Performing Threat Emulation with Atomic Red Team
When to Use
- When conducting security assessments that involve performing threat emulation with atomic red team
- When following incident response procedures for related security events
- When performing scheduled security testing or auditing activities
- When validating security controls through hands-on testing
Prerequisites
- Familiarity with threat intelligence concepts and tools
- Access to a test or lab environment for safe execution
- Python 3.8+ with required dependencies installed
- Appropriate authorization for any testing activities
Instructions
Use atomic-operator to execute Atomic Red Team tests and validate detection coverage against MITRE ATT&CK techniques.
from atomic_operator import AtomicOperator
operator = AtomicOperator()
# Run a specific technique test
operator.run(
technique="T1059.001", # PowerShell execution
atomics_path="./atomic-red-team/atomics",
)Key workflow:
- Clone the atomic-red-team repository for test definitions
- Select ATT&CK techniques matching your detection rules
- Execute atomic tests using atomic-operator
- Check SIEM/EDR for corresponding alerts
- Document detection gaps and update rules
Examples
# Parse atomic test YAML definitions
import yaml
with open("atomics/T1059.001/T1059.001.yaml") as f:
tests = yaml.safe_load(f)
for test in tests.get("atomic_tests", []):
print(f"Test: {test['name']}")
print(f" Platforms: {test.get('supported_platforms', [])}")