Overview
Red team assessments are MindFort’s advanced penetration testing service that goes beyond traditional vulnerability scanning. These assessments simulate real-world attack techniques to identify exploitable vulnerabilities with concrete proof-of-concept evidence.Coming Soon: Runtime vulnerability scanning and static code analysis will complement red team assessments in future releases.
Starting a New Assessment
Quick Start Method
1
Click New Assessment
Use the “New Assessment” button in the left sidebar for instant access.
2
Select Target
Choose a verified target (website/domain) from the dropdown list.
3
Choose Method
- Turbo: Faster scanning with lighter coverage (minutes to under an hour)
- Deep: More thorough testing with comprehensive coverage (may take longer)
4
Optional: Add Authentication
Expand “Authentication Credentials” to select stored login credentials for deeper testing of authenticated areas.
5
Start Assessment
Click “Start Assessment”. If additional credits are required, confirm to proceed.
Assessment Methods Explained
Turbo Method (Standard)
- Speed: Fast execution, typically completes in minutes to an hour
- Coverage: Provides 75th percentile coverage of OWASP Top 10 vulnerability patterns
- Credit Usage: 1 credit per assessment - economical for regular use
- Best For: Daily/weekly monitoring, regular security checks, ongoing development
- Model Approach: Single-pass analysis optimized for efficiency and broad coverage
Deep Method
- Speed: Thorough testing, may take several hours
- Coverage: Multiple passes with larger models for comprehensive analysis
- Credit Usage: Multiple credits per assessment - premium thorough testing
- Best For: Major releases, quarterly penetration tests, comprehensive audits
- Model Approach: Multi-pass analysis with extended time on target
Coming Soon: Deep Mode will be available as an advanced assessment option for comprehensive testing scenarios.
Use Turbo for regular monitoring and Deep for comprehensive quarterly assessments or before major releases.
Scheduling Recurring Assessments
For automated, regular security testing:1
Enable Scheduling
From the New Assessment form, toggle “Enable Scheduling”.
2
Configure Schedule
- Schedule Name: Optional friendly name
- Frequency: Daily, weekly, or monthly
- Time: When assessments should start
- Timezone: Your preferred timezone
- Method: Turbo or Deep
3
Save Schedule
The system will automatically start assessments at the configured times.
Scheduling may require specific subscription plans. Contact your admin if this option isn’t available.
Continuous Learning & Assessment Evolution
Successive Assessment Benefits
MindFort assessments work best when run regularly over time: Agent Learning:- Target Understanding: Agents learn and understand your application architecture with each assessment
- Vulnerability Verification: Each successive assessment confirms existing vulnerabilities still exist
- New Discovery: Focus shifts to finding net new vulnerabilities as agents master known patterns
- Deeper Exploitation: Progressive development of more sophisticated exploit chains
- Weekly: Ideal for active development cycles and continuous security monitoring
- Bi-weekly: Good balance for stable applications with regular updates
- Monthly: Minimum recommended frequency for maintaining agent familiarity
Weekly Improvements: MindFort ships improvements to penetration testing agents weekly, so expect increasing efficacy and coverage with successive assessments.
AI Agent Architecture
Multi-Agent System:- Specialized Agents: Different agents handle different testing tasks and vulnerability categories
- Model Diversity: Combination of frontier lab models and MindFort’s in-house post-training models
- Dynamic Optimization: Models are constantly evaluated and updated for optimal performance
- Task-Specific Assignment: Best-performing models are assigned to appropriate testing tasks
Continuous Improvement: The platform evolves weekly with better models, techniques, and coverage. Regular assessments benefit from these ongoing improvements.
