Clients often conflate Offensive Security with penetration testing, yet they serve distinct purposes within cybersecurity. Offensive Security is a broad term encompassing strategies to protect against cyber threats, while penetration testing is a specific activity where security teams test system vulnerabilities.

At its essence, Offensive Security isn't just about reacting to vulnerabilities; it's about actively hunting down and neutralizing potential threats before they wreak havoc.

Trustwave champions this approach, leveraging an arsenal of tools and expertise to evaluate clients' defenses comprehensively. Crucially, the scale of an organization or its cybersecurity budget doesn't dictate the efficacy of an Offensive Security program; rather, it's tailored to meet specific needs and requirements.

Trustwave’s Offensive Security Methodology

Trustwave leverages a comprehensive toolkit to assess whether clients possess the necessary tools, techniques, and procedures to thwart data breaches and unauthorized system access. As a leading provider of penetration testing, Trustwave tailors Offensive Security programs to suit any organization’s size and needs, regardless of their cybersecurity budget.

Implementing Trustwave’s Offensive Security program is straightforward. Clients can quickly initiate security assessments, and existing Trustwave customers can easily schedule tests through the Fusion Platform portal, bypassing extensive approval processes. Post-testing, results are readily accessible within Fusion.

Vulnerability Scanning

Vulnerability scanning is an automated method to identify security weaknesses in an organization’s assets. It uses specialized software to scan systems, pinpointing vulnerable applications and services by checking for known issues or probing with harmless yet malicious inputs.

Regular vulnerability scans enable organizations to proactively address security gaps, reducing the risk of exploitation.

Trustwave’s Managed Vulnerability Scanning (MVS) provides actionable security insights, identifying vulnerabilities across IT assets. Given the constant emergence of new threats, MVS offers a practical solution managed by SpiderLabs experts, alleviating the burden on internal cybersecurity teams.

Penetration Testing

Penetration testing involves a human-led team evaluating an organization’s cyber defenses. The goal is to uncover vulnerabilities and exploit them to penetrate further into the tested environment. Such tests are crucial for identifying and mitigating exploitable weaknesses.

Trustwave, a CREST-certified entity for penetration testing and Simulated Target Attack & Response (STAR), showcases its commitment to maintaining a highly trained staff proficient in the latest cybersecurity practices.

Trustwave SpiderLabs is responsible for conducting all penetration testing, conducting various tests, including network, application, and cloud penetration testing.

Social Engineering

Social engineering involves tricking individuals into violating security protocols and revealing confidential information. This tactic is a favorite among cybercriminals seeking access to a company’s most valued data. Trustwave SpiderLabs’ suite of social engineering services employs these methods to pinpoint human vulnerabilities, offering insights into the firm’s defensive stance and aiding a client in the prevention of genuine breaches.

Trustwave’s services encompass a variety of tactics, including phishing, targeted spear phishing, vishing (voice-based phishing), SMiShing (SMS-based phishing), and physical social engineering, where testers exploit physical security gaps to infiltrate facilities and access sensitive data or systems.

Red/Blue/Purple Teaming

Red Team exercises are similar to penetration tests in that they involve human testers rather than full automation. However, the main distinction is the focus on defensive efficacy penetration. Red Team exercises are carried out covertly, exploiting attack chains to gain access and move laterally while trying to evade detection and bypass defensive controls.

Blue and Purple Team exercises refer to the different levels of collaboration and involvement among participants. For instance, Purple Team exercises involve direct collaboration between the offensive red and defensive blue teams to determine the state of an organization's security. These exercises aim to simulate real-world attacks, through defined scenarios such as data breaches or ransomware delivery, with specific objectives in mind.

Trustwave's Red Team is comprised of members from more than 16 countries globally. Trustwave conducts over 50 red team engagements each year and over 4,000 manual penetration tests.

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