Lares

What Lares does

Lares is a Denver, Colorado-based security consulting firm and a subsidiary of Damovo that provides adversarial security testing services to enterprise clients. Founded in 2008, the firm co-created the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) and has conducted over 4,500 adversarial engagements for 600+ customers worldwide. Its service portfolio spans penetration testing, red team testing, purple team testing (adversarial collaboration), application security, AI security testing, vCISO advisory, insider threat testing, social engineering, physical security, cloud security, and incident response. The firm also offers red team staffing, development, and training services for organizations building internal capabilities.

Lares' technical approach is grounded in the PTES framework and MITRE ATT&CK methodology, with capabilities spanning electronic, physical, and social attack surfaces. Specialized expertise includes Active Directory security testing (Kerberos abuse, ACL exploitation), living-off-the-land techniques using native OS tooling (PowerShell, ADSI Searcher), network monitoring via Zeek/Malcolm, and SIEM detection engineering with Splunk. The team is organized around a dedicated Adversarial Collaboration Unit and includes senior engineers who contribute to industry bodies such as OWASP, the Red Team Alliance, and the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report. A "Lares Labs" sub-brand publishes offensive security research and open-source tools.

The firm operates a pure direct enterprise field sales model with no channel partners or self-service purchasing. All engagements begin with discovery meetings and scoping discussions ([email protected], +1 720-600-0329). Pricing is quote-based on scope, duration, and complexity; penetration tests typically run 1-2 weeks while red team engagements span 4-6+ weeks, with multi-year contracts common for vCISO and recurring advisory work. Customer segments include healthcare, financial services/banking, credit unions, critical infrastructure, energy/utilities, manufacturing, insurance, law firms, retail, hospitality, and high technology. Named enterprise clients include Hyatt, Ulbrich Stainless Steel, Word & Brown (10+ year engagement), Wandb, Conexus, and Horizon Bank. The firm holds a 5.0 Gartner Peer Insights rating.

Name

Lares

Legal name

Lares LLC

Website

https://lares.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lares is a Denver-based security consulting firm and Damovo subsidiary providing adversarial testing services — penetration testing, red team, purple team, AI security testing, and vCISO advisory — to enterprise clients across financial services, healthcare, critical infrastructure, and other regulated industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting Services

NAICS

Investigation and Security Services (5616)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Penetration Testing & Red Teaming (BPAKAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Application Security Testing (SAST/DAST/IAST/SCA) (HDADACAC), Penetration Testing & Red Teaming (BPAKADAE), Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)

Keywords

• Penetration testing services
• Red team testing
• Purple team testing
• Adversarial security consulting
• Application security assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Security Consulting Services: Lares generates revenue through professional services engagements including penetration testing, red team testing, purple team testing, application security assessments, vCISO advisory services, insider threat testing, social engineering, physical security testing, cloud security, and incident response. Engagements are scoped based on objectives, timeframe, and organizational requirements with longer Red Team engagements running 4-6+ weeks compared to 1-2 week penetration tests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lares is a security consulting firm that provides adversarial security testing services across electronic, physical, and social attack surfaces. Its core offerings include penetration testing, red team testing, purple team testing, application security, AI security testing, advisory services (vCISO), insider threat testing, social engineering, physical security, cloud security services, and incident response, delivered as scoped professional engagements to enterprise clients with mature security programs.

Product overview

Lares is a security consulting firm and a Damovo company that provides adversarial security testing services. The company operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a software platform, delivering professional consulting engagements. Lares co-created the Penetration Testing Execution Standard (PTES) and has conducted over 4,500 adversarial engagements since 2008. The core portfolio consists of penetration testing, red team testing, purple team testing, application security, and advisory services (vCISO). These services are complemented by specialized offerings including AI security testing, insider threat testing, social engineering, physical security, cloud security, and incident response. The company also provides red team staffing, development, and training services for organizations building internal capabilities. Lares serves industries including healthcare, financial/banking, credit unions, critical infrastructure, energy, transportation, retail, high tech, and ecommerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lares Labs: Internal research and technical blog division focused on offensive security research and threat analysis

Products and services

• Penetration Testing

Quantifiable outcome

• 600+ customers worldwide served since 2008
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DamovoflagshipOthers · 1 January 2008Lares is a Damovo company, acquired or integrated under the Damovo corporate umbrella. Damovo is a technology services company providing security and technology consulting services. Lares operates as the security consulting division within the Damovo group.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CrowdStrike (Services): CrowdStrike's services arm offers adversary emulation, red team, and incident response alongside its endpoint protection platform. Comparable in offensive security offerings to Lares but bundled with a leading software product and global enterprise reach.
• Coalfire: Cybersecurity advisory firm offering penetration testing, red team, and compliance-driven security assessments. Comparable services to Lares with stronger footprint in regulated industries and broader compliance focus.
• NCC Group: Global cybersecurity services firm with a substantial escrowed and red team practice. Comparable to Lares in offensive testing services but at materially larger scale, with broader geographic coverage and adjacent assurance services.
• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Large incident response and red team consultancy, now part of Google Cloud, offering penetration testing, red team assessments, and adversary simulation. Overlaps with Lares's core services but serves a much larger enterprise and government client base.
• Optiv Security: Large security solutions integrator and advisory firm offering offensive security, advisory, and managed services. Comparable to Lares in red team and vCISO services but with a much broader portfolio and integrator-led GTM.

Direct peers

• NetSPI: U.S. offensive security firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and vulnerability management. Closely comparable to Lares in service portfolio, enterprise focus, and adversarial testing methodology.
• TrustedSec: U.S.-based offensive security consultancy focused on penetration testing, red team, social engineering, and adversary simulation. Closely comparable in size, services, and target customer segment to Lares.
• Bishop Fox: Leading U.S. boutique offensive security firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and adversary emulation for Fortune 500 enterprises. Direct competitor to Lares in scope, methodology, and customer profile.

Emerging players

• Red Team Alliance: Adversarial simulation and red team training organization. Lares already cites Red Team Alliance as a partner for its training services, and the two are comparable in physical/cyber/human domain red teaming focus.

Regional players

• Schellman & Co. (Schellman): U.S. cybersecurity and compliance firm that has expanded into offensive security assessments including penetration testing. Comparable to Lares in serving regulated enterprises with adversarial testing, though with a stronger audit/compliance heritage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Lares_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lares-consulting

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lares