagement report showing how red team compromised assets and how the blue team responded. | Detailed report of vulnerabilities, exploitability, and remediation recommendations. |
| Compliance | Not compliance‑driven; focused on assessing real‑world resilience. | Often driven by regulatory or compliance needs (e.g., PCI DSS, ISO 27001, CHECK). |
Red Teaming Case Study: Tailgating into a Client's Office
During a Red Team engagement, the team studied staff behaviour and entry protocols. Using this intel, a tester posed as an employee on a phone call and tailgated through a side entrance for Cycle to Work users.
When challenged by security, a quick flash of a fake pass and confident demeanour secured access. Inside, the tester shadowed an employee into a keycard lift, then discovered another lift that bypassed security barriers. Coordinating with a colleague, they used this route to reach the main lobby and then an office floor by joining employees in lifts and engaging in casual conversation. Once inside, they booked a meeting room as a base of operations.
This exercise proved how social engineering tactics – tailgating, confidence, and exploiting trust – can defeat strong physical security. The client was briefed on these vulnerabilities and advised on tightening protocols and staff awareness.
Uphold Audit Integrity Between Tests
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Whether you’re looking to implement basic cyber security best practice, improve your existing defences, or introduce a new system or solution, our team of expert consultants, engineers, and ethical hackers are here to help.
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We are 100% vendor agnostic and will only ever recommend the best products and solutions for your requirements.
