RedHerd Framework

Abstract

RedHerd is a collaborative serverless framework for orchestrating a geographically distributed set of assets in order to simulate/conduct complex offensive cyberspace operations. The design and implementation of RedHerd perfectly fit the Open Systems Architecture design pattern, thanks to the adoption of both open standards and wide-spread open source software components. The framework allows to seamlessly deploy a ready-to-use infrastructure that can be adopted for effective conduct, simulation and training purposes, by reliably joining a real-world cyberspace battlefield in which red and blue teams challenge each other to reach their goals. These elements lead to the Offensive Cyberspace Operations as a Service (OCOaaS) paradigm, which involves a complete software solution, locally set up, remotely deployed or Cloud-based, offering a layer of abstraction placed in front of the operative infrastructure and tools. In this way, the operational actors have the opportunity to focus on the task execution, while ignoring all of the collateral activities. In addition, OCOaaS provides a flexible and quickly deployable solution to reduce costs. The RedHerd framework is a practical implementation of this model empowering the approach with strong orchestration capabilities and other additional features.