Aries Security
Aries Security builds Capture The Packet, a CTF-based cyber training range mapped to DoD DCWF work roles, and PATHFINDER, an edge AI appliance bundling 150+ LLMs for secure offline use. The Wilmington, Delaware company sells primarily to U.S. federal agencies, military branches, and select enterprises via GSA Schedule contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersWilmington, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Aries Security does
Aries Security is a Wilmington, Delaware-based cybersecurity company founded in 2008 by Brian Markus and Joseph Mlodzianowski out of the DEF CON hacker community. The company builds two product lines: Capture The Packet (CTP), a cyber training range and skills assessment platform that gamifies adversary emulation through CTF-style gameplay and is mapped to the NICE Framework and DoD DCWF work-role qualification matrices; and PATHFINDER, an edge-ready private AI appliance that bundles more than 150 large language models behind a zero-data-leakage architecture for offline field deployment. Aries also produces on-site and virtual training services, custom challenge content, and TAA-compliant hardware appliances for classified environments.
The company's commercial engine is structured around federal procurement. Aries holds a GSA Schedule (Contract #47QTCA19D001M), is a member of multiple DoD contracting consortia (TReX, C5, S2MARTS, AFWERX, SPACEWERX, SOSSEC), and has won competitive, sole-source, and OTA awards across the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force, DHS, and Secret Service, with international deployments to the Australian DoD and elsewhere. Revenue streams combine recurring seat-based CTP subscriptions, milestone-based federal contracts and prime subcontracts (notably with Lockheed Martin for the Army Cyber Civilian program), professional services for training and competition management, and hardware sales for TAA-compliant systems. While marketed as serving Fortune 500s and global enterprises, the deployed and contracted customer base is overwhelmingly U.S. federal and defense.
Aries Security firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Aries Security
- Legal name
- Aries Security, LLC.
- Website
- https://ariessecurity.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Aries Security builds Capture The Packet, a CTF-based cyber training range mapped to DoD DCWF work roles, and PATHFINDER, an edge AI appliance bundling 150+ LLMs for secure offline use. The Wilmington, Delaware company sells primarily to U.S. federal agencies, military branches, and select enterprises via GSA Schedule contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Aries Security industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Training Software
- NAICS
- Security Systems Services (56162), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS) (HDAFAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Intrusion Prevention/Detection Systems (IPS/IDS) (HDADABAH), Remote Access & Privileged Access for OT (ZTA/PAM for Vendors) (HDADAJAG)
Keywords
Where Aries Security is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wilmington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Aries Security business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations
Revenue model
- Software Licenses and Subscriptions: Capture The Packet platform licenses offered in assigned seat and floating seat configurations for government and enterprise clients
- Federal Government Contracts: Multiple DoD contracts including OTA contracts, sole-source awards, and subcontracts through prime contractors like Lockheed Martin
- Training and Professional Services: On-site and virtual cybersecurity training services, event hosting, competition management, and consultation
- Hardware Solutions: TAA-compliant cyber training systems and hardware appliances for classified environments
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise/Government licensing |
| Unit Pricing | Multi-year contract | TAA-compliant systems |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Aries Security product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Aries Security develops and sells Capture The Packet (CTP), a cyber training range and skills assessment suite that uses Capture The Flag gameplay to train and assess cybersecurity personnel, and PATHFINDER, an edge-ready private AI appliance for secure field decision support with 150+ LLMs and zero data leakage. Both products are delivered as software licenses, cloud solutions, and TAA-compliant hardware appliances primarily to U.S. federal agencies, military branches, and large enterprises.
Product overview
Aries Security offers a dual-product portfolio centered around human and machine intelligence for cybersecurity training and operations. The core offerings consist of Capture The Packet (CTP), a gamified cyber training range and skills assessment platform featuring CTF gameplay and comprehensive training modules, and PATHFINDER, an edge-ready private AI appliance supporting 150+ LLMs with zero data leakage. Both products are designed for government and enterprise use, with offerings including hardware solutions, cloud solutions, and challenge content for competitions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Capture The Packet (CTP) A cyber training range and skills assessment suite that uses Capture The Flag (CTF) gameplay to engage users with real-world cyber threats, includes user assessment, comprehensive training modules, anti-collusion features, Linux and Regex trainers, and maps to NICE Framework and DoD DCWF work roles. Sold via assigned-seat or floating-seat licenses to federal agencies, military branches, Fortune 500s, and education institutions.
- PATHFINDER An edge-ready private AI appliance providing secure decision support for field deployments with real-time information privacy, offline-use capabilities, and seamless system integration. Features 150+ Large Language Models with zero data leakage and zero token tax, processing text and structured data for knowledge retrieval and synthesis.
- CTP Hardware Solutions TAA-compliant cyber training systems and hardware appliances designed for classified environments and government procurements, supporting deployment of CTP capabilities in standalone or cloud configurations.
- CTP Cloud Solutions Cloud-based delivery of the Capture The Packet cyber training platform, including a cloud-based system delivered to U.S. Space Force Mission Defense Teams and integrated cloud delivery via Lockheed Martin subcontract for the U.S. Army Cyber Civilian program.
