2.9.22
Released 28 Oct 2026
Official CodeArmory website
Red Team Cyber Security Exercises in Your Own Lab
CodeArmory is a Windows agent that drafts the scope sheet, appends to the evidence log and writes the report for exercises in a lab you own. Current version: 2.9.22.
Draft engagement-scope.txt for my lab exercise from the notes in lab-notes, using the 192.168.56.x network.
- list_dir
lab-notes/4 entries - read_file
lab-notes/hosts.txtread - write_file
engagement-scope.txtsaved - edit_file
engagement-scope.txt+2 lines - grep
out_of_scope engagement-scope.txt1 match
Waiting for your OK before the next stepRejectAccept
Windows 10/11
64-bit (x64) only
About 34 MB
Portable .exe is about 25 MB
13
Interface languages
Local
No telemetry, no account to run
3 options
Cloud, local or built-in
What red team cyber security means in a lab
Red team cyber security means an authorised simulation of an adversary, run against systems you own or have written permission to test, so you can see how well people and defences respond. Every exercise needs a written scope, an owner who approves it and a time window. Start in your lab. CodeArmory 2.9.22 drafts and files that paperwork on Windows.
Plan a red team assessment in your own lab
A red team assessment starts with a document, not a command. Scope comes first. Ask CodeArmory to draft the scope sheet from your notes. The agent runs list_dir to see your exercise folder, read_file to read the host list and goals, and write_file to save engagement-scope.txt with an owner, a window, the in-scope lab addresses and a stop condition. In Ask first mode it pauses before the save. Read every line against your written permission, and reject any line you did not agree to. The 192.168.56.x lab network is the only range listed.
Tool trace
list_dir lab-notes/ → 4 entries
read_file lab-notes/hosts.txt → read
write_file engagement-scope.txt → savedKeep an evidence log while the window is open
Every step gets one line. It holds the time, the host (a 192.168.56.x address), the action and the result. You tell the agent what you did, and append_file adds the line to evidence-log.txt without touching the lines above it. When a step is a command from your plan, Shell runs your own lab check command and the card shows the real exit code. Stop at once if anything outside the scope answers. Afterwards, open the log with read_file and fix any line that does not match what you remember, because the agent only records what you give it. Ask first keeps a pause before each write.
Tool trace
Shell your lab check command → exit 0
append_file evidence-log.txt → +1 line
read_file evidence-log.txt → readCompare exported logs with your notes
Exports come first. Defenders export Windows event logs and Windows Firewall logs to files once the window closes. Then glob finds the exported files, grep searches them for a host name or a time from your evidence log, and read_file shows the surrounding lines. The agent reads files after the fact; it does not collect logs live and does not detect anything. Logs from 3 hosts can be split: task gives each sub-agent one export. Write the matches into detection notes with write_file, and check each note against the raw line before you keep it.
Write the debrief and the report
Debriefs need both sides. A red team blue team exercise ends with one debrief, and it works best when both sides sit in the same call and read the same file. Ask the agent to read the evidence log and the detection notes with read_file, then draft report.txt with write_file in 3 parts: findings, impact and fixes ranked by priority. Use MITRE ATT&CK names only as labels for what was tested and what the defenders saw. Plan only is a good first pass because it writes the outline and runs nothing. Switch to Ask first to create the file, then edit anything that overstates what happened.
How CodeArmory differs from a chat assistant
Chat assistants only reply. CodeArmory 2.9.22 reads your files, runs your own lab commands, saves results to disk and shows every action as a card with its real output.
| Typical chat assistant | CodeArmory | |
|---|---|---|
| Files | You paste text in and copy results out | Reads and writes files in the chat's working folder |
| Commands | Suggests commands for you to run | Runs your lab commands and shows the real exit code |
| Approval | Nothing to approve | Ask first pauses before changes; Plan only runs nothing |
| Record | Chat text you must copy yourself | Each action is a card with its real result |
How to start
- Download CodeArmory for Windows 10 or 11 and compare its SHA-256 checksum with the published manifest.
- Connect a cloud model, a local model or the built-in model, then press Test to check the endpoint.
- Create a folder for the exercise with your notes and host list, and choose it as the chat's working folder.
- Start in Plan only mode, read the plan, then switch to Ask first to carry it out step by step.
Who uses it and when
Students and home-lab builders use CodeArmory while they set up virtual machines on their own PC. List every machine first. If you are working out how to build a cybersecurity home lab, the agent can draft the host list, the isolated network notes and the reset steps for you to edit by hand.
Defenders use it after the window closes to line up exported logs with the evidence log. A beginner who has read a book for blue team work can turn one chapter into practice by writing the debrief file for a single lab exercise. The interface has 13 languages.
Independent testers who hold written permission use it to keep the paperwork in order. Get the signature first. If you are stuck on the red team vs blue team choice, write both job descriptions as plain text in your lab folder and see which one you would still enjoy reading next month.
Questions about this approach
What is red team cyber security?
An authorised simulation of an adversary run against an organisation's own systems to test how well its defences and people respond. It always has a written scope, an approving owner and a time window. You own the lab. You still write the scope down before you start, because the debrief and the report both refer back to it.
Is codearmy.net the official CodeArmory website?
Yes. codearmy.net is the official CodeArmory website, and its download button leads to the original build, whose SHA-256 checksum you should compare with the published manifest before you run setup. If anything looks wrong, use the Send feedback button inside the app.
What does purple team cyber security add?
It is an exercise in which the two sides share findings during or right after the work, so that detection and response improve. Sharing is the point. In a one-person lab you play both roles and write every finding into the debrief notes before you close the folder.
Do I need a lab to follow these steps?
Yes. A lab is the default: use virtual machines on your own PC, an isolated virtual network and made-up data, take a snapshot before the exercise, and delete the lab data afterwards. Any other system needs the owner's written scope listing who, which addresses, which dates and what is out of scope.
How do I stay inside the scope?
The scope sheet is your control: it lists the lab addresses, the dates and what is out of bounds. CodeArmory does not enforce it. Keep a named contact for the owner and a written stop condition, and stop at once if anything outside the scope responds to your commands.
Does CodeArmory detect or block attacks?
No. It does not monitor networks, detect attacks or block anything. It reads the files you give it, runs commands in the mode you chose (Ask first pauses before actions that change something) and drafts documents. Defenders review their own logs after the exercise, and the agent can help them search the exported files for a host name or a time.
Do my files leave the PC?
The answer depends on the model you connect. The prompt is what travels. With a cloud model, the prompt text, including text from files the agent reads, goes to that provider, so use made-up lab data only. With a local model, nothing leaves the PC. Chats, working folders and API keys stay on the PC either way.
Draft your first scope sheet
Download CodeArmory 2.9.22 for Windows 10 or 11, point it at a folder of lab notes and ask for a draft scope sheet. Review it. Change every line that does not match your written permission.
Download CodeArmory for Windows ↗More about CodeArmory
Every page is also available in 20 languages.
What CodeArmory does for exercise planning ↗ Connect a cloud, local or built-in model ↗ A step-by-step guide to one lab exercise ↗ Download for Windows 10 and 11 ↗ Answers to common questions ↗ Privacy and data handling ↗
