Physical Red Teaming — Offensive Security with Military Precision

We operate like a combat unit: reconnaissance, infiltration, objective-focused ops, exfiltration and post-op lessons. Non-destructive proofs, forensic evidence, and actionable remediation so you can harden people, processes and physical attack surfaces.

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The mission brief — why this matters

Think in military terms: every organization has a front line (customer-facing services), supply lines (vendors, contractors), and a command node (datacenter, SOC, control room). Adversaries probe the seams — not always with code, often with boots, badges, or a clever cable. Physical Red Teaming is the offensive rehearsal you need to discover the tactical paths an attacker will use to achieve operational objectives: IP theft, sabotage, data exfiltration, or political disruption.

The threat spectrum — who might be at your gates

We emulate the full threat ladder and the tradecraft that comes with it:

Krawallmacher / Activists / Hacktivists — noisy, reputational attacks, protests, or disruptive access aimed at publicity.
Organised Crime — profit-driven operators looking to steal goods, materials, credentials, or to stage diversionary incidents for fraud.
Informed Competition — covert access for IP theft, product specs and roadmaps.
State-sponsored & Espionage Actors — long-term persistence, supply-chain manipulation, and strategic sabotage.

Each actor class has different tempo, tooling and risk tolerance — we match tactics and objectives to your threat profile and test whether your defenses hold under real pressure.

Our operational playbook (how we run an engagement)

Reconnaissance (INT) — OSINT, physical surveillance, supply-chain mapping, and target prioritization.
Access & Infiltration — tailgating, social engineering, badge cloning, vendor-style entry, parking-lot / bike-rack staging, and port-probe for network ingress (non-destructive).
Objective Execution — prove paths to sensitive assets: local network ports, meeting-room patch panels, demo benches, hotel TV / IPTV backdoors, ATM/branch galleries. Demonstrate realistic IP extraction or sabotage vectors without causing harm.
Exfil & Persistence Proofs — show data movement paths, temporary footholds and persistence options; provide logs and timestamps as forensic proof.
Debrief & Purple Iteration — convert attack traces into SOC playbooks, detection rules and tactical remediation. Retest until closure.

Realistic examples we test for (anonymised use cases)

Bank branch compromise — gaining internal network access via service corridors, attached galleries or overlooked testing jacks to reach teller systems.
Hotel network pivot — using an in-room TV / IPTV management interface to reach guest devices and exfiltrate sensitive data.
Factory floor tampering — accessing maintenance panels to introduce downtime or manipulate production parameters without leaving obvious traces.
Vendor/contractor supply-chain access — exploiting maintenance windows and contractor badges to lay the groundwork for future breaches.

These aren’t theory — they are the exact playbooks real attackers use. We prove the path in a controlled way, document it, and harden it.

Who benefits

We design campaigns to convert security needs into procurement decisions. Typical Exploit Labs ICPs:

Financial Institutions / Banks / Payment Providers (COO, Head of Ops, CISO) — prevent ATM/branch compromises, vendor-enabled intrusions, and fraud-enabling physical access.
Critical Infrastructure (Energy, Water, Transport) — Operators & Security Leads — validate OT demarcation, remote panel safety, vendor access controls to avoid sabotage or regulatory incidents.
Enterprises with IP / R&D Labs (CTO, Head of Security, Product Owners) — prevent product blueprint theft and corporate espionage via physical routes.
Hospitality & Retail Chains (Head of Security, IT Ops) — test pivot from guest networks and service ports to lucrative data targets.
Large Corporates with Distributed Sites (Facility Managers, Security Directors) — ensure physical controls are consistent across branches, manufacturing sites, and data centers.

We’ve executed engagements and advisory work across finance, energy and transportation sectors — we know the regulatory and operational constraints and speak the language of boards and auditors.

Why Exploit Labs — combat-tested, compliance-aware

Senior-only operators with Red Team experience and pragmatic OODA-loop thinking.
Non-destructive proofing that creates forensic evidence for auditors, insurers and procurement.
CRA / DORA / NIS-aware reporting for regulated sectors.
From recon to remediation — we don’t drop a report; we deliver playbooks, detection rules, and retest verification.
Regional reach — operational capability in Europe & MENA (Frankfurt & Dubai) with local legal and compliance understanding.

FAQ

How is a physical red team different from a standard physical pentest?

A physical pentest checks individual controls — doors, locks, cameras, or badge readers — often as isolated technical tests.
A physical red team operation is a goal-oriented campaign: it emulates adversaries with intent, planning, and tradecraft. Instead of “can we open this door?”, we test “can an attacker reach the data center, plant floor, or executive area without detection?”.
It’s the difference between target practice and a full-mission rehearsal.

Which threats do you emulate?

We model threat actors based on your industry intelligence and real-world campaigns:

Activists / Hacktivists: unauthorized access for political messaging or public disruption.
Organized Crime: financially motivated theft of goods, materials, or customer data.
Competitors / Espionage: IP theft, prototype photography, or insider recruitment.
State-sponsored actors: long-term persistence and sabotage potential.
Each mission uses tailored TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, Procedures) mapped to MITRE ATT&CK and physical intrusion frameworks, ensuring your defenses are validated against the actors that matter most.

How do you guarantee safety and avoid damage?

We operate under a strict Rules of Engagement (ROE) approved by your management and legal teams.
All operations are non-destructive — no lock damage, no data modification, no disruption to live systems.
We use controlled proofs (e.g., timestamped photos, read-only link checks) and an emergency abort protocol (“kill switch”).
Our operatives are vetted professionals with backgrounds in offensive security and field safety.

Can this include cyber or hybrid components?

Absolutely. Modern intrusions are hybrid. We often combine physical ingress with cyber payload delivery — for instance, connecting a drop box to a meeting-room port, or pivoting through a misconfigured guest network.
These hybrid scenarios reveal where physical and cyber overlap, exposing blind spots between security and IT teams.
If you want full alignment, we can integrate the exercise with your SOC for Purple Team feedback loops.

What does “mission success” mean?

Each operation has a defined objective — for example:

Exfiltrate a sensitive document from the network,
Access a specific facility zone,
Obtain data from an air-gapped workstation, or
Prove sabotage potential within agreed limits.
“Mission success” means we achieved that goal within the agreed ROE. The deliverable is not just “vulnerabilities found” — it’s operational evidence of how an attacker could impact your business.

Will you help us fix the gaps?

Yes. After every operation, we conduct a hot wash and provide:

Remediation workshops with facility and SOC staff,
Detection & response content (alerts, camera triggers, access logs),
Retest verification to confirm closure.
Our objective is not to embarrass you — it’s to ensure your team can detect, delay, and defeat the next real attack.

How long does a typical operation take?

Usually between 3 and 7 days on site, depending on facility size and complexity.
Preparation and threat modelling typically require 1–2 weeks prior to deployment.
We provide an executive debrief within 5 business days after the operation.