Red vs. Blue Cybersecurity Gamification
Cybersecurity Training & Education...
For Everyone
Many traditional cybersecurity training and education methods are outdated and largely ineffective (including eLearning). Even cyber ranges have scalability limitations, in addition to configuration and maintenance headaches. Hands-on labs are based on technical skills, and "CTF" events are also almost always more technical, which often intimidates beginners or those that are less technical in general. How do you increase the value of your courses, training, and events, for a broader, even less technical audience? If you are a student, how do you get the most out of your training? ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue cybersecurity gamification solves these issues, with the most engaging and interactive cybersecurity gamification available on the market! We have a solution for you...
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Cybersecurity Gamification
Take Your Training, Courses, and Events to the Next Level
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue is a revolutionary new cybersecurity gaming platform that provides interactive simulations, where students can learn and practice cybersecurity concepts and strategies, through practical application, against an adversary actively working against them, just as it would be in the real-world. It even takes the technical learning curve out of learning cybersecurity, including red team ("hacker") methods and strategies.
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue is not a "solve the challenge" style “capture the flag (CTF)". Instead, this is what we consider to be, a true capture the flag. It's an interactive, attack and defend, red team vs. blue team cybersecurity simulation, enabled and enhanced by all the advantages of also being a computer game. Created by world-renowned cybersecurity professionals, and authors the of Hacking Exposed: Industrial Control Systems, Clint Bodungen and Aaron Shbeeb, ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue takes cybersecurity gamification, training, and events to the next level by using cutting-edge computer gaming technology and decades of real-world experience to create realistic, immersive, and interactive cybersecurity simulations, for students and participants of all levels of skill and experience.
The Cybersecurity Gamification Difference
There a several options on the market that focus on technical training. But... how do you teach, learn, and practice the practical application of concepts like cybersecurity strategy and risk management. The answer is: In an interactive simulation that is based on real-world cybersecurity concepts and mechanics, and provides immediate feedback on your decisions, actions, and strategies. It also has to be simple enough so that anyone can participate and learn without any prior experience or technical skills. ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue teaches and exercises those cybersecurity strategic and management level skills that have been nearly impossible to do so through traditional forms of training, through practical application with the power of gamification.
Cybersecurity labs and CTFs are often geared more towards technical skills, and they are usually set in an isolated environment without an adversary actively working against the student or player. Learning red team ("hacker") methods and strategies, or participating as the red team in red team vs. blue team in training and events, is often intimidating for beginners or those that are less technical.
With ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue, students of all skill levels can participate as the blue team or the red team, to attack, defend, and control computer networks, without a technical learning curve! With no prior experience or skills required, players learn, practice, and measure their strategies against an opponent, actively working against them (solo against the computer AI or against other students in head-to-head matches).
The simulations and "game play" are simple enough for beginners, yet still challenging enough for seasoned cybersecurity veterans. This is because ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue is a turn-based strategy game. All of the realism of real-world cybersecurity concepts, methods, and strategies remain, but actions are played through a point-and-click interface. Cybersecurity beginners will learn and rienforce real-world cybersecurity concepts, while experienced players and professionals get to put their knowledge and experience to the test in a strategic format!
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Gamification differentiators from other training solutions on the market today include:
- Modern approach to learning – interactive, immersive, cost-effective, easily accessible (including cloud delivery)
- Broad audience – beginner, intermediate, and advanced
- Interactive – player vs. player, adversarial simulation, playing against active opponents, either computer A.I. or real-life players in internet or local hot seat multiplayer modes (a true "capture the flag")
- Play as the red team or blue team
- Based on real-world experience from cybersecurity and OT security professionals
- Learn the “hacker” methods, techniques, and strategies - No Prior technical skills required
- “In-game” real-world cybersecurity advice and hints
- Allows you to learn, exercise, and test practical application of strategic and management level skills
What does our flexible solution look like?
The ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue gamification has 4 different editions (also, see our FAQ for details:
- Game Edition - for game players. Purchase, download and install through the STEAM gaming platform.
- Professional Edition - developed with the professional and education (high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions) audiences in mind; this has multiple install and delivery options, including cloud delivery.
- Enterprise Edition - Professional Edition with customized experiences including custom network maps, learning objectives, action tree(s), and more.
