CISO Tribune

Vendor comparison · 2 companies

CyCognito vs UpGuard

CyCognito sells a platform for external attack surface management that identifies and validates exposures across an organization's internet-facing assets. UpGuard sells tools that move third-party risk monitoring from static snapshots to continuous oversight. CISO Tribune files both under External attack surface management. 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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  • CyCognito
  • UpGuard
CyCognito vs UpGuard: Products, Customers and Funding Compared
CyCognitoCyCognito sells a platform for external attack surface management that identifies and validates exposures across an organization's internet-facing assets.cycognito.comUpGuardUpGuard sells tools that move third-party risk monitoring from static snapshots to continuous oversight.upguard.com
What it sells
  • CyCognito PlatformA platform that automatically discovers, tests and prioritizes an organization's internet-facing assets and risks by simulating how an attacker would view the organization.
  • User Risk[1][5][10]Human risk management that gives visibility into human risk and enables safe AI adoption.
  • Risk Automations[1][10]Risk automation that connects a risk stack to system APIs to automate discovery, notification and remediation.
  • Questionnaire AI[11]Automatically completes questionnaires using a customer's own security documentation.
Categories
Headquarters
Palo Alto, United StatesHobart, Australia[2]
Founded
Not stated on its pages2012[2]
Ownership and funding
Not stated on its pagesPrivately held[2][3]
Named customers
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
Recent news
Not stated on its pagesNot stated on its pages
G2 and Gartner Peer Insights
  • G2: listed, seen November 3, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
  • G2: listed, seen November 10, 2026[3]
  • Gartner Peer Insights: Not stated on its pages
Who it fits
From its own pages, CyCognito sells mainly to enterprise security teams that want to find and test their internet-facing assets. A case study covers a healthcare conglomerate running a hospital network. CyCognito says its testing covers attack surfaces with millions of assets and tens of thousands of web applications.Not written yet
Last verified
November 2, 2026September 27, 2026

Where they overlap

  • CyCognito and UpGuard are both filed under External attack surface management.

Where they differ, field by field

  • CyCognito's primary category is External attack surface management; UpGuard's is Third-party risk and security ratings.
  • UpGuard is also filed under Human risk management.
  • CyCognito lists CyCognito Platform. UpGuard lists User Risk, Risk Automations and Questionnaire AI.
  • CyCognito is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States. UpGuard is headquartered in Hobart, Australia.
  • UpGuard was founded in 2012.
  • UpGuard is privately held.

What it sells: UpGuard

What User Risk does[1][5][10]
User Risk continuously detects unsanctioned applications running across a workforce and exposes over-privileged permissions and credential leaks. User Risk nudges employees mid-workflow and redirects them to approved corporate alternatives. User Risk sits in the browser and blocks unauthorized file uploads and copy-pastes.
What Risk Automations does[1][10]
UpGuard describes risk automation that connects a risk stack to system APIs to automate discovery, notification and remediation. The offering automates discovery, notification and resolution by integrating a risk stack.
What Questionnaire AI does[11]
Questionnaire AI automatically completes questionnaires using a customer's own security documentation. Customers upload documents such as a SOC 2 report, an information security report and previously completed questionnaires.

Questions about CyCognito and UpGuard

What do CyCognito and UpGuard sell?
CyCognito sells CyCognito Platform. UpGuard sells User Risk, Risk Automations and Questionnaire AI.
Are CyCognito and UpGuard in the same category?
They share External attack surface management. CyCognito's primary category is External attack surface management and UpGuard's is Third-party risk and security ratings.
Where are CyCognito and UpGuard headquartered?
CyCognito is headquartered in Palo Alto, United States. UpGuard is headquartered in Hobart, Australia.
When were CyCognito and UpGuard founded?
UpGuard was founded in 2012.
Who owns CyCognito and UpGuard?
UpGuard is privately held.
Who are CyCognito and UpGuard sold to?
From its own pages, CyCognito sells mainly to enterprise security teams that want to find and test their internet-facing assets.

About CyCognito

CyCognito sells a platform for external attack surface management that identifies and validates exposures across an organization's internet-facing assets.[4]

CyCognito says its platform continuously identifies and validates critical exposures so that security teams can act where it matters most.[4]

On discovery, CyCognito says it maps every asset through deep black-box discovery and keeps running reconnaissance as the attack surface changes. CyCognito states that its discovery requires zero input, zero seeds, zero configuration and zero onboarding. The company says it auto-attributes each asset to its owner, the business function it serves and the data it holds, and fingerprints the tech stack the asset runs.[4][5]

On testing, CyCognito says it runs active security tests across the entire external footprint. CyCognito states that it runs more than 100,000 security tests across more than 30 exposure categories, including OWASP application weaknesses, authentication bypass, exposed data and injection vulnerabilities. CyCognito says it uses unauthenticated black-box techniques designed not to disrupt live traffic, modify data or require downtime. The company also says it tests whether WAF, API security controls, CSPM policies and authentication surfaces are present and behaving as expected.[6]

CyCognito says it uses Target Graph to map business, security and stack context across all exposed assets, and that agents use it to orchestrate pentesting campaigns that chain attacks, deliver proof and adjust as the surface changes.[6]

On prioritization, CyCognito says its prioritization considers asset attractiveness to attackers, business context, targeted threat intelligence and results from 100,000+ tests. CyCognito says its remediation validation feature automatically checks if a remediation attempt has been successful, and that its Remediation Planner tool builds remediation plans for organizations and their subsidiaries.[5][6]

On customers, CyCognito publishes a case study on Asklepios, a healthcare conglomerate, which the page describes as operating a hospital network with 50,000 employees.[7]

CyCognito's CEO and Co-Founder is Rob Gurzeev, who the company says has led the development of offensive security solutions for both the private sector and intelligence agencies.[1][2][4][5][8]

CyCognito on the record

Sources

CyCognito full record

  1. [1]CompanyCyCognito · cycognito.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Cycognito secures 100m to accelerate next evolution of attack surface managementDark Reading · darkreading.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier B
  3. [3]CyCognito Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2G2 · undated page, accessed October 24, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]Preemptive Exposure Management | ASM Leader | CyCognitoCyCognito · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]Qualys vs CyCognito | Qualy AlternativesCyCognito · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Continuous Security Validation | AutoPT | CyCognitoCyCognito · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Healthcare Conglomerate Asklepios Significantly Improves Risk Exposure with CyCognitoCyCognito · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]API Security: 2026 Guide to Threats, Challenges, and Best Practices | CyCognitoCyCognito · undated page, accessed November 3, 2026 · Tier A

UpGuard full record

  1. [1]upguard.comUpGuard · upguard.com · undated page, accessed September 27, 2026 · Tier A
  2. [2]Upguard raises 75m in series c funding to accelerate market leadership in cyber risk posture managementUpGuard · upguard.com · published February 26, 2026 · Tier A
  3. [3]UpGuard Vendor Risk Reviews & Product DetailsG2 · undated page, accessed October 29, 2026 · Tier C
  4. [4]Continuous Third-Party Risk Monitoring | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  5. [5]The #1 Cyber Risk Posture Management Platform | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  6. [6]Pricing For The UpGuard CRPM Platform | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  7. [7]Third-party Risk Assessment Software | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  8. [8]Lucid Security Rating & Data Breaches | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  9. [9]GiftPay Security Rating & Data Breaches | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  10. [10]User Risk: A Human Risk Management Platform | UpGuardUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A
  11. [11]Free AI-Powered Security Questionnaires Done in MinutesUpGuard · undated page, accessed November 10, 2026 · Tier A

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