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Purple Teamer

In this fairly recent job position, you have a keen understanding of both how cybersecurity defenses (“Blue Team”) work and how adversaries operate (“Red Team”). During your day-today activities, you will organize and automate emulation of adversary techniques, highlight possible new log sources and use cases that help increase the detection coverage of the SOC, and propose security controls to improve resilience against the techniques. You will also work to help coordinate effective communication between traditional defensive and offensive roles.

Jump to:

Bridge offensive and defensive cybersecurity strategies by automating threat emulation, refining detection methods, and enhancing communication between security teams for proactive defense.

What You'll Do

Emulate Adversary Techniques

Simulate adversary behaviors to test and enhance detection capabilities across security operations.

Automate Security Processes

Develop and implement automated solutions to streamline security testing and incident response.

Coordinate Team Collaboration

Facilitate collaboration between offensive and defensive cybersecurity teams to strengthen overall security posture.

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Vulnerability Researcher & Exploit Developer

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In this role, you will work to find 0-days (unknown vulnerabilities) in a wide range of applications and devices used by organizations and consumers. Find vulnerabilities before the adversaries!

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Application Pen Tester

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Application penetration testers probe the security integrity of a company’s applications and defenses by evaluating the attack surface of all in-scope vulnerable web-based services, clientside applications, servers-side processes, and more. Mimicking a malicious attacker, app pen testers work to bypass security barriers in order to gain access to sensitive information or enter a company’s internal systems through techniques such as pivoting or lateral movement.

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Red Teamer

Offensive Operations

In this role you will be challenged to look at problems and situations from the perspective of an adversary. The focus is on making the Blue Team better by testing and measuring the organization’s detection and response policies, procedures, and technologies. This role includes performing adversary emulation, a type of Red Team exercise where the Red Team emulates how an adversary operates, following the same tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), with a specific objective similar to those of realistic threats or adversaries. It can also include creating custom implants and C2 frameworks to evade detection.

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Need more guidance about cyber roles?

There are numerous different roles in cybersecurity and where you fit depends on your interest level. SANS New to Cyber offers courses, certifications, and free resources for anyone interested in getting started in cybersecurity.

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