Why the distinction matters
“We need a red team” and “We need a penetration test” get thrown around interchangeably. But they describe very different kinds of work. Choosing the wrong one can waste budget, confuse stakeholders, and leave real gaps untouched.
This guide is meant to help security leaders, IT directors, and CTOs explain the difference in plain language—and pick the right option for where you are today.
What is a penetration test?
A penetration test is a focused, time-boxed assessment of systems, applications, or networks. The primary goal is to identify and validate vulnerabilities, then provide clear guidance on how to fix them.
- Scope: clearly defined (apps, IP ranges, APIs, cloud accounts).
- Objective: find exploitable weaknesses and demonstrate impact.
- Style: often collaborative; testers talk openly with your team.
- Outputs: list of findings, risk ratings, and remediation steps.
- Best for: improving technical security posture and hygiene.
What is a red team engagement?
A red team engagement is an adversary emulation exercise. Instead of asking “what vulnerabilities exist?”, it asks “how would a real attacker try to achieve their goals against us, and how would we detect/respond?”.
- Scope: broader and objective-based (“obtain X data”, “persist in Y environment”).
- Objective: test people, processes, and technology together.
- Style: typically stealthier; only a small group is aware.
- Outputs: narratives of attack paths, detection gaps, and response performance.
- Best for: mature programs that want to validate detection and response.
Key differences at a glance
| Dimension | Penetration Test | Red Team Engagement |
|---|---|---|
| Primary goal | Find and validate vulnerabilities in a defined scope. | Test end-to-end ability to detect and respond to realistic attacks. |
| Scope | Specific systems, apps, networks, or environments. | Objective-based, often spanning multiple systems and paths. |
| Stealth | Usually lower; collaboration is common. | Usually higher; limited awareness to mimic real adversaries. |
| Duration | Typically 1–4 weeks. | Often 4–12+ weeks. |
| Outputs | Findings, proofs-of-concept, remediation guidance. | Attack narratives, detection/response evaluation, improvement plan. |
| Prerequisites | Basic logging, asset ownership, and remediation capacity. | Established SOC/monitoring and incident response process. |
You probably want a penetration test if…
- You have new or significantly changed systems (apps, APIs, infra, cloud).
- You need to reduce known technical risk and get a prioritized list of fixes.
- Your logging and detection are still maturing.
- Engineering capacity is limited, so you need clear, focused findings.
- You’re working toward compliance requirements that call for technical testing.
You might be ready for a red team if…
- You already run penetration tests on a regular basis.
- You have a SOC or active monitoring team.
- You want to understand detection gaps, response time, and playbook quality.
- You’re asking questions like “Could someone quietly persist in our environment for months?”
- Leadership is ready to act on narrative, scenario-based outcomes—not just a list of CVEs.
The middle ground: purple-team exercises
There’s also a third option: purple-team exercises, where offensive and defensive teams work together in near real-time.
- Red-team style techniques, but openly coordinated with defenders.
- Each technique is paired with “Did we see this? If not, how do we detect it next time?”
- Great for quickly improving detections and building shared understanding.
For many organizations, a structured purple-team series is a better first step than a fully stealth red team.
How to explain the choice to leadership
Keep it outcome-focused. Examples:
- If we choose a penetration test: “We’ll get a prioritized list of weaknesses in <scope>, understand their impact, and have clear fixes for engineering.”
- If we choose a red team: “We’ll learn how a realistic attacker would try to achieve specific goals, and how well our people, processes, and tools respond.”
Both are useful. The “right” one is the one that aligns with your maturity, your capacity to act on the results, and the decisions you need to make in the next 6–12 months.
Written by:
Chris Coppock — Founder, Red Raven Solutions