Atomic Red Team vs Infection Monkey

Atomic Red Team is a free library of tests security teams can run to check controls, validate visibility, and assess detection coverage. Its tests emulate adversary behaviors and map to the MITRE ATT&CK matrix. They have few dependencies and use a structured format suited to automation frameworks. Invoke-AtomicRedTeam is a PowerShell module for testing defenses against attack techniques; it can run tests locally or on remote machines through PowerShell Remoting. Atomic Runner can run a configurable list unattended, once per week by default. The project includes a Ruby API to validate tests and generate documentation, and pulls ATT&CK data in STIX form. Listed integrations include Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, AttackIQ, Datadog Workload Security Evaluator, OpenBAS, Splunk Attack Range, and Tidal Cyber. Coverage includes Windows, Linux, macOS, cloud infrastructure, containers, SaaS, Azure AD, Google Workspace, Office 365, and IaaS providers. Tests can be chained manually, but there is no automated solution for emulating a specific attack group as a whole. Users are instructed to obtain permission from the environment owner before running a test.

Infection Monkey is an open-source breach and attack simulation tool for checking data center resilience to perimeter breaches and internal server infection. Monkey Agent scans systems and simulates attack techniques, while Monkey Island Server provides a command-and-control web interface. The tool maps visible machines, accessible services, and possible routes through a network, then reports security issues the agents discover or exploit. It supports on-premises environments, containers, and public and private clouds. The documented AWS integration uses Systems Manager to run Infection Monkey on EC2 instances, and plugins can be installed, updated, removed, or uploaded through the Monkey Island interface. Internet access is not required; when available, it is used to check for updates and whether machines can reach the internet. The FAQ says sensitive data is encrypted in the Island database and sent to agents over HTTPS, and that first launch requires creating credentials for access to the server. It also says the tool avoids exploits or attacks that may affect target systems, including EternalBlue. The Free plan is free.