Adversary Simulation
Think like an attacker. Defend like a professional.
Adversary Simulation — or red teaming — is the most rigorous form of security testing available. Acentria's certified red team operators simulate real-world threat actors with a specific objective: gain access to your most sensitive assets by any means necessary, using the same tools, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) as nation-state actors, organised crime, and advanced persistent threats. The result is ground truth about what an attacker can actually achieve against your current defences.
100%
Of engagements achieve initial access
73%
Of attacks undetected by existing controls
< 48 hrs
Average time to initial access achieved
Solution Overview
Adversary Simulation
Penetration testing tells you whether a specific vulnerability is exploitable. Adversary simulation tells you whether your entire security programme — technology, process, and people — can detect, respond to, and contain a sophisticated, motivated attacker pursuing a defined objective. Acentria's red team engagements are scoped to emulate the specific threat actors most likely to target your organisation: we build a threat actor profile, adopt their tooling and tradecraft, and pursue your crown jewels using their methods — not a generic vulnerability scan.
Our operators are CREST-certified and hold advanced offensive security certifications, with backgrounds that include national security and elite cyber units. Engagements begin with open-source intelligence gathering (OSINT) exactly as a real attacker would — mapping your digital footprint, identifying employees and executives, discovering exposed infrastructure, and finding supply chain entry points. Initial access attempts span phishing, physical security bypass, external exploitation, and trusted vendor impersonation. Post-exploitation activity maps the full path from initial foothold to objective completion, with every step documented against the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
The value of adversary simulation lies not in the number of vulnerabilities found, but in the strategic insight it provides about the gap between assumed and actual security posture. Clients consistently discover that controls they believed were effective provide no meaningful resistance to a determined attacker, while some lower-cost compensating controls prove highly effective. This evidence base allows security investment to be directed where it will produce the greatest reduction in real breach risk.
Impact Metrics
100%
Of engagements achieve initial access
73%
Of attacks undetected by existing controls
< 48 hrs
Average time to initial access achieved
Core Capabilities
How We Deliver Adversary Simulation
Threat Actor Profiling & Emulation
Engagements begin with intelligence-driven threat actor profiling — we adopt the specific TTPs of the adversaries most likely to target your industry, not generic attacker toolkits.
Full-Spectrum OSINT & Reconnaissance
Comprehensive open-source intelligence gathering maps your digital attack surface exactly as a real adversary would — including employee targeting, supply chain mapping, and darkweb presence.
Multi-Vector Initial Access
Access attempts span phishing, vishing, physical intrusion, external exploitation, and trusted third-party impersonation — mirroring the multi-vector approach of sophisticated threat actors.
Objective-Based Post-Exploitation
Once initial access is achieved, operators pursue defined objectives — data exfiltration, domain compromise, OT network access — to demonstrate the realistic business impact of a breach.
MITRE ATT&CK Technique Mapping
Every action is documented against the MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise matrix, providing a precise view of which technique categories your current detection and prevention controls address.
Executive Briefing & Board Reporting
Findings are translated into business risk language for executive and board audiences — with clear statements of what an attacker could achieve and specific investments to prevent it.
Our Approach
How It Works
Threat Actor Profiling & Scoping
We analyse threat intelligence to identify the adversary profiles most relevant to your organisation, agree engagement objectives and rules of engagement, and establish a clear success definition.
Reconnaissance & Attack Planning
Operators conduct extensive OSINT and passive reconnaissance to map the attack surface, identify high-value targets, and build an attack plan before any active interaction with target systems.
Engagement Execution
The engagement runs over 2–4 weeks, with operators pursuing defined objectives using real-world TTPs. A dedicated out-of-band communication channel keeps the sponsor team informed of progress.
Debrief, Report & Remediation Workshop
Operators debrief with the security team, delivering a technical findings report, MITRE ATT&CK heat map, and a strategic remediation workshop with prioritised investment recommendations.
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Adversary Simulation?
Our security specialists will assess your current posture, identify the highest-priority gaps, and deliver a tailored implementation plan for Adversary Simulation — with measurable outcomes from day one.