Red Team: How to Succeed By Thinking Like the Enemy

"An international security expert shows how competitive organizations can get-and stay-ahead by thinking like their adversaries"
"In Red Team, security expert Micah Zenko provides an in-depth investigation into the work of red teams, revealing the best practices, most common pitfalls, and most effective strategies of these modern-day Devil's Advocates. He shows how competitive organizations, from private corporations to whole governments, can and should mitigate risk by red teaming. A growing number of institutions are already using this approach, Zenko shows, but he argues that the potential of red teaming far exceeds its currentapplications. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and his own training at the U.S. Army's Red Team University (which he was the first civilian to attend), Zenko traces the history of red teaming, describes its current uses, and explores its vast potential in today's interconnected, multipolar world. The basic techniques of red teaming remain the same whether applied to the CIA, IBM, or the NFL, and executed correctly they can yield impressive results: red teams have given businesses an edge over their competition, confirmed vital CIA intelligence, and troubleshot dangerous military missions long before there were boots on the ground. But red teams are only as good as the leaders who commission them, and Zenko shows not only how to create an empowered red team, but also what to do with its advice. Essential reading for policy wonks and business leaders alike, Red Team will revolutionize the way organizations think about, exploit, compensate for, and correct their institutional strengths and weaknesses. Through illuminating case studies and never-before-told stories, Zenko shows how any group--from army units to credit card companies to sports teams--can win by thinking like the enemy"
A national security expert provides an in-depth investigation into the work of red teams to reveal best practices, common pitfalls and effective modern applications in areas ranging from intelligence and police organizations to pharmaceutical and military establishments. 15,000 first printing.
Red teaming. It is a practice as old as the Devil’s Advocate, the eleventh-century Vatican official charged with discrediting candidates for sainthood. Today, red teamscomprised primarily of fearless skeptics and those assuming the role of saboteurs who seek to better understand the interests, intentions, and capabilities of institutions or potential competitorsare used widely in both the public and private sector. Red teaming, including simulations, vulnerability probes, and alternative analyses, helps institutions in competitive environments to identify vulnerabilities and weaknesses, challenge assumptions, and anticipate potential threats ahead of the next special operations raid, malicious cyberattack, or corporate merger. But not all red teams are created equal; indeed, some cause more damage than they prevent.In Red Team, national security expert Micah Zenko provides an in-depth investigation into the work of red teams, revealing the best practices, most common pitfalls, and most effective applications of these modern-day Devil’s Advocates. The best practices of red teaming can be applied to the CIA, NYPD, or a pharmaceutical company, and executed correctly they can yield impressive results: red teams give businesses an edge over their competition, poke holes in vital intelligence estimates, and troubleshoot dangerous military missions long before boots are on the ground. But red teams are only as good as leaders allow them to be, and Zenko shows not only how to create and empower red teams, but also what to do with the information they produce.Essential reading for business leaders and policymakers alike, Red Team will revolutionize the way organizations think about, exploit, compensate for, and correct their institutional strengths and weaknesses. Drawing on little-known case studies and unprecedented access to elite red teamers in the United States and abroad, Zenko shows how any groupfrom military units to friendly hackerscan win by thinking like the enemy.