Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS) is a cybersecurity practice that uses automated tools to mimic the techniques of real-world attackers safely. Instead of waiting for a cyber incident or relying only on traditional penetration testing, BAS continuously tests an organization’s defenses by simulating phishing, malware infections, lateral movement, and data exfiltration attempts. The goal is to reveal gaps in security controls, validate incident response procedures, and strengthen overall resilience before an actual attack occurs.
For businesses, BAS provides a proactive approach to evaluating the effectiveness of existing security tools and teams under realistic conditions. It shifts cybersecurity from being reactive to predictive, giving leaders clear visibility into vulnerabilities across networks, cloud environments, and endpoints.
In healthcare, BAS can test whether electronic health records remain protected if a phishing attack bypasses perimeter defenses. In defense, it can simulate an insider attempting to exfiltrate sensitive mission data, ensuring strict access controls are effective. In finance, BAS might assess how well systems resist ransomware or credential theft aimed at payment systems. In short, by exposing weaknesses in day-to-day operations, BAS helps organizations strengthen their resilience against both external and insider threats.