So You Want To Get Into Red Teaming: Skills, Mindset, and Myths
Red teaming is often portrayed as a niche, ultra-advanced discipline reserved only for experts with deep exploit-development skills and expensive toolsets.
In reality, effective red teaming is built on fundamentals: understanding enterprise environments, thinking in attack paths, communicating clearly, working within realistic constraints and problem solving.
This talk is designed for people who want to enter the field and need a practical view of what red teaming actually involves, what skills matter most at the start, and which common myths can slow progress and distract you from real goals.
I’ll separate hype from reality, outline the core technical and non-technical skills that make a strong red teamer, and offer concrete ways to begin building experience constructively and effectively.
This talk is for aspiring red teamers, students, and security professionals who want a realistic, grounded path into the discipline.
I’ll cover what red teaming is—and what it is not—then address common misconceptions such as the need to be a coding genius or master advanced malware on day one.
The talk will focus on the skills that matter most early on, including networking, Windows and Active Directory basics, scripting, communication, and reporting.
I’ll also discuss the mindset that separates effective operators from tool users, along with practical next steps like building a lab, studying real-world attack reports, and practicing clear writeups.
Attendees will leave with a realistic roadmap for getting started in red teaming and a better understanding of how to grow into the role over time.
Chris has worked in a range of industries, most notable of which are Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), and leading edge design and manufacturing (Dyson).
Doing so has given Chris a very varied array of knowledge, from penetration testing robot vacuum cleaners, to designing and testing secure ICS/OT networks.
During Chris’ time at Dyson, he was involved in developing the global security team and performing internal penetration testing. Chris was also heavily involved with securing the design of Dyson’s current and future internet connected appliances, and corresponding smartphone applications.
Chris is an Red Team Lead at Accenture which involves him acting and thinking like a genuine attacker to compromise client networks.
Chris’ skill set also includes Social Engineering, and he has successfully gained access into CNI, Airports and Casinos, which are regarded are some of the most secure facilities in the industry.
Chris has been lucky enough to have spoken at DefCon twice (Social Engineering 101 & How to hack an oil rig) , and many different BSides across the country.