CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cequence Security vs Imperva

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Imperva sells an Application Security Platform that protects against application and API attacks without impacting legitimate users. CISO Tribune files both under API security, Bot and abuse management and WAF and WAAP. This page sets the two records side by side: what each sells, where it is based, who owns and funds it, the customers it names and its recent news, each fact numbered to its source.

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  • Cequence Security
  • Imperva
Cequence Security vs Imperva: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
Cequence SecurityCequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection.cequence.aiImpervaImperva sells an Application Security Platform that protects against application and API attacks without impacting legitimate users.imperva.com
What it sells
  • Cequence API Security[7][12]Discovers, monitors and tests APIs.
  • Cequence AI Gateway[8]Contains agents and governs their actions in real time.
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)[9][12]Imperva WAF protects applications in any environment, cloud or on-premises.
  • Advanced Bot Protection[4][5][9][11][17]Imperva Advanced Bot Protection protects websites, mobile apps and APIs from sophisticated automated attacks.
  • API Security[4][5][9][17]Imperva API Security provides continuous protection of all APIs.
  • DDoS Protection[5][9][12]Imperva’s advanced DDoS protection defends against volumetric, protocol-based and Layer 7 attacks.
  • Client-Side Protection[9][13]Imperva Client-Side Protection safeguards against client-side attacks like formjacking, digital skimming and Magecart.
  • AI Application Security[5][14]Imperva AI Application Security is engineered for the unique architecture of LLMs.
  • Data Security Fabric[15]Imperva Data Security Fabric is purpose-built for hybrid multicloud environments.
  • Content Delivery Network[9]Imperva's Secure Content Delivery Network (CDN) accelerates the delivery of content and applications.
Categories
Headquarters
Sunnyvale, United StatesRedwood Shores, United States[3]
Founded
2015[2]Not stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Privately held[4]Owned by Thales[1][5][7][8][10]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
  • October 7, 2026Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not.[18]
  • August 6, 2026Cequence Security announced that NTT DOCOMO has deployed its application and API protection platform.[16]
  • June 23, 2026Cequence Security launched two new capabilities, Intent Graph and Biometric Check, for bot defense across web, mobile, API and agentic AI traffic.[17]
  • April 28, 2026Cequence Security announced general availability of Agent Personas in its AI Gateway, giving enterprises control over what AI agents are permitted to do.[15]
  • August 24, 2026Thales Imperva introduced the SSL Integration Center, a framework connecting Imperva Cloud WAF with certificate lifecycle management platforms, launching with a DigiCert integration.[19]
  • August 3, 2026Thales launched Imperva for AWS, which provides web application, API and bot protection for AWS environments.[6]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[4]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 6, 2026[7]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: listed, seen November 6, 2026[8]
Who it fits
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Financial services organizations are a named audience, including those with digital banking, payment systems and open banking initiatives. Organizations that store, process or transmit credit card information are addressed through its PCI DSS content. Modern retailers with AI-powered shopping experiences and agentic checkout flows are another described audience. Enterprises whose teams delegate work to AI agents with access to internal apps, data and systems are a further stated audience.From its own pages, Imperva sells mainly to organizations that need to protect applications and APIs in public or private cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments. Imperva addresses retail organizations that need to protect customers' data and secure applications, APIs, and cloud networks. Imperva addresses businesses aiming to comply with PCI DSS 4.0 standards while defending against client-side attacks. Imperva describes support for compliance in highly regulated industries across hybrid and multicloud environments. Imperva describes a purpose-built solution to secure AI applications for homegrown GenAI.
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cequence Security and Imperva are both filed under API security, Bot and abuse management and WAF and WAAP.
  • Both are headquartered in the United States.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cequence Security's primary category is API security; Imperva's is WAF and WAAP.
  • Imperva is also filed under DDoS protection.
  • Cequence Security lists Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Imperva lists Web Application Firewall (WAF), Advanced Bot Protection, API Security, DDoS Protection, Client-Side Protection and 3 more.
  • Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Imperva is headquartered in Redwood Shores, United States.
  • Cequence Security was founded in 2015.
  • Cequence Security is privately held. Imperva is owned by Thales.

What it sells: Cequence Security

What Cequence API Security does[7][12]
Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence API Security ships more than 200 pre-built risk rules mapped to 25 global frameworks.
What Cequence AI Gateway does[8]
Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool.

