Cybersecurity is a field that constantly evolves to keep up with the latest threats. While traditional castle-and-moat approaches like firewalls were once enough to keep organizational systems secure, that isn’t the case today.
Firewalls and antivirus programs are still necessary, but organizations need to take a much more proactive approach to keep their data, infrastructure, and networks under lock and key.
This forward-thinking approach, called offensive security (OffSec), helps organizations think like attackers, addressing security weaknesses long before a real exploit occurs.
Unlike traditional cybersecurity, which focuses on defense, OffSec takes a proactive approach by simulating real-world attacks to uncover hidden vulnerabilities.
Offensive security is the best way to keep your systems secure, although it does require a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive security.
In this guide, you’ll learn how offensive security works and how it differs from traditional approaches. You’ll also learn about the most popular OffSec techniques, legal considerations, and practical steps for implementation.
Offensive Security is a proactive approach that focuses on identifying and exploiting your own weaknesses before malicious outside attackers can. Instead of looking at just one application or system, OffSec looks for vulnerabilities in all systems, networks, assets, and applications.
Unlike defensive security, which aims to protect and monitor systems, offensive security actively tests them through simulated attacks to uncover weak points and reinforce overall resilience.
OffSec includes many components, including:
While red teaming is the most thorough offensive security practice, all three components are a must-have to keep your organization as protected as possible.
In a world where cyber threats are becoming more sophisticated, relying solely on firewalls and antivirus software isn’t enough. OffSec practices allow organizations to preemptively discover their security gaps, understand the potential impact of a breach, and improve their defenses accordingly.
It’s a cornerstone of modern cybersecurity, especially for enterprises, government agencies, and organizations that manage sensitive data.
Offensive security didn’t emerge overnight. It evolved as cyber threats grew more sophisticated, forcing organizations to shift from purely defensive strategies to proactive, adversarial testing.
In the early days of computing, cybersecurity was largely reactive. Firewalls, antivirus software, and intrusion detection systems (IDS) formed the backbone of protection, focusing on keeping threats out rather than actively seeking weaknesses.
However, as cyber attacks became more advanced, security professionals realized that waiting for breaches to happen was no longer enough.
The concept of offensive security began taking shape in the mid-1990s with the rise of ethical hacking—security experts simulating attacks to find vulnerabilities before malicious hackers could exploit them. Early pioneers, like the “Tiger Teams” (government and military groups that tested systems by attempting to break in), laid the groundwork for modern penetration testing and red teaming.
As cyber threats grow more sophisticated, offensive security must adapt at the same pace—or faster. Traditional annual pentests are being replaced by continuous penetration testing (CPT) for real-time vulnerability management. With cloud, IoT, and AI adoption, OffSec must now cover AI models, APIs, and supply chain risks.
Attackers now weaponize AI to automate exploits, scale phishing campaigns, and evade detection. In response, defenders are adopting AI-driven threat hunting and real-time countermeasures.
Meanwhile, the rapid adoption of AI by businesses has created a new battleground: securing AI models, training data, and large language models (LLMs) from adversarial attacks. In this escalating arms race, offensive security isn’t just evolving—it’s becoming the first line of defense.
While traditional cybersecurity approaches can protect your organization, they take a fundamentally different approach to security than OffSec. Defensive-focused traditional cybersecurity emphasizes prevention, detection, and response.
Common tools include firewalls, antivirus software, IDS, and security policies to keep threats at bay. The goal is to create strong barriers, monitor for unusual activity, and react promptly when something goes wrong to minimize the potential consequences of an attack.
Traditional cybersecurity has its place in defending businesses from attacks, but it still leaves many blind spots.
OffSec’s proactive approach simulates attacks, trying to break into systems, uncover flaws, and exploit vulnerabilities before malicious attackers do. This approach allows organizations to understand how real-world attackers behave and where their defenses are weakest.
OffSec is the more holistic and advanced approach, but that doesn’t mean organizations should avoid traditional defensive strategies, either. If anything, your cybersecurity framework should be defensive and proactive to create a more complete security posture.
Offensive security isn’t just a mindset. A wide range of advanced techniques and specialized tools power this approach, allowing organizations to simulate, test, and exploit vulnerabilities in a controlled environment.
Red teaming goes beyond individual system tests to emulate full-scale attacks. This includes physical access attempts, phishing campaigns, and coordinated network intrusions to assess an organization’s detection and response.
Cobalt Strike and Caldera™ are popular red teaming tools, although attacks generated by human red teams are also helpful. Some solutions, like Mindgard, give you the benefit of automated red teaming combined with human expertise to make your systems as attack-proof as possible.
