Adversary emulation is an advanced cybersecurity practice that involves simulating the specific tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) used by known real-world threat actors within an organization's environment. Unlike general penetration testing, this targeted approach meticulously replicates the behaviors, tools, and objectives of identified cyber adversaries to test how well an organization's defenses—including people, processes, and technology—can detect and respond to sophisticated, realistic attacks.

Security teams leverage current threat intelligence to craft tailored attack scenarios that mirror actual threat actor methodologies. This process helps organizations validate their security controls, identify defensive blind spots, and assess incident response effectiveness against specific threats. By understanding their true exposure to persistent adversaries, organizations can make informed decisions to strengthen their security posture and proactively reduce cybersecurity risk before real breaches occur.