CyberDefenders

What CyberDefenders does

CyberDefenders is a Delaware-incorporated, privately-held cybersecurity training platform (founded circa 2020, 1-10 employees, headquartered at a Delaware registered address in Wilmington) that delivers blue team, SOC analyst, and DFIR education through hands-on browser-based cyber range laboratories and vendor-neutral certifications. The core product is the BlueYard CyberRange — a cloud-hosted, browser-accessible environment that removes the need for local VM configuration and hosts scenario-based investigations constructed by named subject matter experts from real APT tactics and forensic artifacts. Two certifications anchor the curriculum: Certified CyberDefender Level 1 (CCDL1), a foundational credential with no prerequisites and a 6-hour multiple-choice exam, and Level 2 (CCDL2), an advanced practitioner program requiring 1+ years of cybersecurity experience, covering Network, Disk, Memory, Threat Hunting, Perimeter Defense, and Incident Response via a 48-hour practical exam. The library spans 25+ hands-on labs and 350+ lessons with video, mapped to the NICE and DoD frameworks.

Revenue is generated through three principal streams. First, a one-time $800 payment for CCDL2 training and certification covering four months of access, two exam attempts, and physical gold-coin reward; second, recurring monthly and annual subscriptions for BlueYard and BlueYard Pro, with Pro unlocking advanced labs, weekly exclusive content, and multi-region access (UAE, Frankfurt, USA East, Singapore); third, enterprise contracts for SOC team assessment, benchmarking, and centralized readiness analytics sold through a "Request a Demo" motion and supported by SSO integrations with Microsoft Entra ID, Google Workspace, and Okta. A 50% student discount on CCDL1 and BlueYard subscriptions, verified through EDU email, extends reach into university and bootcamp segments, and a reseller partner program introduces indirect channel revenue.

The go-to-market is hybrid — product-led/free-tier entry for individual learners combined with enterprise field sales and partner channels — and acquisition is heavily community-driven through Discord (with tiered alumni and Pro roles), LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Reddit, and event presence as an official training partner at BlackHat MEA alongside Offensive Security and Mandiant. Enterprise adoption is signaled by named practitioner adoption at Cisco, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Mandiant, Meta, Datadog, Kaspersky, PwC, Accenture, MITRE, US Air Force, and US CERT, and the platform was awarded SANS Team of the Year (Community Winner) in 2023. Operations are GDPR-compliant and the platform is restricted in Russia, Iran, and China.

Name

CyberDefenders

Legal name

CyberDefenders, Inc.

Website

https://cyberdefenders.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CyberDefenders is a privately-held cybersecurity training platform that delivers hands-on blue team, SOC analyst, and DFIR certification through browser-based cyber range labs and vendor-neutral Certified CyberDefender (CCDL) credentials.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Training & Certification

NAICS

Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Computer Training (611420)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Cybersecurity (General) (EDAOAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cybersecurity Technical Skills (Security Engineering, SOC, Pen Testing) (EDABAFAF), Cybersecurity Training & Awareness Programs (BPAEANAF), Phishing, Social Engineering & Business Email Compromise (BEC) Training (EDABAGAB)

Keywords

• Blue team training
• SOC analyst certification
• DFIR training
• Cyber range labs
• Cybersecurity certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Middletown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. CCDL2 Training and Certification: One-time payment for Certified CyberDefender Level 2 training and certification. Includes 4 months of course access, video lectures, study materials, hands-on labs, and two exam attempts. Single payment of $800.
2. BlueYard CyberRange Subscription: Subscription-based product with monthly and yearly subscription plans for access to premium cyber range labs and advanced blue team scenarios. No refunds on purchases.
3. Enterprise Security Training: Assess, benchmark, and scale defender performance across SOC teams with dashboards, analytics, and measurable readiness metrics for enterprise organizations.
4. Student Discount Subscriptions: 50% discount on CCDL1 certification and 50% discount on both monthly and yearly BlueYard Pro subscriptions for verified student accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CyberDefenders provides a hands-on cybersecurity training platform purpose-built for blue team defenders, SOC analysts, and DFIR professionals. Its core deliverables are the BlueYard CyberRange — a browser-based lab environment with cloud-hosted VM scenarios built from real APT tactics and forensic artifacts — and the two-tier Certified CyberDefender (CCDL1 and CCDL2) certification program mapped to the NICE and DoD frameworks. An enterprise solution layers team benchmarking dashboards, analytics, and SSO-enabled centralized learning management on top of the same platform.

