What Altered Security does

Altered Security is a privately held, bootstrapped information-security education company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Bhopal, India, with a secondary office in Singapore. It builds and operates hands-on cyber range environments — live, cloud-hosted virtual machines preconfigured with enterprise-like infrastructure including multi-forest Active Directory, live multi-tenant Azure environments, and hardened Windows Server 2019/2022 systems — accessed by learners via VPN or web browser. The platform is purpose-built for offensive-security practitioners and is differentiated by its domain specialization in Red Teaming, Active Directory attacks, Azure security, and endpoint evasion, rather than general cybersecurity training.

The product portfolio comprises three core delivery formats: time-limited online lab subscriptions (30/60/90 days, priced $299–$989), cohort-based live bootcamps (4–5 weeks), and in-person corporate/conference trainings. Around these formats, the company has built a structured certification ladder of eight proprietary credentials (CRTP, CRTE, CRTM, CETP, CARTP, CARTE, CESP-ADCS, ACPT) ranging from beginner to master level, with 3-year validity and free/paid renewal mechanics. The company also sells discounted Learning Path bundles (e.g., On-Prem Red Team Bundle at $2,895) and has launched a free Red Labs BETA platform to drive top-of-funnel demand.

Go-to-market is predominantly direct-to-consumer and self-serve via alteredsecurity.com and the redlabs.enterprisesecurity.io lab portal, supplemented by event-driven acquisition at top security conferences (DEF CON, BlackHat, BruCON) and Altered Security's own events (AltSecCON, Hacker Summer, Month of Azure Red Teaming). The company reports having trained 50,000+ security professionals across 130+ countries and served 600+ organizations. It is founder-owned and led by Nikhil Mittal (15+ years in red teaming), with a small research team of recognized offensive-security practitioners, and operates without disclosed external funding.

Name

Altered Security

Legal name

Altered Security

Website

https://www.alteredsecurity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Altered Security is a bootstrapped, founder-led cybersecurity education company that sells hands-on Red Team lab subscriptions, live bootcamps, and proprietary certifications (CRTP, CRTE, CRTM, etc.) to offensive-security professionals and enterprise security teams across 130+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bhopal

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Online Lab Subscriptions: Time-limited access to cyber range lab environments (30/60/90 day periods). Students receive cloud-hosted VMs with pre-installed tools, video courses, lab manuals, and one certification exam attempt. Additional exam attempts and lab extensions available for separate fees. Tiered pricing based on access duration.
2. Live Bootcamp Enrollment: Scheduled cohort-based training programs (4-5 weeks) with live instructor sessions, recordings, and lab access. Includes one certification exam attempt. Extended lab access and exam reattempts available as upsells.
3. In-Person Training Delivery: On-site training delivered at security conferences and private corporate sessions. Includes one month access to online lab, exercises, and lab manual.
4. Certification Exam Attempts: One exam attempt bundled with lab/bootcamp purchase. Additional exam reattempts available for $99. Renewal exams for existing certified professionals free before certificate expiry, subsequent attempts charged at $29.
5. Learning Path Bundles: Pre-configured bundles combining multiple courses (On-Prem Red Team Learning Path, Azure Red Team Learning Path, Custom Learning Path) with discounts up to 10%. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tier bundles available.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Altered Security operates a hands-on cyber range platform that delivers live enterprise-like lab environments for practicing red teaming, Active Directory attacks, and Azure cloud security. Learners purchase time-limited lab access (30/60/90 days) to cloud-hosted VMs with pre-installed offensive security tools, accompanied by video courses, lab manuals, and a certification exam attempt. The company also offers instructor-led live bootcamps, in-person conference trainings, and a tiered certification portfolio spanning beginner (CRTP, CARTP, ACPT, CESP-ADCS), intermediate (CRTE, CETP, CARTE), and master (CRTM) levels.

