The Cybersecurity Color Wheel: Red, Blue, Purple, and Where Pentesting Fits
Red, Blue, Purple teams serve different purposes in cybersecurity strategy. Learn the key distinctions and discover where penetration testing fits in your defense framework.
In the cybersecurity industry, we borrow heavily from military terminology. One of the most common concepts is the use of "colors" to denote different teams and their specific roles in an organization's defense strategy.
While most people know "Red" vs. "Blue," the spectrum has evolved. Understanding these distinctions is critical because Penetration Testing is often confused with Red Teaming, yet they serve very different purposes.
Here is a breakdown of the teams and where penetration testing fits into the puzzle.
The Blue Team (The Defenders)
The Blue Team is the internal security staff responsible for defending the organization's assets. They are the shield.
Who they are: Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts, Incident Responders, and Security Engineers.
Their Goal: To detect, block, and respond to attacks in real-time. They configure firewalls, monitor SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) dashboards, and patch vulnerabilities.
The Challenge: The "Defender's Dilemma"—they have to be right 100% of the time, while an attacker only needs to be right once.
The Red Team (The Attackers)
The Red Team represents the adversary. They are the offensive security experts hired to simulate a real-world attack.
Who they are: Ethical hackers, penetration testers, and social engineers.
Their Goal: To break in. They challenge the Blue Team's assumptions by testing if the defenses actually work.
Crucial Distinction: Penetration Testing vs. Red Teaming
While both fall under the "Red" umbrella, they are different products:
Penetration Testing: This is a Vulnerability Assessment. The goal is to find as many bugs as possible in a specific application or network within a set time. It is broad and comprehensive.
Red Teaming: This is a Simulation. The goal is to achieve a specific objective (e.g., "Steal the CEO's emails" or "Deploy ransomware"). The Red Team moves slowly and quietly to avoid detection by the Blue Team. They don't report every bug; they just find one way in and exploit it.
"Purple Teaming" is not necessarily a permanent standalone team; it is a methodology.10 It happens when Red and Blue stop fighting and start talking.
The Concept: Instead of a blind test where the Blue Team doesn't know the Red Team is attacking, they work together in real-time.11
The Workflow: The Red Team says, "I am about to launch a phishing attack." The Blue Team checks their logs and says, "I didn't see that. Let me tune my alerts." Then the Red Team fires again to verify the fix.
Value: This provides the fastest feedback loop for improving detection capabilities.
The Extended Palette
As the industry matures, other colors have emerged to describe specific roles:
The Yellow Team (The Builders)
Who they are: Software Developers and System Architects.
Role: They build the software and infrastructure. Traditionally, they were seen as separate from security, but with "DevSecOps," the Yellow Team is now responsible for writing secure code from the start.
The White Team (The Referees)
Who they are: Compliance managers, GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance) staff, or Project Managers.
Role: They set the rules of engagement (ROE), manage the scope, and oversee the exercise to ensure the Red Team doesn't accidentally break production systems or violate the law.
Summary: Which Service Do You Need?
Team/Activity
Focus
Primary Goal
Best For
Blue Team
Defense
Protection & Response
Daily Operations
Penetration Test
Offense (Broad)
Find vulnerabilities
Compliance & App Security
Red Team
Offense (Stealth)
Test detection capabilities
Mature Security Orgs
Purple Team
Collaboration
Tune specific alerts
Improving SOC Efficiency
Where does Penetration Testing fit?
Penetration Testing is the foundational offensive activity. You generally do not hire a "Red Team" until you have done regular Penetration Testing to fix the obvious holes. You cannot test your Blue Team's ability to catch a stealthy ninja if your front door is wide open.
Need Expert Penetration Testing?
For organizations seeking comprehensive security testing, we've partnered with leading offensive security specialists who combine deep technical expertise with an attacker-led mindset. They focus on uncovering business-critical vulnerabilities specific to your unique architecture and workflows.
Our pentesting partners focus on:
Targeted attack scenarios: Business-critical simulations that focus on your most valuable assets and attack surfaces, thinking like real attackers.
Regulatory compliance: Specialized assessments for PCI DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and other industry-specific requirements.