Many businesses get into OffSec by pentesting their systems, applications, and networks. Tools like Burp Suite and Metasploit help pentesters identify vulnerabilities in your defenses, although it isn’t as holistic as red teaming.
Still, this approach is simple and fast to execute, making it a good fit for organizations that are new to OffSect.
Social engineering—particularly phishing—plays a role in 70% to 90% of all successful cyber attacks, far surpassing any other initial method used by hackers. Pentesting can reveal technical issues like misconfigurations, but a single misguided click by an employee can still compromise your security posture.
That’s why OffSec focuses heavily on social engineering tests, which simulate phishing attacks, impersonation, and much more. Tools like Gophish help OffSec pros execute this technique, which highlights gaps in awareness and response.
Whether developed internally or externally, all web applications are a risk vector for cyber attacks. Tools like Burp Suite and Acunetix speed up this process by automatically scanning for SQL injections, cross-site scripting, and many other widespread vulnerabilities.
The upside to this approach is that you can run these scans as often as necessary, helping you stay on top of the latest threats.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of businesses use AI in at least one business function—an increase from 72% in 2024 and 55% in 2023. However, attacks against AI and LLMs have proliferated along with their use.
Tools like Mindgard expose AI-specific vulnerabilities, model misalignments, and adversarial prompts, providing forward-thinking security teams with the tools they need to protect AI systems.
Offensive security isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; its implementation varies across industries based on unique threats, regulatory demands, and attack surfaces. Let’s explore how finance, healthcare, government, and critical infrastructure leverage OffSec to stay ahead of adversaries.
In the finance sector, offensive security is essential for combating high-stakes threats such as payment fraud, API-based attacks on mobile banking apps, insider manipulation, and increasingly sophisticated AI-driven phishing schemes like deepfake voice scams and CEO impersonation.
Offensive security techniques like red teaming simulate coordinated, heist-style attacks to stress-test both physical and digital defenses. Penetration testing uncovers vulnerabilities in trading platforms and fintech like blockchain, while social engineering exercises expose vulnerabilities in the human element—the most unpredictable link in the security chain.
Compliance mandates like PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard), SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act), and GLBA (Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act) further underscore the sector’s reliance on proactive security testing.
Healthcare organizations face unique threats with potentially life-or-death consequences. Ransomware can cripple hospitals and restrict access to patient records, while compromised IoT medical devices, such as pacemakers or insulin pumps, pose direct physical risks.
Offensive security in healthcare involves testing medical device security, conducting HIPAA risk assessments to find access control or encryption gaps, and running phishing simulations to train staff to recognize potential threats.
Regulations and standards such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996), HITRUST CSF (Common Security Framework), and the FDA’s pre-market cybersecurity guidelines for medical devices make offensive security not just strategic, but essential.
Government agencies and defense organizations are prime targets for state-sponsored APTs (advanced persistent threats), supply chain attacks, and AI-powered disinformation campaigns.
To counter these, offensive security includes adversarial emulation that mimics nation-state tactics (mapped to frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK), zero-trust architecture testing, and deep vulnerability research on election systems, satellites, and industrial control systems.
Compliance is rigorous, with standards like NIST SP 800-115, the DoD’s (Department of Defense) CMMC framework, and FISMA (Federal Information Security Modernization Act) mandating continuous monitoring and robust testing of federal systems.
Critical infrastructure operators, such as those managing power grids, water systems, and pipelines, face threats from OT/ICS (Operational Technology / Industrial Control Systems)-targeted malware, ransomware (as seen in the Colonial Pipeline incident), and GPS spoofing that can disrupt aviation and supply chains.
Offensive security in this domain includes specialized ICS/SCADA (Industrial Control Systems / Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) pentesting, physical security tests using drones, and AI-driven tools for detecting sabotage in real time. Regulatory frameworks such as NERC CIP (North American Electric Reliability Corporation Critical Infrastructure Protection), ISA/IEC (International Society of Automation / International Electrotechnical Commission) 62443, and the EU’s NIS2 Directive require stringent testing and reporting protocols to ensure resilience.
OffSec requires thinking and acting like an attacker. In any other context, some of these actions would be illegal. Fortunately, OffSec is legal as long as you conduct it with proper authorization and within the boundaries of the law.
A great example of this is bug bounty programs, where companies invite ethical hackers to actively test their systems in exchange for rewards.
However, it’s possible to misuse OffSec tools. Exploiting systems without proper authorization, altering data, or exceeding the agreed-upon scope of an exercise crosses ethical lines—and may even violate the law.