- Cybersecurity Training and Challenge Content Services On-site and virtual cybersecurity training, custom challenge content development, event hosting, CTF competition management, and consultation services for government, military, enterprise, and education customers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40% faster skills development & retention
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Aries Security
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Aries Security technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Aries Security partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Lockheed MartincoreSubcontract awarded to deliver integrated cloud-based solution for the US Army Cyber Civilian program. Aries provides cyber training range capabilities as part of the larger Lockheed Martin contract.
- Metova/BylightcorePartnership to deliver Part Task Trainer – Cyber (PPT-C) program for Air National Guard. Delivered 20 TAA-compliant systems compatible with ANG's Virtual Interconnected Training Environment (VITE) across 18 ANG Cyber Operations Units.
- TReX (Training and Readiness Accelerator)minorConsortium membership for accessing government training and readiness contracting opportunities.
- C5 Consortium (Command, Control and Communications in Cyberspace)minorConsortium membership for cyber command and control contracting opportunities.
- S2MARTSminorStrategic and Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems consortium membership.
- AFWERX / SPACEWERXminorAir Force innovation ecosystem consortium memberships for accessing AF opportunities.
- SOSSECminorSystems and Services Consortium for operational support contracting.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Aries Security competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Circadence: Long-standing provider of cyber training and cyber range solutions (Project Ares) targeting DoD, intelligence community, and commercial customers. Direct overlap with Aries in cyber range delivery for military and federal cyber workforce programs.
- RangeForce: Cloud-based cyber range and skills assessment platform used by enterprises and governments to train SOC analysts and cyber operators. Competes directly with Capture The Packet in cyber skills training and DCWF-style role-based assessment.
- OffSec (Offensive Security): Provider of hands-on offensive cybersecurity training, CTF-style challenges (PEN-200/OSCP), and cyber range exercises. Overlaps directly with Aries's Capture The Packet gamified, hands-on skills assessment value proposition for technical cyber practitioners.
- SANS Institute: The dominant provider of cybersecurity training, certifications, and cyber range content for government, military, and enterprise customers. Closely comparable to Aries in target buyer (DoD, federal agencies, Fortune 500) and in cybersecurity skills training and assessment, but at much larger scale and broader course catalog.
- Cyberbit: Provider of commercial cyber range platforms and SOC simulation training, sold heavily to defense and government customers. Closely comparable to Aries in cyber range delivery model and federal/government go-to-market.
- Immersive Labs: Enterprise and government cyber skills development platform with continuous exercising, NICE/NIST framework mapping, and cyber range content. Targets the same federal and large-enterprise buyer and competes for the same cyber workforce qualification budget.
- Hack The Box: CTF-driven cybersecurity upskilling platform with hands-on challenges, labs, and team competitions. Overlaps with Capture The Packet's gamified, hands-on cyber training mechanics and serves enterprise and government workforce development programs.
Emerging players
- TryHackMe: Browser-based, beginner-friendly cybersecurity training platform with guided rooms and CTF-style challenges. Overlaps with Aries's gamified training and skills assessment approach, but skews more toward individual learners and entry-level skills.
Broad incumbents
- EC-Council: Cybersecurity certification and training organization (CEH, CHFI) widely used across government and enterprise workforces. Adjacent to Aries through formal cyber qualification and certification programs tied to DCWF/NICE roles.
- Pluralsight (now Pluralsight + Skillsoft): Large-scale enterprise technology skills platform with significant cybersecurity course catalog and skill assessments. Comparable to Aries at the Fortune 500 enterprise training buyer level, though broader in scope than cyber-specific ranges.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Aries Security social profiles
Digital presenceAries Security financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Aries Security leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Aries Security funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Aries Security M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Aries Security
What does Aries Security do?
Aries Security develops and sells Capture The Packet (CTP), a cyber training range and skills assessment suite that uses Capture The Flag gameplay to train and assess cybersecurity personnel, and PATHFINDER, an edge-ready private AI appliance for secure field decision support with 150+ LLMs and zero data leakage. Both products are delivered as software licenses, cloud solutions, and TAA-compliant hardware appliances primarily to U.S. federal agencies, military branches, and large enterprises.
Is Aries Security a public or private company?
Aries Security is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Aries Security founded?
Aries Security was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Aries Security based?
Aries Security is headquartered in Wilmington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Aries Security make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Software Licenses and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are federal Government Contracts, training and Professional Services and hardware Solutions.
Who are Aries Security's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Circadence, RangeForce, OffSec (Offensive Security), SANS Institute, Cyberbit, Immersive Labs and Hack The Box. TryHackMe is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are EC-Council and Pluralsight (now Pluralsight + Skillsoft).
Does Aries Security have an API?
No public API is recorded for Aries Security.
What industry is Aries Security in?
Aries Security's product category is Cybersecurity Training Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFAFAD, Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS), with a secondary code of HDADABAH, Intrusion Prevention/Detection Systems (IPS/IDS). Its NAICS code is 56162 and its SIC code is 7372.