Purple Team Operations

Insider threats remain one of the most significant risks to modern organizations, often bypassing perimeter defenses and exploiting trusted access. MWGroup's Purple Team: Insider Threat Simulation is a collaborative exercise designed to diagnose and remediate critical security gaps that traditional security testing may overlook. This engagement unites MWGroup's Offensive Operators with your internal SOC and defensive teams to simulate insider threat scenarios in a controlled, measurable way.

What We Do

The simulation starts with standard user access, including valid network credentials and physical access to a workstation or virtual environment. From there, MWGroup's team executes tactics commonly used by real-world insider threats, while working transparently with your defensive staff to analyze and improve detection and response capabilities.

Objectives of the Insider Threat Simulation

During the assessment, MWGroup Offensive Operators will:

Assess pre-boot authentication to evaluate device-level security.
Establish Command and Control (C2) infrastructure to maintain covert communication channels.
Escalate privileges to gain administrative or sensitive access.
Perform lateral movement within the network, either logically or through techniques such as internal spear phishing.
Access and exfiltrate sensitive data to simulate data theft scenarios.
Analyze and adjust detection points and defensive measures in real time to improve security posture.

Assessment Activities

Typical Purple Team activities include:

Building and burning infrastructure for pre-engagement testing.
Hardware analysis and potential physical controls bypass.
Execution of covert command and control channels, including egress control and EDR evasion.
Privilege escalation and credential harvesting.
Lateral movement across network segments.
Data exfiltration testing to simulate real-world breach impacts.

Testing can be conducted on-site or remotely via secure collaboration tools such as Teams or Zoom, depending on operational requirements and the sensitivity of the environment.

Client Collaboration

MWGroup emphasizes transparency and collaboration throughout the engagement, working closely with your team to:

Provision realistic test environments (e.g., laptops, workstations, virtual desktops) that mirror production builds.
Establish test personas and user accounts to simulate insider access without disrupting business operations.
Coordinate scheduling and logistics to ensure smooth execution of on-site or remote testing.
Provide real-time feedback, helping your team identify gaps and adjust detection and response processes on the fly.

Important Notes:

• Clients are encouraged to treat detected malicious activity as a real incident to validate response playbooks and escalation processes.
• All accounts and systems used for testing must be provisioned and configured at least two weeks prior to the engagement to avoid delays.
• MWGroup can adjust scope and techniques in real time based on your environment's evolving needs and insights gathered during testing.

00 %

Of data breaches involve incidents caused by insiders (both malicious and negligent)

Source: ISACA — approximately 60% of breaches stem from insider threats

00 %

Of insider-based data breaches are tied to privilege or credential misuse by authorized users

Source: Syteca summary of Verizon / Proofpoint / Ponemon findings — 57% of breaches involve insiders

Outcomes

Upon completion, your organization will receive comprehensive insights and enhanced defensive capabilities through collaborative insider threat simulation.

A Realistic Insider Threat Profile: Understanding how a determined insider could exploit your environment
Actionable Remediation Recommendations: Clear steps to strengthen defenses, improve detection, and enhance incident response
Enhanced Defensive Collaboration: Your SOC and defensive teams gain hands-on experience detecting, analyzing, and responding to insider attack scenarios
Real-Time Improvement: Analysis and adjustment of detection points and defensive measures during the engagement
Collaborative Approach: Our operators emulate the tactics of malicious insiders: from disgruntled employees seeking to cause harm, to infiltrators deliberately hired to steal sensitive data or disrupt operations

Offensive Security

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Purple Team Operations