CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

Cobalt vs Optiv

Cobalt offers a full suite of offensive security services, from autonomous pentesting to human-led pentesting. Optiv sells cybersecurity services that advise on, deploy and operate security programs for organizations. CISO Tribune files both under Penetration testing and red team services. 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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  • Cobalt
  • Optiv
Cobalt vs Optiv: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CobaltCobalt offers a full suite of offensive security services, from autonomous pentesting to human-led pentesting.cobalt.ioOptivOptiv sells cybersecurity services that advise on, deploy and operate security programs for organizations.optiv.com
What it sells
  • Autonomous Pentest[3][7]Complete pentests in 24 hours with proof of exploit on every finding.
  • Cobalt Sage AI[3][6][7]The intelligence Cobalt says powers every Cobalt pentest.
  • Secure Code Review[8]Human-led analysis of source code to find security vulnerabilities.
  • Internal Network Pentest[10]Testing of internal systems by Cobalt experts.
  • Application Security[3][6]Services that protect applications, APIs and development pipelines.
  • Identity Security[2][3]Services for managing identities and securing access.
  • Co-Managed SIEM Service[5]A managed SIEM service with access to SIEM experts.
Categories
Headquarters
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Founded
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pages
  • October 21, 2026Optiv launched CyberBOT, a free cybersecurity awareness training program for classrooms, nonprofits and communities.[10]
  • August 5, 2026Optiv announced Optiv Agentic Security Operations, formerly Optiv MDR, a managed security operations model combining agentic AI and practitioner expertise.[9]
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 5, 2026[5]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: Not stated on its pages
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, Cobalt sells mainly to security and development teams. Cobalt says customers use it to test critical web applications and APIs in production, AI and LLM-based applications still in development, and globally distributed networks segmented by location and business unit. Cobalt offers centralized management of parent and child organizations. Cobalt says its pentesting helps customers meet audit, regulatory and customer requirements.Optiv describes services for small organizations just getting started and for large corporations well into security maturity. Optiv states that security teams are managing more tools, more telemetry and more AI-driven pressure than their operating models were built to absorb. Optiv states that it is tool agnostic and works within a client's existing technology environment. Optiv says it delivers expertise to organizations across every major industry.
Last verified
September 27, 2026November 4, 2026

Where they overlap

  • Cobalt and Optiv are both filed under Penetration testing and red team services.

Where they differ, field by field

  • Cobalt's primary category is Penetration testing and red team services; Optiv's is Security consulting and advisory.
  • Optiv is also filed under Managed security service providers and Incident response and forensics.
  • Cobalt lists Autonomous Pentest, Cobalt Sage AI, Secure Code Review and Internal Network Pentest. Optiv lists Application Security, Identity Security and Co-Managed SIEM Service.

What it sells: Cobalt

What Autonomous Pentest does[3][7]
Cobalt Autonomous Pentest is overseen by Cobalt Core pentesters. Cobalt says it delivers complete pentests in 24 hours with proof of exploit on every finding.
What Cobalt Sage AI does[3][6][7]
Cobalt says Cobalt Sage AI is built on 13 years of expertise and informed by thousands of security engagements. Cobalt says it removes reconnaissance, scanning, triage and reporting work so human experts can focus on complex attack paths.
What Secure Code Review does[8]
Secure code review is described as human-led analysis of source code. Cobalt uses SAST and SCA for automated scanning and then manually reviews the output to validate findings.
What Internal Network Pentest does[10]
Cobalt says its experts use network scanning tools, exploit frameworks and manual techniques to find and exploit vulnerabilities in internal systems. Findings appear in real time on the Cobalt platform with remediation guidance.

What it sells: Optiv

What Application Security does[3][6]
Optiv's application security services protect applications, APIs and development pipelines by identifying vulnerabilities and improving secure coding practices throughout the software lifecycle. Optiv AppSec services help organizations design and build application security programs.
What Identity Security does[2][3]
Optiv's identity security services secure access across an organization. Identity Security covers managing identities, enforcing least privilege and improving authentication, governance and visibility.
What Co-Managed SIEM Service does[5]
Optiv's co-managed SIEM service helps monitor security events with just-in-time threat intelligence. In the service, the SIEM sends alerts to threat analysts in the SOC for human analysis.

Questions about Cobalt and Optiv

What do Cobalt and Optiv sell?
Cobalt sells Autonomous Pentest, Cobalt Sage AI, Secure Code Review and Internal Network Pentest. Optiv sells Application Security, Identity Security and Co-Managed SIEM Service.
Are Cobalt and Optiv in the same category?
They share Penetration testing and red team services. Cobalt's primary category is Penetration testing and red team services and Optiv's is Security consulting and advisory.
Who are Cobalt and Optiv sold to?
From its own pages, Cobalt sells mainly to security and development teams. Optiv describes services for small organizations just getting started and for large corporations well into security maturity.
What have Cobalt and Optiv announced recently?
October 21, 2026: Optiv launched CyberBOT, a free cybersecurity awareness training program for classrooms, nonprofits and communities.

