ThreatGEN Red vs. Blue OT/ICS Cybersecurity Gamification Training

Red vs. Blue Gamification & Training

Cybersecurity Training... Modernized

It’s no secret – there is a worldwide skills gap when it comes to cybersecurity, especially in operational technology (OT) security! Whether it’s protecting your company’s network, process control systems, or personally exploring a new career path, accessing the right skills, knowledge, and training is key to bridging that skills gap! ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue gamification helps answer these skills gap questions:

WHERE can you find quality ICS/OT cybersecurity training that is affordable and accessible?
WHAT experts can help you get your head around your ICS/OT cybersecurity situation, point you in the right direction, and just give me some advice?
WHEN can you afford the current training solutions in the industrial environment, requiring upwards of $20,000 per person and several days offsite, or even $7,000 or more for virtual training??
HOW can you make cybersecurity training (including cybersecurity awareness training) more effective, and entertaining; epecially, for more strategic concepts?

Our solution to cybersecurity training and bridging the OT cybersecurity skills gap centers around cutting edge gamification, allowing our clients to train cybersecurity skills and cybersecurity awarenes, in a way that is much more effective, affordable, and easily accessible. Not to mention, entertaining!

Gamification teaches and exercises skills that have been nearly impossible to do so through traditional forms of training - It answers the questions, “how do you teach cybersecurity and risk management strategy? How can you make cybersecurity awareness training more effective?” The simple answer is: You have to simulate an environment and its associated challenges in a way that allows students to interact and see, first-hand, how cybersecurity works and what happens when it doesn't. By immersing them in an environment where they are in charge of cybersecurity, or playing the part of the attacker, they have an entertaining and memorable learning experience.

ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Gamification

ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue is the industry’s first multi-player strategy computer game designed to teach real-world cybersecurity. Students can play solo missions or compete against each other, head-to-head, to take control/maintain control of a computer network. This is not a fiction-based game, like those found on the consumer gaming market, or challenge solving "capture the flag (CTF)." This is a live, player vs. player “gamified” training simulator, designed to teach cybersecurity skills in an immersive and interactive applied learning environment.

The Gamification Difference

Our Gamification Differentiators

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?

Different editions for different audiences

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 commercial audience and professionals in mind; this has multiple install and delivery options, including cloud delivery.
Education Edition - developed with features for high schools, colleges, and other educational institutions in mind that allow teachers, instructors, and professors to use it in their classrooms in conjunction with your curriculum (including LMS support), or our Red vs. Blue courseware.
Enterprise Edition - Professional Edition with customized experiences including custom network maps, learning objectives, action tree(s), and more.

Robust features

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 (created by ThreatGEN)
Custom Learning Objective Mapping*	Learning objectives mapped to a specific curriculum (created by ThreatGEN)
Custom Actions Tree	Custom actions created based on customer’s needs (created by ThreatGEN)
Leaderboards	Scoreboard displaying each player ranked by score

*Coming Soon

Documentation

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Performance Analytics

Maximize Training and Evaluate Performance with Player and Game 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, and performance tracking and analytics, creating the most effective and modernized cybersecurity training method available today.

ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue resources

ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue Curriculum

Defending Operational Technology (OT) networks and assets requires more than a single solution, and it’s not a just matter of deploying “best practices” and “layered defense” – it’s a combination of proactive and reactive strategies such as vulnerability assessments, network segmentation, system hardening and threat monitoring. Most organizations are limited in their ability to deploy even the most basic security controls due to lack of required skills.

That’s where our ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue gamification meets the virtual classroom in our ThreatGEN® Red vs. Blue curriculum!

Our Differentiators

Meeting your needs

Using cutting-edge technology combined with proven methods, ThreatGEN delivers a revolutionary new and entertaining way to learn practical & effective OT cybersecurity and risk management skills – from beginner to technical levels. ThreatGEN has a training program to meet your needs, whether you:

need security skills training,
want to learn how to build an entire industrial cyber risk management program, or
just want to learn how to build a cost-effective security strategy on a limited budget.

Integrated with gamification

Building on real-world experience

Multiple delivery methods

Our courses

ICS 101, Introduction to OT/ICS Cybersecurity

ICS 201, OT/ICS Cybersecurity Vulnerability & Risk Assessment

ICS 301, Introduction to OT/ICS Penetration Testing and Red Teaming

Documentation

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What the 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 Renown Experts Come Out of the trenches to Deliver ThreatGEN® Red Vs. Blue…

by Clint Bodungen & Aaron Shbeeb

by Pascal Ackerman

by Pascal Ackerman