- CTF Edition - This is straight up, head-to-head, attack and defend cyber-warfare. A true traditional capture the flag. And the best part is, anyone can play, beginners and professionals, technical and non-technical alike!
| Feature | Description |
| Single Player | Play alone, as red or blue, against the computer A.I. |
| Internet Multiplayer | Play against another person, as red or blue, via the internet |
| Tutorial* | Walks the player through the basic functions of the game |
| Multiple Network Maps | Players can choose which blue team map they want to use, or have one randomly chosen |
| Non-Steam Delivery | Delivery through web browser or standalone application installer |
| Supports Multi Seat Licensing | Multiple seats can be purchased under a single license |
| In-Game Teaching |
Advice is given throughout the game to help players |
| Scenarios | Preset game conditions, settings, and objectives offering players new challenges |
| Challenges* | Similar to scenarios but smaller in scope usually meant to test a single concept |
| Maps to Certification Learning Objectives* | Learning objectives mapped to popular certifications such as CISSP and GICSP |
| Custom Network Maps | Maps created to look like the customers network |
| Custom Learning Objective Mapping* | Learning objectives mapped to a specific curriculum |
| Custom Actions Tree | Custom actions created based on customer’s needs |
| Student/Player Analytics | Track performance metrics for each game for a variety of categories for both blue team and read team |
| Incident Response Table Top Module | Perform incident response table top exercises customized to your environment |
*Coming Soon
Education & Training Providers
Increase the Value of Your Courses
with ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Cybersecurity Gamification
Our goal is to increase the value of your courses and make them better! The ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue gamification platform is perfectly suited for illustrating and reinforcing the cybersecurity concepts taught in your courses, from beginner to advanced. Students will gain a broader understanding through practical application, rather than through quizzes and exams alone, and are able to measure their learning progress through immediate feedback. Providing this benefit for more strategic level concepts is especially important, and where the ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue value really shines through. Traditional training methods do not provide a way for students to measure how well they've created a cybersecurity program, their understanding of how and when cybersecurity controls should be deployed, or how effective their strategies are. ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue provides this capability and allows you to track and measure their progress through analytics. (Customization is available.)
Individuals & Organizations
Maximize Your Training with Cybersecurity Gamification
There are a variety of cybersecurity courses on the market. Unfortunately, outside of exams and real-world experience, there has been no real way to practice and measure cybersecurity concepts and strategic level skills. Until now.
From company classes and workshops to personal skills development, ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue allows students to "see the big picture" and gain a better understanding of cybersecurity concepts and how everything works together. Students of all levels can practice building cybersecurity programs and develop effective defensive strategies, and see how they measure up against an active adversary. ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue gamification even makes learning and understanding red team ("hacker") methods and strategies easy for students of all levels, with no prior experience or skills required. (Customization is available for organizations.)
Training Performance Analytics
Maximize Training and Evaluate Performance with Student Analytics
In order to maximize training efficiency and effectiveness, you need to be able to track student performance. When you combine the power of gamification with performance tracking and analytics, you have an unparalleled tool like never before, which will help maximize your cybersecurity training and even your overall cybersecurity program! It is often said that the weakest link in any cybersecurity program is the "human factor". By analyzing and identifying the specific areas where your employees and cybersecurity staff are weakest (not by using multiple choice tests but actual applied application, enabled by gamification), you are able to pinpoint the exact areas where you need to focus your cybersecurity training!
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue is the first ever cybersecurity training platform to combine gamification, red team vs. blue team mechanics (active adversary simulation), and performance tracking and analytics, creating the most effective and modernized cybersecurity training method available today.
ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Resources
What is Red vs. Blue Training?
Security aware and knowledgeable users serve as the “front line” of your overall security posture. As such, training is one of the most essential components of your risk mitigation strategy and overall cybersecurity program. However, without learning cybersecurity from the “hacker’s” perspective and gaining a true understanding of how adversaries attack and compromise OT environments and assets, you’re only getting half of the picture. Without that other half, you’re essentially blindly deploying generic security controls and “best practices”.
Layered defense is a great concept, but few organizations have the resources to deploy every layer effectively, and in most case, it still ends up being a waste of resources.
In order to have an efficient and cost-effective risk mitigation strategy, you must understand not only where your vulnerabilities are, but also the tactics that attackers will use to exploit these vulnerabilities. Red vs. Blue Training provides the opportunity to learn these adversarial tactics in conjunction with the defensive methods.
Then, students get to apply the skills they learn as they face off in a head-to-head competition, Blue Team (the defenders) against Red Team (the attackers) - no prior technical skills required! The aspect of competition against a live adversary also helps student realize that cybersecurity is not "set it and forget it." Instead, it provides them the opportunity to develop, and adjust, risk mitigation strategies as an opponent actively counters and modifies their tactics and strategies, in real-time.
Our World-Renowned Experts Come Out of the trenches to Deliver ThreatGEN® Red Vs. Blue…
by Clint Bodungen & Aaron Shbeeb