Product overview

CyberDefenders is a blue team training and certification platform for SOC analysts and cybersecurity professionals. The core offering consists of two certification programs (CCDL1 as the entry-level foundational certification and CCDL2 as the advanced practitioner-level certification), paired with the BlueYard CyberRange hands-on lab platform for practical skill development. BlueYard Pro is a premium subscription tier providing enhanced lab access and multi-region infrastructure. Enterprise Security Training extends these offerings for organizational team assessment and development, supported by SSO integrations with enterprise identity providers. The platform serves individual learners, enterprises, and educational institutions with a structured curriculum spanning phishing analysis, SIEM operations, digital forensics, incident response, threat hunting, and cloud security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BlueYard CyberRange: The hands-on cyber range platform featuring gamified blue team CTF challenges and labs for practicing SOC analyst skills.
• Certified CyberDefender (CCD)

Products and services

• Certified CyberDefender Level 1 (CCDL1) Foundational SOC analyst certification program covering Endpoint & Network Analysis, SIEM Analysis & Log Navigation, Phishing & Email Analysis, and Cloud Security. Includes a 6-hour exam with 48 multiple-choice questions and a 70% passing score. Aimed at entry-level SOC analysts with no prerequisites required.
• Certified CyberDefender Level 2 (CCDL2) Advanced hands-on blue team certification covering Network Forensics, Disk Forensics, Memory Forensics, Threat Hunting, Perimeter Defense, and Incident Response. Includes 25+ browser-based labs, 350+ lessons with videos, 4 months of access, and two exam attempts. Culminates in a 48-hour practical exam requiring both answer and methodology documentation. Aimed at practitioners with 1+ years of cybersecurity experience.
• BlueYard CyberRange Gamified blue team CTF challenge platform providing hands-on labs across Network Forensics, Endpoint Forensics, Threat Hunting, Detection Engineering, Threat Intel, Cloud Forensics, and Malware Analysis. Includes both active (competitive) and retired (guided walkthrough) labs delivered through cloud or downloadable access. Built around real SOC investigations and threat behaviors.
• Enterprise Security Training Organizational team training solution for SOC team assessment, benchmarking, and performance measurement. Provides dashboards, analytics, and readiness metrics, plus SSO integration with Entra ID, Google Workspace, and Okta for centralized user and group management. Designed to scale from individual analyst usage to full security team deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% improvement in exam performance among students who complete all capstone investigations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• ANY.RUNcoreTechnology or IntegrationANY.RUN interactive malware analysis service is integrated into CyberDefenders' security training courses. Users receive 10% off all CyberDefenders trainings through the partnership. The integration provides practical malware analysis capabilities within the training environment.
• BlackHat MEAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCyberDefenders is an official training partner at BlackHat MEA, offering cutting-edge cybersecurity courses alongside other industry leaders like Offensive Security, Mandiant, and NotSoSecure. Courses available for beginners and experienced professionals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• LetsDefend: SOC analyst training platform with incident-response simulations and a career-pathway focus, targeting the same Tier-1 SOC analyst persona with similar blue-team specialization.
• RangeForce: Enterprise-focused cyber range and SOC readiness platform with measurable team performance benchmarks — directly comparable to CyberDefenders' enterprise training module and dashboard/reporting proposition.
• Blue Team Labs Online (BTLO): Niche blue-team challenge platform providing investigative DFIR and SOC scenarios; narrower scope than CyberDefenders but directly comparable in content style and individual practitioner use case.

Broad incumbents

• SANS Institute: The dominant cybersecurity training and GIAC certification body that sets the benchmark CyberDefenders explicitly compares itself against; both deliver hands-on SOC/blue-team training with enterprise-grade curricula and recognized certs.
• Pluralsight: Large-scale enterprise technology skills platform with a substantial cybersecurity catalog and skill assessments; competes for the same enterprise L&D budget but is broader than CyberDefenders' blue-team niche.

Direct peers

• Hack The Box: Browser-based cyber range and CTF platform covering offensive and defensive content with both individual and enterprise/B2B plans; directly comparable cyber-range+cert model to BlueYard/CCD.
• TryHackMe: Subscription-based, gamified cybersecurity learning platform with guided labs for SOC, DFIR and blue team pathways, serving individuals and teams with a similar PLG-style growth motion.
• Offensive Security (OffSec): Long-established vendor-neutral cybersecurity certification authority (OSCP, OSED), listed alongside CyberDefenders at BlackHat MEA; both monetize practical exams + lab environments to certify practitioners.
• Cybrary: Cybersecurity-focused online training platform with hands-on labs, certification prep, and team/business plans for SOC analyst upskilling — overlapping audience of CISOs and SOC managers.
• INE Security: Cybersecurity and networking training provider offering hands-on labs, certification tracks, and enterprise team training — comparable deep-technical curriculum and individual-to-enterprise pricing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cyberdefenders
• GitHubgithub.com/cyberdefenders
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RealCyberDefenders
• Facebookfacebook.com/cyberdefenders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cyberdefenders

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 CyberDefenders