What it sells: Imperva

What Web Application Firewall (WAF) does[9][12]
Imperva says managed rules written and tested by the Imperva Threat Research team before deployment allow more than 94% of Imperva customers to deploy the Imperva WAF in blocking mode. Imperva’s Attack Analytics automatically correlates thousands of security alerts into narratives. Imperva’s Terraform provider automates Cloud WAF deployments.
What Advanced Bot Protection does[4][5][9][11][17]
Advanced Bot Protection safeguards websites, mobile apps and APIs from bot attacks, including all OWASP 21 Automated Threats. Imperva says its multi-layered approach detects malicious bots by combining direct client interrogation, behavior analysis, machine learning, connection characteristics and threat intelligence feeds.
What DDoS Protection does[5][9][12]
Imperva offers a guaranteed 3-second mitigation SLA for Layers 3 and 4 DDoS attacks. Imperva DDoS Protection for Networks shields entire infrastructures with 13 Tbps of multi-terabit scrubbing capacity. Imperva DDoS Protection for Websites works alongside a cloud web application firewall (WAF) to block attacks and malicious bots.
What Client-Side Protection does[9][13]
Imperva Client-Side Protection enables security teams to manage client-side resources and JavaScript while streamlining compliance with PCI DSS 4.0 requirements 6.4.3 and 11.6.1. Client-Side Protection automatically blocks known malicious domains based on data from the Imperva Threat Research Team.
What Data Security Fabric does[15]
Imperva Data Security Fabric protects all your data assets. Imperva data security reveals critical insight including sensitive data location, users, access, and risk. Imperva offers out-of-the-box support for over 100 data repositories, on-prem or in cloud.

Questions about Cequence Security and Imperva

What do Cequence Security and Imperva sell?
Cequence Security sells Cequence API Security and Cequence AI Gateway. Imperva sells Web Application Firewall (WAF), Advanced Bot Protection, API Security, DDoS Protection, Client-Side Protection and 3 more.
Are Cequence Security and Imperva in the same category?
They share API security, Bot and abuse management and WAF and WAAP. Cequence Security's primary category is API security and Imperva's is WAF and WAAP.
Where are Cequence Security and Imperva headquartered?
Cequence Security is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States. Imperva is headquartered in Redwood Shores, United States.
When were Cequence Security and Imperva founded?
Cequence Security was founded in 2015.
Who owns Cequence Security and Imperva?
Cequence Security is privately held. Imperva is owned by Thales.
Who are Cequence Security and Imperva sold to?
From its own pages, Cequence sells mainly to organizations that run applications and APIs and need to protect them against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. From its own pages, Imperva sells mainly to organizations that need to protect applications and APIs in public or private cloud, hybrid and on-premises environments.
What have Cequence Security and Imperva announced recently?
October 7, 2026: Cequence Security launched Agent Trust, a capability in its Application and API Protection that verifies AI agents presenting an identity and detects those that do not. August 24, 2026: Thales Imperva introduced the SSL Integration Center, a framework connecting Imperva Cloud WAF with certificate lifecycle management platforms, launching with a DigiCert integration.

About Cequence Security

Cequence Security sells a single platform that combines agentic AI governance, API security, bot defense and web app protection. Cequence says the platform welcomes legitimate traffic and shuts out abuse.[5]

Cequence says its platform gives organizations the security, governance and control they need to protect their applications and data against attacks, business logic abuse and fraud. Cequence says that core technology now extends to securing the AI agents and workflows modern enterprises depend on.[6]

Cequence analyzes behavioral intent so good agents transact smoothly while fraud, abuse and account takeover are kept at bay. Cequence says the platform distinguishes humans and bots, and legitimate automation from threats. Cequence says the platform continuously evaluates live traffic to identify threats in real time and trigger countermeasures. Cequence says its detection runs independent of the client. Cequence also says customers do not need to replace their CDN, because Cequence is separate from the delivery network.[5][6]

Cequence API Security is an AI-first solution that discovers, monitors and tests APIs. Cequence API Security assesses a broad range of risks that can lead to compliance or governance issues, data loss and business disruption. Cequence API Security discovers internal, external and third-party APIs. Cequence integrates with existing infrastructure such as API gateways, or can be deployed inline. Cequence identifies and masks sensitive data using ML-based rules with predefined and customizable data patterns. Cequence API Security test plans can be generated automatically from Postman collections or API specifications. Cequence API Security exposes every capability as MCP tools.[7]

Cequence AI Gateway contains every agent wherever it runs and governs its actions in real time, across any model, MCP server, API or application, at enterprise scale. Cequence says its Agent Personas scope every agent to the tools, APIs, skills and LLMs its job requires. Agent Behavior Protection evaluates each tool call in the context of the full session. Agents authenticate with Agent Access Keys while the gateway brokers backend tokens, so agents never have direct access to backend credentials. Prompt Guard detects prompt injection, override instructions and safety filter bypass attempts before they reach a model or tool. Cequence AI Gateway can monitor, redact and block sensitive data across more than 100 out-of-the-box detection types. Budgets in Cequence AI Gateway cap spend per employee, team and agent persona, by day or by month. Trusted registries of MCP servers, APIs, LLMs and skills define exactly what agents can connect to.[8]

