Red Teaming Tools
Red team and adversary emulation tools simulate realistic attacker tradecraft, from atomic technique execution to full C2-backed campaigns, so defenders can validate detection coverage and response playbooks.
Software in Red Teaming Tools
11 toolsNo tools in this category match the selected filters.
| Tool | License | Platforms | Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdaptixC2 Extensible open source post-exploitation framework with a Go server and cross-platform agents. | GPL-3.0-only | Linux, Windows, macOS | Open Source |
| Atomic Red Team Open-source library of small, focused tests mapped to MITRE ATT&CK for validating detection and prevention controls across operating systems. | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux | Open Source |
| BloodHound CE Attack path analysis platform that maps identity and privilege relationships across Active Directory, Entra ID, and other platforms through OpenGraph. | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS, Windows | Free / Commercial |
| Caldera Open-source adversary emulation platform built on MITRE ATT&CK with autonomous and manual operation modes for testing defenses. | Apache-2.0 | Linux, macOS | Open Source |
| Cobalt Strike Commercial adversary simulation and red team operations platform from Fortra with multi-operator collaboration and Beacon payload support. | Proprietary | Linux, Windows, macOS | Commercial |
| Havoc Modern malleable post-exploitation C2 framework with a teamserver, Qt client, and extensible agents. | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source |
| Merlin Cross-platform post-exploitation C2 written in Go, communicating over HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3. | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source |
| mimikatz Windows security tool that extracts plaintext passwords, hashes, PIN codes, and Kerberos tickets from memory, used to test credential exposure on endpoints. | CC-BY-4.0 (source-available, not OSI-approved) | Windows | Free |
| Mythic Open-source modular command-and-control framework with Docker-based server, cross-platform agents, and a browser interface for red team operations. | BSD-3-Clause | Linux, macOS | Open Source |
| PoshC2 Proxy-aware C2 framework with PowerShell, C#, and Python implants, maintained by Nettitude (LRQA). | BSD-3-Clause | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source |
| Sliver Cross-platform adversary emulation and command-and-control framework built for authorized red team operations and testing. | GPL-3.0-or-later | Linux, macOS, Windows | Open Source |
About Red Teaming Tools
Red team and adversary emulation tools simulate realistic attacker behavior so defenders can test their detection and response capabilities. The category covers adversary emulation platforms that execute techniques mapped to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, command and control (C2) frameworks that simulate attacker communication channels, and atomic test libraries that run individual techniques in isolation. Atomic testing tools like Atomic Red Team and Caldera execute specific ATT&CK techniques on endpoints to verify that detection rules fire correctly. C2 frameworks like Sliver, Mythic, and Cobalt Strike provide the infrastructure for full red team campaigns, including beaconing, lateral movement, and data exfiltration simulation. Purple team workflows combine red team execution with blue team detection validation, so each technique test produces evidence of whether the security stack caught it. The category differs from penetration testing in its goal: penetration testing aims to find and exploit vulnerabilities, while red team operations test whether existing detections and response processes work against known attacker techniques. Organizations use these tools to measure detection coverage gaps, validate alert quality, and exercise incident response playbooks under realistic conditions.
Covered Topics
In This Catalog
- This category lists 11 tools: 8 open source, 1 commercial, 1 free, and 1 free / commercial.
- By platform, 10 run on Linux, 9 on Windows, and 10 on macOS.
- The most common license among the open-source tools is GPL-3.0-or-later (3 tools).
- Havoc is marked as deprecated.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Red Teaming Tools?→
Red team and adversary emulation tools simulate realistic attacker tradecraft, from atomic technique execution to full C2-backed campaigns, so defenders can validate detection coverage and response playbooks.
What topics does the Red Teaming Tools category cover?→
Adversary Emulation (MITRE ATT&CK), Command & Control (C2) Frameworks, Atomic Technique Execution, Purple Team Detection Validation, Egress & Lateral Movement Simulation
Which Red Teaming tools are open source?→
8 of the 11 tools in this category are open source: AdaptixC2, Atomic Red Team, Caldera, Havoc, Merlin, Mythic, PoshC2, and Sliver.