Pentera is a cybersecurity software company specializing in AI-based automated security validation solutions, a category focused on testing the effectiveness of security controls using emulated attack techniques. The company specialises in identifying, validating, and fixing exploitable security gaps.

Originally founded as Pcysys in 2015, the company later rebranded as Pentera in 2021. Pentera has entities worldwide, including in the US, Germany, UK, Israel, Dubai, and Singapore.^[2][3]

Pentera develops automated security validation software designed to test cybersecurity defenses against real-world attack techniques. The platform enables organizations to identify, validate, and fix exploitable security gaps across environments.^[4]

Pentera software automates testing across internal and external attack surfaces in on-premises and cloud environments, emulating techniques such as remote code execution, password cracking, and data exfiltration; it operates without endpoint agents, allowing use across typical enterprise systems and with security service providers.

In 2025, Pentera introduced AI-based capabilities, including support for automated attack execution and analysis of complex attack paths to prioritize security exposures.^[5]

Pentera's platform operates within the broader category of security validation technologies and aligns with continuous threat exposure management (CTEM) approaches.

The Pentera platform includes the following products:

• Pentera Core - Tests and validates security controls across internal networks using real-world attack techniques.^[6]
• Pentera Surface - Tests externally exposed assets and internet-facing systems to identify exploitable security gaps.^[7]
• Pentera Cloud - Evaluates cloud and hybrid environments by testing for cloud-native attack paths and misconfigurations.^[8]
• Pentera Resolve - Supports remediation and fixing of validated security findings.

Additional capabilities such as ransomware resilience testing and credential exposure analysis are also included within the platform. Pentera also provides adversarial testing services under the Sector11 name, as well as Security Validation Advisory (SVA) services.

Pentera Labs is the company’s research division that focuses on cybersecurity vulnerabilities, attack techniques, and security exposures.^[2] The team publishes research on emerging adversarial methods and contributes findings related to evolving attack techniques and security gaps.^[9]

Examples include research on a Fortinet authentication-bypass flaw (CVE-2024-47574), an Azure Functions XSS issue, the “135 Is the New 445” lateral-movement technique, and VMware vCenter zero-days, which were reported to vendors and subsequently addressed.^{[10][11][12][13][14]}

In January 2026, a report by Pentera Labs revealed that intentionally vulnerable training and demonstration applications such as OWASP Juice Shop and DVWA were being actively exploited as entry points for cloud compromises within Fortune 500 companies and major security vendors. ^[15][16] The research found nearly 2,000 exposed instances, with 20% showing evidence of unauthorized activity, including the deployment of crypto-miners and persistence mechanisms.^[17]

Pentera has raised venture capital funding through multiple funding rounds. To date, the company has raised $190 million in primary funding:

• Seed funding (2015-2018): Raised $5 million.^[18][19]
• Series A (November 2019): Raised $10 million from AWZ Ventures and Blackstone Group.^[18]
• Series B (September 2020): Raised $25 million^[20] from Insight Partners, AWZ Ventures, and Blackstone Group.^[19][21][22]
• Series C (January 2022): Pentera became a unicorn raising $150 million, out of which $75 million in primary, from K1 Investment Management, Evolution Equity Partners, and Insight Partners. This funding round brought Pentera's valuation to $1 billion.^[23][24]
• Series D (March 2025): Raised $60 million, led by Evolution Equity Partners, with participation from Farallon Capital Management.^[25][26]

On October 9, 2025, Pentera acquired DevOcean, an AI-remediation management platform.^[27]

On November 5, 2025, Pentera acquired EVA Information Security, an offensive security firm specializing in AI red teaming and pentesting.^[28]

The acquisitions expanded Pentera's capabilities in remediation orchestration and adversarial testing.

In January 2026, Pentera reported surpassing $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a metric commonly used to measure growth in subscription-based software companies.

Pentera was founded in 2015 under the name Pcysys. The company initially focused on automated penetration testing technologies and later expanded its platform to support broader security validation use cases. In 2021, Pcysys rebranded as Pentera.