No. 3 of 19 ·Breach and Attack Simulation Software

MITRE Caldera

Web · Mac · Linux · Self-hosted · API

Freedom report

Three barsScore 6.5

Free tierA free tier is on its own pricing page
Open codeNo open-source code on record
Runs widely3 of 6 device platforms
DocumentedPlans, terms and facts published

MITRE Caldera is ranked #3 of 19 in breach and attack simulation software on Freedom251. It runs on API, Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Web. There is a free plan.

MITRE Caldera plans and pricing

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Apache Caldera Free Open-source cybersecurity framework · Apache License 2.0 caldera.apache.org · 5 Oct 2026

Compared on breach and attack simulation software

Attack simulation modes: agent-based
Included attack surfaces: hosts, networks, endpoint security, OT environments
MITRE ATT&CK mapping: Yes
Custom attack scenarios: Yes
Deployment model: on-premises

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The record

Purpose: Apache Caldera automates adversary emulation and routine cybersecurity assessments.
Use cases: The project describes autonomous adversary emulation, detection and response platform testing, manual red-team engagements, and red-versus-blue research as use cases.
ATT&CK: Caldera is built on the MITRE ATT&CK framework and can use adversary profiles to test defenses and train blue teams.
Architecture: The core includes an asynchronous command-and-control server, a REST API, and a web interface, with plugins that add functionality.
Plugins: Team-maintained plugins include Atomic Red Team TTPs, Caldera for OT, ATT&CK visualizations, incident response, reporting, and training.
Agent: The default Sandcat agent is written in Go and supports cross-platform deployment, beaconing, instruction execution, payload downloads, and file uploads.
Integrations: The Atomic plugin imports tests from the open-source Red Canary Atomic tests repository.
OT support: Caldera for OT plugins add support for common industrial protocols through collections of protocol-specific abilities.
Deployment: The project documents installation from source and Docker deployment, including full and slim container variants.
Host requirements: The repository lists Linux or macOS, Python 3.10 or later with pip, and recommends at least 8 GB RAM and 2 CPUs for the core framework.
Security: The project recommends running Caldera in a secure environment or network and says its web interface is not hardened or thoroughly penetration-tested and has only basic security features.
Authentication: Caldera supports login through its internal user mapping or LDAP, and its configuration can specify a custom login handler.
Support and learning: The project links to documentation, training, use cases, tutorial videos, a blog, Discord, and GitHub discussions.
Notable limits: The repository states that the Builder plugin does not work in Docker and that Caldera container data is ephemeral by default.
Price from: Free

Where it ranks on Freedom251

Best Breach and Attack Simulation Software in 2026#3 of 19

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Sources

caldera.apache.org· checked 5 Oct 2026
github.com/apache/caldera· checked 5 Oct 2026
caldera.readthedocs.io/en/stable/Plugin-library.html· checked 5 Oct 2026
caldera.readthedocs.io/en/stable/Server-Configuration.html· checked 5 Oct 2026