Physical Red Team / Physical Penetration (PRT)

Foundations of Physical Red Teaming — Lawful, Practical, Hands-On

Course Overview

Learn how professional red teams plan, reconnaissance, and execute lawful physical security assessments. A five-day, instructor-led course blending OSINT, surveillance, social engineering, access control testing and professional reporting — for security staff, new operatives and vetted professionals.

This five-day, practitioner-led course trains newcomers to become competent junior physical red-team operators within lawful, client-sanctioned environments. Through classroom theory, realistic roleplay and controlled fieldwork you’ll learn reconnaissance, surveillance, social engineering, badge & reception testing, secure team comms and professional AAR reporting — all taught with strict legal and safety boundaries.

Why This Course

  • Practical, scenario-based training on instructor-owned or client-sanctioned sites.

  • Progressive learning: Beginner → Intermediate → Applied field exercises.

  • Emphasis on ethics, documented ROE and remediations security teams can implement immediately.

  • Small class sizes, hands-on props (cutaway locks, mock access panels, training badges) and confederate roleplay

Course learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Prepare a lawful mission plan with PACE and clear Rules of Engagement.

  • Conduct public OSINT that supports a physical assessment without compromising ethics.

  • Run disciplined surveillance, keep professional observation logs and produce a defensible evidence pack.

  • Execute safe social engineering roleplays (reception, delivery and door-holding pretexts) in controlled settings.

  • Assess access control behaviour using trainer badges and recommend mitigations for tailgating and over-privileged visitor profiles.

  • Produce a professional After Action Report (AAR) with risk ratings and remediation steps.

Course outline — 5 day overview

Day 0 — ROE signoff, legal brief, OPSEC primer.
Day 1 — Foundations & OSINT: Law & ethics, OSINT for physical ops, approach mapping.
Day 2 — Surveillance & Covert Comms: Observation posts, hand signals, secure comms SOP, benign device detection.
Day 3 — Social Engineering & Badge Testing: Confederated roleplay (reception, delivery, door-holding), visitor badge sandbox tests.
Day 4 — Mechanical Security & Surveys: Cutaway locks, installation faults, CCTV blindspots, lighting audit.
Day 5 — Full Mission Simulation & AAR: Team mission under ROE, evidence pack, oral debrief to client panel.

Practical elements

  • Lock and entry bypass

  • Alarm identification

  • CCTV Identification

  • Access control systems

  • Building and obstacle scaling

  • Social engineering

  • Elicitation

  • Online target reconnaissance

  • ID badge cloning and attacks

  • Radio frequency reconnaissance

  • Installing covert audio/visual devices

Logistics & pricing

  • Typical class size: 6–12 delegates. Private course & bespoke client dates available.

  • Duration: 5 days, 09:00–17:00.

  • Location: Instructor training facility / client-sanctioned sites (UK & UK-based travel available).

  • Price: Contact us for current dates & pricing — group discounts available.

FAQs

Q: Is this course suitable for people with no prior experience?
A: Yes — the course is designed to take beginners through a progressive syllabus; advanced participants will be offered higher-difficulty practicals where appropriate.

Q: Will I learn how to open locks and bypass alarms?
A: No. We focus on non-destructive inspection, detection and remediation. Techniques that could be used to commit crime are deliberately excluded. Advanced, sensitive content for vetted professionals can be provided under strict contractual terms.

Q: Can we run the course on our client site?
A: Yes — we offer bespoke on-site delivery where we can run agreed, sandboxed exercises. Full ROE and site approval are required.

Q: Do you provide equipment?
A: We supply training props (locks, badges, roleplayers). Delegates should bring a notebook, phone for documentation (used within ROE) and suitable clothing for fieldwork.

Q: What vetting is required?
A: For standard public courses, ID and declaration of intent are required. Advanced modules or on-site client engagements may require additional vetting.

Ready to improve your organisation’s physical resilience?

Contact us to discuss individual or team delivery of the PRT Foundations course.

Contact Us
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Digital Forensics & Incident Response Foundations (DFIRF)