About Cobalt

Cobalt offers a full suite of offensive security services, from autonomous pentesting to human-led pentesting. The Cobalt Offensive Security Platform helps customers move beyond point in time pentesting to a continuous offensive security program.[1][3]

Cobalt says most pentesting programs still operate on an annual cycle. Cobalt describes the gap between how fast risk changes and how often organizations test for it as the exposure adversaries count on.[7]

The Cobalt Platform centralizes access to the full range of security testing services: web app, API, cloud, network, red teaming, AI and LLM, and more. Customers can launch a pentest in hours and get real-time findings. Customers can collaborate directly with testers via the platform, Microsoft Teams or Slack. Cobalt says Cobalt Sage AI powers every Cobalt pentest and is built on 13 years of expertise, informed by thousands of security engagements. Cobalt says Cobalt Sage AI removes the reconnaissance, scanning, triage and reporting work so human experts can focus on complex attack paths and creative scenarios.[1][3][4][7][10]

Cobalt delivers penetration testing across the entire application portfolio to find and fix vulnerabilities before they are exploited. Cobalt says network and cloud infrastructure are high-value targets in a constant state of change, and that Cobalt identifies and validates real exposures across the attack surface. Network and cloud testing covers Internal Network Pentest, External Network Pentest, Cloud Pentest and Cloud Configuration Review. Advanced offensive security services from Cobalt test systems against the tactics and techniques of a sophisticated adversary. Cobalt's advanced services include Red Teaming, Digital Risk Assessment and Secure Code Review. Customers use Cobalt to test critical web applications and APIs in production, AI and LLM-based applications still in development, and globally distributed networks segmented by location and business unit. For code review, Cobalt uses SAST and SCA for automated scanning and then reviews the scanner output manually to validate the findings.[3][4][8][10]

Cobalt offers two testing delivery models. Customers can choose one or mix and match depending on assets, environment, release cycles and goals. Human-led testing draws on purpose-built methodologies and 500+ vetted security experts in the Cobalt Core. Cobalt Autonomous Pentest delivers complete pentests in 24 hours with proof of exploit on every finding, overseen by Cobalt Core pentesters. Agentic Penetration Testing as a Service pairs AI-driven automation with human pentesters to deliver continuous offensive security. Cobalt says periodic penetration testing meets compliance deadlines and continuous testing gives coverage in between.[3][4][7]

Cobalt pushes vulnerability data into Jira, GitHub, ServiceNow and more through 50+ integrations. Cobalt offers unlimited retesting with a seven-day SLA. Cobalt offers centralized management of parent and child organizations. Cobalt says its customizable reports are mapped to SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA and PCI-DSS. A Cobalt Credit represents the equivalent of 8 hours of offensive security testing. Cobalt sells credits in annual packages that include asset scoping, testing, retesting and platform access. Credits do not roll over into the next contract.[2][3][4][7][9]

Cobalt on the record

Sources

Cobalt full record

  1. [1]cobalt.ioCobalt · cobalt.io · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cobalt Introduces New AI Capabilities for Continuous PentestingCobalt via Business Wire · businesswire.com · published March 19, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Cobalt: Continuous Offensive Security TestingCobalt · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Cybersecurity Services | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Cobalt Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 23, 2026 · Tier C
  6. [6]Modern Offensive Security Platform | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Agentic PTaaS: Pentest as a Service | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Secure Code Review Services | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Pentest Pricing & Penetration Testing Costs | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Internal Network Penetration Testing Services | CobaltCobalt · undated page, accessed November 5, 2026 · Tier A

Optiv full record

  1. [1]Optiv sells advisory consulting and transformation act business vobisOptiv · optiv.com · published June 2, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]About Us | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]Optiv Services | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  4. [4]Optiv | Cybersecurity Consultants and SolutionsOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Co-Managed SIEM Services Improve Security | Optiv | Learn MoreOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Threat & Vulnerability Remediation Solutions | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Cybersecurity Solutions | Innovation and Risk Reduction | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Our Leadership Team | OptivOptiv · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]Optiv Introduces Agentic Security Operations, Redefining Managed Security Services with the Power of Google Security Operations and Extensive Wiz IntegrationPRNewswire · published August 5, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]Optiv Launches CyberBOT®, A Free Cybersecurity Awareness Training Program for Classrooms, Nonprofits and Communities | OptivOptiv · published October 21, 2026 · Tier A

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