Cequence takes a network-based approach that monitors all API transactions to protect against AI bot attacks, IP scraping and sensitive data exposure. Cequence says its approach requires no application modification. Cequence discovery identifies and inventories all APIs in use, whether they are internal, external or third-party. Cequence actively monitors API transactions, including GenAI and agentic AI APIs, for inappropriate sensitive data flows. Cequence describes business logic abuse as targeting the intended functionality of applications and APIs rather than exploiting traditional technical vulnerabilities. Cequence says it protected multiple major telecommunications companies from a series of six high-profile BOLA API attacks.[9][10][11]

Cequence describes use cases that include stopping credential stuffing and brute force attacks before attackers seize legitimate user accounts. Cequence describes use cases that include neutralizing scalper bots that buy out high-demand inventory before real customers can. Cequence describes use cases that include blocking bots that enumerate account numbers and drain gift card and rewards balances. Cequence describes use cases that include identifying and redacting PII, credentials and regulated data moving through API traffic in real time. Cequence says PCI DSS v4.0.1 includes provisions that require capabilities found in Cequence API Security and Bot Management, including API discovery and sensitive data identification and masking. Cequence describes digital banking platforms, mobile apps, payment systems, trading portals, partner integrations and open banking initiatives as relying on interconnected APIs to move money and data in real time.[1][3][5][6][7][12][13][14]

Cequence Security on the record

Sources

Cequence Security full record

  1. [1]cequence.aiCequence Security · cequence.ai · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cequence security opens emea headquarters and names key execs to accelerate protection of hyper connected enterprises across emeaCequence Security · cequence.ai · published December 23, 2024 · Tier A
  3. [3]PlatformCequence Security · cequence.ai · published July 22, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cequence Security Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  5. [5]Application & API SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]The Cequence Platform – Securing Applications, APIs, and AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]API Security Tool | Posture Management, Compliance & TestingCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]AI Gateway: The missing agentic AI security and governance layerCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]AI Security Tool for Generative and Agentic AI | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Business Logic Vulnerabilities | Prevent Logic Abuse | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]BOLA Vulnerability Protection & Attack Prevention | CequenceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance | Cequence SecurityCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]API Security & Fraud Prevention for Financial Services | Cequence AICequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Agentic AI GovernanceCequence Security · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Cequence Launches AI Gateway With Secure Agent PersonasCequence Security · published April 28, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Cequence Security Deployment Expands to NTT DOCOMOCequence Security · published August 6, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Cequence Launches Intent Graph for AI Agent SecurityCequence Security · published June 23, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Meta's Muse Reached More Than Half of Customers Cequence Studied in Two Weeks Without Identifying Itself as an AI AgentGlobeNewswire · published October 7, 2026 · Tier A

Imperva full record

  1. [1]Thales completes acquisition imperva creating global leaderThales Group · thalesgroup.com · published December 4, 2023 · Tier A
  2. [2]AboutImperva · imperva.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Greg clark joins imperva board of directorsImperva · imperva.com · published June 4, 2014 · Tier A
  4. [4]Application securityImperva · imperva.com · published August 23, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Cyber Security Leader | Imperva, Inc.Imperva · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Thales Launches Imperva for AWS to Help Organizations Protect Applications and APIsBusiness Wire · published August 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Imperva Data Security Fabric Reviews & Product Details - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  8. [8]Thales Group (Imperva) Reviews - Gartner Peer InsightsGartner Peer Insights · undated page, accessed October 25, 2026 · Tier C
  9. [9]Best Application Security | Imperva WAAP ProtectionImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Web Application Firewall (WAF) | Cloud & On-Prem | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Advanced Bot Protection | Stop Advanced Bots | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  12. [12]Advanced DDoS Protection & Mitigation Services | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  13. [13]Client-Side Protection | PCI 4.0 Compliance | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  14. [14]Enterprise AI & LLM Security | Stop Prompt Injection | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  15. [15]Data Security Solutions | Protecting Data Everywhere | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  16. [16]Plans and Services | Imperva Cyber SecurityImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  17. [17]Retail & eCommerce Cyber Security | Secure Online Transactions | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  18. [18]Data Security Fabric | Protect All Data Types | ImpervaImperva · undated page, accessed November 6, 2026 · Tier A
  19. [19]Bring Your Own CA: Introducing the Thales Imperva SSL Integration Center, Featuring DigiCert Trust Lifecycle ManagerImperva · published August 24, 2026 · Tier A

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