OffSec professionals must always operate with transparency, proper documentation, and client permission. Without those guardrails, offensive security is indistinguishable from cybercrime.
Offensive security is a must-have for any organization. Whether you’re a startup or a Fortune 500 company, follow these best practices to welcome offensive security into your existing cybersecurity framework.
Hiring internal resources can be incredibly beneficial, but it isn’t an option for all businesses. If you don’t have internal IT or cybersecurity resources, consider working with an outside vendor.
Not only do providers like Mindgard give your business instant access to specialized tools and expertise, but they also offer insight into best practices tailored to your industry, business model, and customers.
Vulnerability assessments and scans help organizations stay on top of known threats, but they aren’t enough. Ensure your internal or external cybersecurity team regularly conducts pentesting and red teaming.
Schedule third-party or in-house penetration tests at least annually (or after major updates) to identify and remediate system vulnerabilities before attackers find them. Red team exercises are also helpful for simulating real-world attack scenarios to assess your detection, response, and recovery capabilities.
Human error remains one of the biggest risk factors in cybersecurity. Since most cyber attacks result from human error, you need to invest in regularly training your team on security best practices.
Never assume security is common sense—ensure your team receives regular training. That might mean scheduling twice-annual training sessions or conducting simulated social engineering drills, like phishing tests, to assess your team’s level of awareness.
Many organizations struggle to create a comprehensive approach to security. Fortunately, there are many existing models available for you to follow.
For example, the MITRE ATT&CK framework helps you focus on the TTPs most relevant to your industry and risk profile, helping you conduct more realistic tests.
Offensive security methods like red teaming are excellent for spotting vulnerabilities, but all OffSec campaigns need guardrails. When working with OffSec professionals or vendors, define the scope, goals, and communication protocols to ensure safe, legal, and effective testing.
Offensive security is the new frontier of cybersecurity, but implementing it isn’t always simple. Instead of allowing these barriers to get in the way of implementation, devise a plan to overcome them and unlock the full potential of OffSec.
OffSec requires an investment from the business, but many organizations struggle to justify the cost of a new initiative. While this is a challenge for businesses of all sizes, it’s important to weigh the true cost of overlooking OffSec versus investing in it.
In most cases, it’s far more expensive to pay for data breaches and regulatory fines than it is to use OffSec.
Aside from calculating the return on investment (ROI), organizations can also get started with OffSec by using small, scalable tools like vulnerability scanners or one-time penetration tests. Starting small allows your organization to see quick wins for little upfront investment, helping you justify further investments in OffSec.
Teams may view OffSec as disruptive, risky, or unnecessary, especially if they don’t understand its purpose. This fear can seem well-founded, but in reality, it keeps your organization from fully understanding its risk profile.
Educate stakeholders on the value of proactive testing, using real-world case studies or compliance requirements as examples. Establish clear rules of engagement and involve IT and security teams early to build trust and alignment.
Implementing offensive security can be challenging if you don’t have internal IT or cybersecurity experts. While having these team members can save time and improve your security posture, outsourced OffSec is just as effective and doesn’t come with the expense of employee benefits.
Outsource to vetted OffSec providers, or invest in upskilling internal staff through offensive security certifications like OffSec Certified Professional (OSCP+), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEHAI), or GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN). Encourage a collaborative “purple team” model that brings red (OffSec) and blue (defensive) teams together.
Threats don’t sleep, and neither should your cybersecurity infrastructure. Offensive security empowers organizations to take a proactive stance, uncovering vulnerabilities before bad actors can exploit them.
By integrating these strategies into your cybersecurity framework, you can build stronger defenses and a more agile, informed, and resilient organization.
Your business doesn’t need to hire and train internal experts to conduct OffSec. Trust Mindgard to stay one step ahead of threats to your AI model.
Explore how Mindgard’s Offensive Security solution can help you uncover hidden vulnerabilities in your AI models and infrastructure before attackers do: Book your Mindgard demo now.
At a minimum, organizations should perform offensive security assessments annually. However, more frequent testing is recommended after major infrastructure changes, new software releases, mergers, or in highly regulated industries.
White hat hackers are ethical professionals who conduct authorized security testing. Black hat hackers engage in illegal hacking for personal or financial gain.
Gray hat hackers operate in the middle by testing systems without permission, but not always with malicious intent.
Absolutely. Offensive security assessments like pentests are often required for compliance with frameworks like PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, and ISO 27001, helping organizations demonstrate due diligence and risk management.
