NOTE
Key technical skills of a purple team member:
- Penetration testing
- Red teaming techniques, tactics, and procedures
- Incident response
- Vulnerability assessment
- Investigation and root cause analysis
- Programming/scripting
- Networking
- Operation systems
- Data analysis
NOTE
The Soft Skills Required
Aside from technical skills, a purple team member must possess certain soft skills to facilitate collaboration between the red and blue teams.
Soft skills are interpersonal skills that allow you to interact effectively with others and navigate the modern workplace. These skills are not cyber security related but are essential for success in any profession. They include skills such as teamwork, communication, and leadership.
You must master these skills if you want to become a member of the purple team, as it is vital that you can coordinate and organize the collaboration of different teams. This requires you to be a capable communicator, strong team player, and efficient problem solver.
Key soft skills of a purple team member:
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Leadership
- Conflict resolution
What Is a Cyber Security Purple Team? (stationx.net)
Popular purple team credentials and certifications:
- GIAC Defending Advanced Threats (GDAT)
- Certified Purple Team Analyst (CPTA)
- Offensive Security Certified Practioner (OSCP)
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- Certified Incident Hdandler (GCIH)
- CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
- CompTIA Security+
A purple team combines elements of the red and blue team to improve the cyber security posture of an organization using collaboration and information sharing. They perform joint purple team exercises that use the red team’s attack techniques to reveal vulnerabilities and the blue team’s defensive countermeasures to mitigate security gaps. This approach optimizes an organization’s security investments by efficient and continuous improvement.
To become a purple team member, you need skills that transcend the red and blue sides. From penetration testing to incident response, you must have a wide range of technical knowledge and soft skills to coordinate effective collaboration and teamwork. You saw various industry certifications that will help land you are role on a purple team, but a good place to start is with entry-level certifications on both sides.
NOTE
FAQ What is an example of a purple team activity?
An example of a purple team exercise would be a mock ransomware scenario. This scenario would progress in six steps:
The purple team would work collaboratively to develop a ransomware scenario that mimics a real-world attack.
The team would plan and coordinate with everyone involved to establish communication channels, define the scope of the exercise, and set any rules of engagement.
The red team would execute the ransomware scenario and emulate any real-world TTPs a specific ransomware group may employ during an attack.
The purple team would coordinate with the blue team to record the detection and response activities performed in relation to the attack.
The purple team would then facilitate the collaboration between the teams, where each team will share information, insights, and observations concerning the attack.
Finally, the purple team will analyze the results of the exercise and write a report that includes lessons learned, vulnerabilities exposed, and specific recommendations to address any areas for improvement.
NOTE
FAQ What is an example of a purple team activity?
An example of a purple team exercise would be a mock ransomware scenario. This scenario would progress in six steps:
The purple team would work collaboratively to develop a ransomware scenario that mimics a real-world attack.
The team would plan and coordinate with everyone involved to establish communication channels, define the scope of the exercise, and set any rules of engagement.
The red team would execute the ransomware scenario and emulate any real-world TTPs a specific ransomware group may employ during an attack.
The purple team would coordinate with the blue team to record the detection and response activities performed in relation to the attack.
The purple team would then facilitate the collaboration between the teams, where each team will share information, insights, and observations concerning the attack.
Finally, the purple team will analyze the results of the exercise and write a report that includes lessons learned, vulnerabilities exposed, and specific recommendations to address any areas for improvement.