Product overview

Altered Security is a hands-on enterprise security education platform and cyber range provider offering structured learning paths for offensive security professionals. The portfolio consists of three core offerings: Red Team Labs (hands-on cyber ranges with live enterprise simulations), Bootcamps (instructor-led live training programs), and In-Person Trainings (private organizational training). The certification ecosystem spans multiple skill levels: beginner certifications (CRTP for AD basics, CARTP for Azure basics, ACPT for pentesting, CESP-ADCS for AD CS), intermediate/advanced certifications (CRTE for multi-forest AD, CETP for evasion techniques, CARTE for advanced Azure), and master-level certification (CRTM through Global Central Bank cyber range). Learning path bundles provide discounted access to related course groupings. The company also offers free Red Labs platforms for skill development and hosts the annual AltSecCON conference.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Red Team Labs (Online Labs) Hands-on cyber range and lab environment for practicing red team tactics, penetration testing, and enterprise security skills against simulated enterprise infrastructure including Active Directory and Azure cloud environments.
• Bootcamps Instructor-led live training programs combining video lectures, hands-on labs, and certification exam preparation across various security topics including Active Directory, Azure, evasion, and penetration testing.
• In-Person Trainings Private in-person training classes available for organizations covering advanced red team tradecraft, Active Directory security, and offensive security topics, including Advanced Red Team Tradecraft Training covering offensive C#, PowerShell, and application whitelisting bypass.
• CRTP - Certified Red Team Professional Beginner-level certification for Attacking and Defending Active Directory. Covers AD enumeration, Kerberos attacks, trust abuse, and defense bypass techniques in enterprise environments.
• CRTE - Certified Red Team Expert Advanced certification for multi-forest Active Directory attacks. Focuses on OpSec, Living Off the Land techniques, and bypassing security controls like MDI, WDAC, and AWL in multi-forest environments.
• CRTM - Certified Red Team Master Master-level certification through the Global Central Bank (GCB) enterprise cyber range. Tests ability to compromise multiple forests, secure home forest, and execute a simulated fund transfer across a financial institution simulation.
• CETP - Certified Evasion Techniques Professional Advanced certification focusing on bypassing endpoint countermeasures. Covers Windows internals, EDR evasion, kernel exploitation, rootkit development, and bypassing security controls like PP, PPL, DSE, ASR, and ETW.
• CARTP - Certified Azure Red Team Professional Beginner-level Azure security certification covering Azure AD attacks, initial access techniques, enumeration, privilege escalation, lateral movement, persistence, and data mining in live Azure environments.
• CARTE - Certified Azure Red Team Expert Advanced Azure red team certification focusing on bypassing defenses in highly secure enterprise Azure environments. Covers JWT signing abuse, FOCI, ABAC, TAP, cross-tenant access, Azure Lighthouse, and Kerberos in Entra ID.
• CESP-ADCS - AD CS Attacks for Red and Blue Teams Beginner-friendly certification for attacking and defending Active Directory Certificate Services. Covers enterprise AD CS setup exploitation on updated Server 2022 and Linux machines.
• ACPT - AlteredSecurity Certified Penetration Tester Entry-level penetration testing certification covering Linux-based attacks, Active Directory attacks, network pivoting/tunneling, AD CS abuse, and Windows privilege escalation using NetExec and other tools.
• Evasion Lab Bootcamp (CETP Bootcamp) 5-week live bootcamp teaching evasion techniques for bypassing modern enterprise defenses including EDRs, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Sysmon, kernel exploits, PP/PPL, DSE, ASR, and ETW bypass.
• CRTE Bootcamp 4-week live bootcamp for advanced Active Directory attacks covering multi-forest environments, OpSec, defense bypassing, and enterprise security controls.
• CARTE Bootcamp 4-week advanced Azure red team bootcamp covering attacks against secure enterprise Azure environments with focus on OPSEC and bypassing Conditional Access, MFA, PIM, and Defender for Cloud.
• ACPT Bootcamp 4-week beginner-friendly bootcamp for penetration testing job roles covering Linux attacks, AD enumeration, privilege escalation, network pivoting, tunneling, and AD CS abuse.
• Advanced Red Team Tradecraft Training Private in-person training covering offensive C#, PowerShell, JScript/VBScript, application whitelisting bypass, advanced client-side attacks, and enterprise Windows tradecraft using trusted OS resources.
• On-Prem Red Team Learning Path Bundle Discounted bundle combining CRTP, CESP-ADCS, CETP, CRTE, and CRTM courses with up to 10% savings for comprehensive on-premises red team training.
• Azure Red Team Learning Path Bundle Discounted bundle combining CARTP and CARTE courses with 5% savings for cloud-based Azure red team training, with 20% coupon available.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ security professionals trained across 130+ countries
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Offensive Security (OffSec): OffSec is the most established commercial offensive-security training brand (OSCP, OSEP, OSED, OSCE3). Like Altered Security, it sells hands-on lab access plus proctored certifications to red teamers and penetration testers, directly competing in the practitioner-certification segment.
• Hack The Box: Hack The Box operates a global hands-on hacking platform with subscription labs, machines, and paths for offensive security learners. It overlaps with Altered Security's lab-subscription model and target learner base (red teamers, pentesters, security students).
• TryHackMe: TryHackMe provides guided, hands-on cybersecurity training rooms and learning paths aimed at beginner-to-intermediate practitioners. It directly overlaps with Altered Security's lower-tier offerings (CRTP, CARTP, ACPT, CESP-ADCS) on format and audience.
• TCM Security: TCM Security delivers practical, affordable penetration-testing training (PNPT, PJWT) and has a large following among junior practitioners. It competes directly with Altered Security's bootcamps and entry-level certifications (ACPT, CRTP) on price and accessibility.
• PentesterLab: PentesterLab offers subscription-based hands-on web and infrastructure exploitation exercises with badges/certifications. It is comparable in format (subscription labs + certification) and audience (offensive security practitioners), though with broader web-security coverage.
• INE Security: INE Security (formerly eLearnSecurity / INE) provides hands-on cybersecurity learning paths, labs, and certifications (eCPPT, eCPPTv2) for offensive and defensive roles. It directly competes with Altered Security's lab-plus-certification model.

Broad incumbents

• SANS Institute: SANS Institute is the largest incumbent cybersecurity training provider with GIAC certifications and courses across offensive (SEC560, SEC660), cloud, and enterprise defense. It overlaps with Altered Security's enterprise AD/Azure curriculum at the high end but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Cybrary: Cybrary is a broad cybersecurity training platform with courses across offensive, defensive, and cloud security. It overlaps with Altered Security's curriculum at a more generalist level and competes on accessibility and price for individual learners and teams.

Emerging players

• RangeForce: RangeForce delivers enterprise-grade cyber range training with hands-on adversary emulation, primarily targeting corporate blue/red team upskilling. It is comparable in lab-driven training format and enterprise customer focus but emphasizes team-based enterprise contracts.
• Pentester Academy (SecurityTube): Pentester Academy offers hands-on security training with labs covering exploitation, AD, and cloud attacks. It overlaps with Altered Security on lab-driven learning for practitioners but has broader generalist coverage and a smaller community footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/alteredsecurity
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/Altered-Security/61578915294041
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alteredsecurity
• Instagraminstagram.com/alteredsecurity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Altered Security