Cyber Attack Simulation

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A Cyber Attack Simulation recreates realistic, end-to-end attack scenarios to test whether your people, processes, and security tools actually detect and respond to an attacker who is already inside.

Also called an attacker simulation or adversary simulation.

Realistic attack scenarios and typical attack paths are recreated to validate how well your organization can detect and respond to real-world attacks. A penetration test finds vulnerabilities in systems. A cyber attack simulation tests whether your people, processes, and tools actually catch an attacker who is already inside.

Red Team vs Purple Team

Two approaches are available:

Red Team (blue team unaware): The security or IT team does not know a simulation is running. This gives the most realistic picture of your detection and response capabilities.
Purple Team (cooperative): The security team works alongside the attacker. This is more educational, great for training, building detection rules, and rapidly improving defenses.

Which approach fits your situation is discussed in the kick-off meeting.

Typical Scenarios

Specific scenarios are agreed in the kick-off. Common examples include:

Phishing simulation, targeted or mass phishing campaign to test staff recognition and reporting processes
Social engineering, phone-based or in-person pretexting
Malware infection, simulated malware deployed on an endpoint, testing EDR response and alert handling
Ransomware attack simulation, recreating the early stages of a ransomware attack (initial access, spreading, access to backups), without encrypting any real data of course
Business Email Compromise (BEC), impersonation of executives or suppliers
Credential theft and reuse, testing whether stolen credentials trigger alerts
Living-off-the-land techniques, using built-in system tools to avoid detection
Lateral movement, testing whether an attacker can move from one compromised system to others

Deliverables

Unlike a standard pentest, the output of a Cyber Attack Simulation focuses on process insights alongside technical findings:

What allowed the attack to succeed (or what stopped it)?
Are alerts being monitored? How quickly did the team respond?
Did anyone report the phishing email, or did someone submit the malware to VirusTotal, tipping off the attacker?
Which detection gaps need to be addressed?

Every engagement includes a written report, management summary, and live debriefing.

See example reports for what a VidraSec report looks like.

Typical Duration

3 days (phishing-only exercise) to 3+ weeks (full multi-vector simulation). Scope-dependent.

Typical Price

from 5,600 € (for a phishing simulation)

This type of project must be very precisely tailored to your needs, the final price depends on the scope and required effort and is calculated individually.

Compliance

Relevant for NIS2 Article 21, organizations are required to have incident detection and response capabilities. A cyber attack simulation directly tests whether those capabilities work.

Frequently asked questions

What is an attacker simulation?

An attacker simulation (also called an adversary simulation or cyber attack simulation) recreates the actions of a real attacker, such as phishing, social engineering, or credential theft, to test whether your team, processes, and security tools detect and stop an attack.

What is the difference between a penetration test and a cyber attack simulation?

A penetration test finds vulnerabilities in systems. A cyber attack simulation tests whether your team and tooling catch an attacker who is already inside, including alerting, monitoring, and incident response. The two answer different questions and complement each other.

What is the difference between a red team and a purple team engagement?

In a red team engagement the defenders do not know a simulation is running, which gives the most realistic measure of detection and response. In a purple team engagement the security team works alongside the attacker, which is more educational and ideal for building detection rules quickly.

How long does a cyber attack simulation take?

From around 3 days for a phishing-only exercise to 3 weeks or more for a full multi-vector simulation, depending on the agreed scope.

How much does a cyber attack simulation cost?

From 5,600 euros for a phishing simulation. Larger multi-vector engagements are scoped and priced individually because they must be tailored precisely to your environment.