Monitoring Active Assessments
Active Assessments Page
Track ongoing security tests:-
Status Indicators:
- Running: Assessment is actively scanning
- Queued: Waiting for resources to become available
- Pending: Scheduled but not yet started
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Assessment Details:
- Target: Which application is being tested
- Start Time: When the assessment began
- Method: Turbo or Deep
- Progress: Real-time status updates
Assessment Status Screen
Click any assessment to view detailed progress:- Real-time scanning progress
- Discovered vulnerabilities as they’re found
- Exploitation attempts and results
- Estimated completion time
Managing Assessment History
Reviewing Past Results
Visit Assessment History to explore completed tests:-
Filter Options:
- Source: Filter by domain or repository
- Type: Red Team assessments (Code and Runtime coming soon)
- Date Range: Specific time periods
- Status: Completed, failed, or cancelled
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View Details: Click any assessment to review:
- Executive summary of findings
- Detailed vulnerability reports
- Exploitation evidence and proof-of-concept
- Remediation recommendations
Assessment Comparison
Compare results across time periods:- Track improvement in security posture
- Identify recurring vulnerability patterns
- Monitor remediation effectiveness
- Document compliance progress
Understanding Results
Red Team Findings Include
- Exploitation Evidence: Screenshots showing successful attacks
- Proof-of-Concept: Working exploit code and payloads
- Attack Chains: How multiple vulnerabilities combine
- Business Impact: Clear explanation of potential damage
- Remediation Steps: Specific guidance to fix issues
Severity and Exploitability
Severity Levels
- Critical: Immediate business risk requiring urgent attention
- High: Significant security issues needing prompt action
- Medium: Important issues to address during regular maintenance
- Low: Minor issues to resolve when convenient
- Info: Informational findings for security awareness
Exploitability Ratings
- Exploitable: Confirmed working exploit, high risk to business
- Potentially Exploitable: May be exploitable based on configuration
- Non-Exploitable: Detected but unlikely to be abused
- N/A: Not applicable or couldn’t be determined
Prioritize Critical and High severity findings marked as Exploitable - these represent immediate business risk.
Assessment Management
Cancelling Running Assessments
If you need to stop an assessment:1
Open Active Assessments
Navigate to the Active Assessments page.
2
Locate Assessment
Find the assessment with status Running, Queued, or Pending.
3
Cancel Assessment
Click “Cancel”. The system will stop at the next safe checkpoint.
Credit Management
Assessments consume credits based on:- Method chosen: Deep assessments use more credits
- Target complexity: Larger applications require more resources
- Authentication depth: Authenticated scans consume additional credits
- You’ll be prompted before the assessment starts
- Upgrade your plan or purchase add-ons in Billing
- Contact your admin to manage organization credits
Best Practices
Assessment Timing
- Production Systems: Schedule during low-traffic periods
- Staging Environments: Test after deployments or changes
- Regular Cadence: Monthly deep scans with weekly turbo monitoring
- Pre-Release: Always assess before major releases
Authentication Strategy
- Dedicated Test Accounts: Use separate credentials, not personal accounts
- Appropriate Permissions: Ensure test accounts can access relevant features
- Credential Rotation: Regularly update stored authentication details
- Multiple Roles: Test with different permission levels when relevant
Result Management
- Immediate Review: Check critical findings as soon as assessments complete
- Team Collaboration: Share results with development and security teams
- Remediation Tracking: Document fixes and validate with follow-up scans
- Executive Reporting: Use findings for stakeholder security updates
Troubleshooting
Assessment Won’t Start
Possible Causes:- Target not verified - check target status
- Insufficient credits - upgrade plan or purchase add-ons
- Firewall blocking - whitelist MindFort IP addresses
- Invalid credentials - verify stored authentication details
Assessment Stuck in Queue
Solutions:- Cancel and restart the assessment
- Check system status page for platform issues
- Verify target is accessible from external networks
- Contact support if delays persist beyond expected times
Poor Assessment Coverage
Improvements:- Add authentication credentials for deeper testing
- Ensure target is the correct URL (not redirecting)
- Use Deep method instead of Turbo for thorough coverage
- Whitelist scanning IPs to prevent firewall interference
- Verify target represents the actual application architecture
No Findings After Assessment
Considerations:- This may indicate a well-secured application
- Verify the correct target was assessed
- Consider authenticated scanning for additional coverage
- Review assessment logs for any access issues
- Try Deep method for more comprehensive testing