Pro Tip: Be Blue

Alternative analysis is a hot industry trend for operations and training. Often referred to as Red Teaming, this practice pits authorized operators against each other on opposite sides. Red breaks and Blue defends.

It is in vogue to be a breaker — or on the red team. And to be clear, we love them. But the industry needs more people to build — not only to break. It is true that in order to build securely, you need the knowledge of how systems get broken into. However, there is often too much emphasis on breaking.

Capture the Flag (CTF) games test players in their ability to find vulnerabilities, exploit them, and break systems. In this player vs. game environment, the goal is to hack. And while we will build events that focus on hacking, hold CTFs, and promote the red team; we will also focus on player vs. player games, focus on building securely, and be blue.

Would you like to play a game?

In short order, we will be announcing our own CTF that will allow teams from around Colorado to play each other. Teams will have to build while they break and ensure their defensive security while engaging in offensive practices as well. Stay tuned for more on that.

Moving on: the reality is that CTFs are just games. But they teach important technical lessons, which is why we believe in them. However, the job market isn’t seeking gamers for the sake of gaming. They are seeking operators with real skills they need to secure their networks and data. While it’s cool to break — we will focus at least as much of our efforts on building. By teaching alternative analysis, offensive security techniques, proper DevOps, a host of educational content, and providing students with opportunities to test their metal — they get to be blue but lean red.

@Alex_Kreilein

Originally published at blog.secureset.com.