CyberCode Academy

Course 16 - Red Team Ethical Hacking Beginner Course | Episode 1: Introduction to Red Teaming: Concepts, Tools, and Tactics

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In this lesson, you’ll learn about:
  • The purpose and mindset of red teaming in cybersecurity
  • The difference between red teams and blue teams
  • How the MITRE ATT&CK framework structures real-world attacks
  • Core Windows command-line environments used in security operations
  • The role of Command and Control (C2) frameworks in post-exploitation
  • Widely used red team and post-exploitation analysis tools
  • The concept behind payload handling and controlled demonstrations
Introduction to Red Teaming This lesson provides a comprehensive introduction to red teaming, an adversarial security discipline where professionals simulate real-world attackers to evaluate and strengthen an organization’s defenses. Red teaming goes beyond simple vulnerability scanning and focuses on realistic attack scenarios, long-term access, and stealth. Red teaming is conducted ethically and legally within defined scopes to help organizations understand how attackers think, move, and persist inside networks. Red Team vs. Blue Team
  • Red Team
    • Simulates real attackers
    • Attempts to bypass defenses
    • Identifies weaknesses in people, processes, and technology
    • Requires creativity, research skills, and deep technical knowledge
  • Blue Team
    • Defends the organization
    • Monitors logs (firewalls, IDS, IPS, systems, networks)
    • Detects suspicious activity
    • Responds to and mitigates attacks
The interaction between red and blue teams improves overall security posture through continuous testing and feedback. MITRE ATT&CK Framework The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a globally recognized knowledge base documenting adversary behavior based on real-world incidents. Key characteristics:
  • Organized into tactics (the attacker’s goal)
  • Techniques explain how goals are achieved
  • Procedures describe real attacks observed in the wild
  • Structured into 12 tactical columns, covering the full attack lifecycle
Security teams use ATT&CK to:
  • Understand attacker behavior
  • Map defenses to known techniques
  • Improve detection and response strategies
Essential Windows Command-Line Environments Red teamers and defenders must understand native Windows tools because attackers often abuse legitimate utilities. Command Prompt (CMD)
  • Traditional Windows command-line interpreter
  • Used for file management, networking, and basic administration
  • Supports batch scripting
PowerShell
  • Advanced command-line and scripting environment
  • Uses powerful commandlets
  • Enables automation and deep system management
  • Supports aliases (e.g., ls) for ease of use
WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation Command Line)
  • Interface for interacting with WMI
  • Can query system information
  • Manage processes and configurations
  • Works locally or remotely
Scheduled Tasks
  • Used to automate execution of programs or scripts
  • Can run tasks at specific times or events
  • Often abused for persistence
Service Control Manager (SCM)
  • Managed via SC.exe
  • Controls Windows services
  • Can create, modify, start, and stop services
  • High-risk if abused due to elevated privileges
Command and Control (C2) Frameworks C2 frameworks allow attackers—and red teamers in controlled exercises—to manage compromised systems remotely after initial access. Capabilities typically include:
  • Executing commands remotely
  • Data exfiltration
  • Keylogging and screen capture
  • Lateral movement automation
Commonly referenced frameworks:
  • Cobalt Strike (commercial, widely used)
  • Covenant (free, .NET-based)
  • Empire (PowerShell-based, no longer maintained)
Red teamers often modify default C2 behaviors to evade detection and avoid signature-based defenses such as IDS and IPS. Advanced Red Team and Post-Exploitation Tools PowerSploit
  • Collection of PowerShell modules
  • Covers enumeration, privilege escalation, persistence, and evasion
  • Includes tools like PowerUp
PowerView
  • Focuses on Active Directory reconnaissance
  • Gathers information about users, groups, trusts, and permissions
  • Helps build situational awareness in domain environments
BloodHound
  • Visualizes Active Directory relationships
  • Uses a graph database (Neo4j)
  • Identifies privilege escalation paths
  • Shows how a standard user could reach domain admin access
Mimikatz
  • Known for credential extraction
  • Can retrieve password hashes and credentials from memory
  • Demonstrates weaknesses in credential handling
  • Emphasizes the importance of modern defensive controls
Impacket
  • Python-based toolkit for network protocol interaction
  • Supports authentication attacks and remote execution techniques
  • Useful for understanding how Windows authentication can be abused
Metasploit Payload Handling (Conceptual Demonstration) The episode concludes with a controlled demonstration explaining how red teamers:
  • Configure listeners
  • Generate payloads for testing purposes
  • Establish sessions on target systems within legal scopes
This section is intended to help students understand post-exploitation workflows, not to encourage misuse. Emphasis is placed on lab environments and authorization. Key Ethical and Defensive Takeaways
  • Red teaming exists to improve security, not harm systems
  • Many attacks abuse legitimate system tools rather than exploits
  • Understanding attacker techniques strengthens defense strategies
  • Frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK bridge offense and defense
  • Visibility, logging, and behavior-based detection are critical


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CyberCode AcademyBy CyberCode Academy