Safety and risk management

Purple team testing involves risk. Plan for things going wrong.

Risk identification

Operational risks:

  • Unintended service disruption

  • Data corruption or loss

  • Triggering automated responses (like EDR quarantine)

Business risks:

  • Customer impact from testing

  • Compliance or regulatory issues

  • Reputational damage if testing leaks

Human risks:

  • Staff stress or burnout

  • Mistaking test for real attack

  • Social engineering causing distress

Risk mitigation

Scope constraints: Test less critical systems first. Avoid testing during critical business periods.

Gradual escalation: Start with low-risk tests. Increase complexity as confidence grows.

Backup and recovery: Ensure backups exist before testing. Know how to roll back if needed.

Communication: Clear notification channels so issues can be raised immediately.

Monitoring: Watch for unintended impacts during testing. Stop if problems emerge.

Contingency planning

What if production breaks? Who makes the decision to stop? How do we recover quickly? Who communicates to customers?

What if sensitive data is accessed? How do we handle regulatory notifications? What’s our legal exposure?

What if testing is discovered publicly? Who speaks to media? What’s our public position?

What if red team finds critical vulnerability outside scope? How do we responsibly disclose without disrupting exercise?