Red Teaming: The Ultimate Career Guide for Elite Offensive Security in Pakistan

Red Teaming is considered the top‑tier discipline in offensive cybersecurity. It goes beyond normal vulnerability testing and focuses on simulating real cyber‑attacks against an entire organization. A Red Team evaluates People, Processes, and Technology, just like a real adversary would.

1. What Red Teaming Really Means

A Red Team does not simply look for weaknesses.
Its purpose is to act like a real threat actor and test how well the organization can detect, delay, and respond to the attack.

Red Teaming vs Penetration Testing

2. Red Teaming in Pakistan

Red Teaming is not an entry‑level job in Pakistan.
Organizations only trust skilled professionals with proven pentesting experience (usually 1–2 years).

Typical Red Team Tasks

• Active Directory exploitation (Kerberoasting, DCSync, Golden Ticket)

• Initial access (spear‑phishing, payload delivery, physical access attempts)

• EDR bypass & stealth operations

• Persistence (scheduled tasks, registry modifications, C2 beacons)

• Lateral movement (BloodHound, CrackMapExec, Pass‑the‑Hash)

• Privilege escalation & data exfiltration

3. Red Team Salary in Pakistan

4. Beginner‑Friendly Roadmap to Become a Red Teamer

To reach Red Team level, you must follow this progression:

Phase 1 — Foundation (Pentesting Level)

Goal: Build strong basics before advanced exploitation.

Skills to Learn

• Linux & networking basics

• Web exploitation

• Python scripting

• Security fundamentals

Resources (All Beginner Friendly)

Linux & Networking

• TryHackMe Pre-Security:
  https://tryhackme.com/path/outline/presecurity

• TryHackMe Network Fundamentals:
  https://tryhackme.com/room/introtolan

Web Exploitation

• PortSwigger Web Security Academy (FREE):
  https://portswigger.net/web-security

• TryHackMe Web Fundamentals:
  https://tryhackme.com/room/webfundamentals

Python for Security

• “Python for Cybersecurity” playlist (YouTube):
  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=python+for+cybersecurity

Good Beginner Certification

• eJPT (Junior Penetration Tester):
  https://elearnsecurity.com/ejpt

Phase 2 — Windows & Active Directory (Core Red Team Skill)

Goal: Learn how enterprise networks actually work.

Skills Required

• Active Directory structure

• Kerberos authentication

• Credential harvesting

• Windows internals

• Attack path mapping (BloodHound)

Tools You Must Learn

• BloodHound

• CrackMapExec

• Impacket suite

• Mimikatz / Rubeus

Labs & Courses

Active Directory Basics

• TryHackMe “Attacktive Directory”:
  https://tryhackme.com/room/attacktivedirectory

• TryHackMe “Windows AD Basics”:
  https://tryhackme.com/room/winadbasics

Structured AD Course

• HTB Academy AD Module:
  https://academy.hackthebox.com/course/preview/introduction-to-active-directory

Blue Team Understanding (Very Important!)

• CyberDefenders Labs:
  https://cyberdefenders.org

• SOC101:
  https://securityblue.team/collections/training/products/soc-analyst-1

Phase 3 — Command & Control + Stealth (Professional Red Team Level)

Goal: Learn evasion, OPSEC, and long-term access strategies.

Skills Required

• C2 infrastructure setup

• Antivirus / EDR evasion

• Windows built‑ins (LOLbins)

• Persistence methods

• Data exfiltration techniques

Tools to Master

• Sliver C2
  https://github.com/BishopFox/sliver

• Havoc (red team framework)
  https://github.com/HavocFramework/Havoc

• LOLBAS (Living Off the Land Binaries)
  https://lolbas-project.github.io/

Practical Labs

• HTB Academy C2 Operations with Sliver:
  https://academy.hackthebox.com/course/preview/c2-operations

• HTB Red Team Pro Labs:
  https://www.hackthebox.com/pro-labs

• CyberDefenders Red Team Challenges:
  https://cyberdefenders.org/blueteam-ctf

5. Building a Red Team Portfolio (What Employers Want)

Skills You MUST Show

• Strong Active Directory knowledge

• Internal lateral movement techniques

• Network understanding (routing, firewall bypassing, VLANs)

• OPSEC & stealth mindset

• Ability to build an attack narrative

Portfolio Items to Create

1. AD Attack Walkthrough
   Example: Kerberoasting → Lateral Movement → Domain Admin.

2. C2 Setup Project
   Install and document Sliver/Havoc C2 with custom payloads.

3. Detection Bypass Demo
   Show how you avoided logging or EDR detection.

4. Realistic Attack Narrative
   Employers love storytelling formats:

“A compromised HR employee allowed us initial access.
BloodHound identified a privilege escalation path.
Kerberoasting cracked a weak service ticket.
Lateral movement reached the Domain Controller.
Final impact: full domain compromise.”

This shows real operator thinking.

6. Final Advice for Beginners

• Red Teaming is not a first step — start with pentesting.

• Learn Windows and Active Directory deeply.

• Practice on real labs like TryHackMe, HTB, and CyberDefenders.

• Document everything you learn in a portfolio.

• Focus on stealth, not just hacking skills.