Crimson Security
Crimson Security is a privately held, Reston-headquartered information security compliance and assessment firm founded in 2002, delivering PCI, ISO 27002, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, GLBA, and SOC audit services to enterprise clients across telecom, banking, healthcare, and SaaS.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersReston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Crimson Security does
Crimson Security Inc. is a privately held information security compliance and assessment firm founded in 2002 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The company delivers professional services across multiple regulatory frameworks including PCI DSS (as a Qualified Security Assessor since 2006), ISO 27002, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, GLBA, FERC/NERC, and BITS/COBRA, serving enterprise clients in telecommunications, banking, healthcare, SaaS, hosting, media, and airline industries. Its portfolio spans penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, SSAE 16/SOC audits (delivered via partner accounting firms), vendor security management, incident response planning and execution, forensic analysis, and SIEM implementation, with Crimson conducting approximately 40 PCI assessments per year.
The firm operates a sales-led, quote-based engagement model with multi-year contract cadence. All assessments are performed by CISSP-certified or GIAC-trained technicians and are accessed through a secure client portal that supports 256-bit encrypted report delivery. The company maintains international offices in Reykjavík, Frankfurt, and Cebu alongside its U.S. headquarters. Crimson positions vendor-neutrality, remediation assistance extending beyond audit closeout, no-limit testing scope, and owner accessibility as its primary differentiators against larger consulting and Big Four competitors.
The business is founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity. The company claims 10,000+ satisfied customers cumulatively and $100M in aggregate client ROI, though no revenue, headcount, or backlog figures are disclosed.
Crimson Security firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Crimson Security
- Legal name
- Crimson Security Inc.
- Website
- https://crimsonsecurityinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Crimson Security is a privately held, Reston-headquartered information security compliance and assessment firm founded in 2002, delivering PCI, ISO 27002, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, GLBA, and SOC audit services to enterprise clients across telecom, banking, healthcare, and SaaS.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Crimson Security industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Information Security Compliance & Assessment Services
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519)
- SIC
- Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Security Audits & Compliance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX) (BPAKADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD), Vulnerability Assessment, Security Audits & Compliance Testing (BPAKAHAG)
Keywords
Where Crimson Security is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Crimson Security business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Security Compliance Assessments: Professional services revenue generated through conducting security compliance assessments including PCI, ISO 27002, NIST 800-53, HIPAA, GLBA, and other regulatory framework assessments. Services include penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, SSAE 16/SOC audits, vendor security management, incident response, forensic analysis, and security monitoring.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Assessment Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels2 records
Crimson Security product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Crimson Security is an information security compliance and assessment firm that delivers professional services including security compliance assessments across PCI, ISO 27002, HIPAA, GLBA, NIST 800-53, FERC/NERC, and BITS/COBRA frameworks. Core offerings include full-knowledge penetration testing, internal and external vulnerability scanning, SSAE 16/SOC audits, vendor security management, incident response planning and execution, forensic analysis, and SIEM-based security monitoring. All services are delivered by CISSP-certified and GIAC-trained technicians through a secure client portal with 256-bit encrypted report delivery.
Product overview
Crimson Security is an information security compliance and assessment firm offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software platform. The core offerings include penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, and SIEM services as technical assessment tools, complemented by compliance assessments covering PCI, ISO 27002, HIPAA, GLBA, NIST 800-53, FERC/NERC, and BITS/COBRA standards. Additional services include SSAE 16/SOC audits, vendor security management, incident response planning and execution, and forensic analysis. The company operates as a PCI QSA since 2006 and delivers all services through certified security professionals (CISSPs, GIAC-certified technicians) via their secure client portal with encrypted report delivery.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Compliance Assessments and Reports Security compliance assessments and report issuance for organizations operating across PCI, ISO 27002, GLBA, HIPAA, NIST-FISMA 800-53, FERC/NERC cybersecurity, and BITS/COBRA frameworks, delivered as formal compliance reports and Report on Compliance (ROC) documentation.
- Penetration Testing Full-scale penetration testing against client information systems infrastructure, including reconnaissance, vulnerability scanning, war dialing, active exploit attempts, and blind attacks, delivered with comprehensive reporting and no limits on devices tested.
- SSAE 16 Audits SSAE 16 and SOC audits delivered through partner accounting firms for service organization control evaluations covering financial and security audit components.
- Vulnerability Scanning Internal and external automated vulnerability scanning using multiple tools that test for vulnerabilities in different ways, complemented by manual verification of positive results to reduce false positives.
- Vendor Security Management Comprehensive vendor security compliance and maintenance services that enable organizations to evaluate, rate, and manage security issue remediation of vendors and partners across the supply chain.
- Incident Response Services Incident response planning help and implementation guidance, including IR plan creation, training, and testing, plus on-demand resources for containment, recovery, and investigation during active security incidents.
- Forensic Analysis Services Comprehensive forensic analysis performed on suspected security incidents to determine root cause, scope, and impact of breaches.
- Security Monitoring – SIEM Services SIEM implementation including installation and configuration, staff training on security alert identification, escalation for serious alerts, and ongoing monitoring across logs, IDS/IPS, and antivirus, compliant with standards such as PCI, HIPAA, and ISO 27002.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% PCI compliance achieved through structured assessment process
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Crimson Security
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Crimson Security technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Crimson Security partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Partner Accounting FirmscoreCrimson Security offers SSAE 16 and SOC audits through partner accounting firms. This partnership enables Crimson to provide comprehensive audit services by collaborating with certified accounting firms that perform the financial audit components while Crimson handles the security assessment portion.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Crimson Security competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Coalfire: Coalfire is one of the largest PCI QSAs and provides cybersecurity advisory, penetration testing, and compliance assessments across PCI, HITRUST, HIPAA, ISO, and SOC. It is the closest direct comparable to Crimson in scope, methodology, and QSA-led delivery model.
- SecurityMetrics: SecurityMetrics is a long-standing PCI QSA and QSA firm offering PCI compliance audits, vulnerability scanning, pen testing, and HIPAA/SOC services to merchants and service providers, directly overlapping Crimson's core assessment offerings.
- Trustwave: Trustwave is a major cybersecurity and compliance services provider with PCI QSA credentials, penetration testing, vulnerability management, and managed security services, serving similar enterprise and SMB compliance customers.
- NCC Group: NCC Group operates a global cybersecurity consulting practice offering penetration testing, PCI DSS assessments, ISO 27001 audits, and incident response services, directly competing with Crimson in regulated compliance work.
- Bishop Fox: Bishop Fox is a boutique offensive-security firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and vulnerability assessments for enterprise clients, comparable to Crimson's pen testing and vulnerability scanning practice.
- NetSPI: NetSPI provides penetration testing, attack surface management, and vulnerability assessment services to enterprise clients, with similar methodologies and target customer profile as Crimson's security assessment practice.
- Schellman & Co. Schellman is a top-tier attestation and compliance firm providing SOC, ISO 27001, PCI, HITRUST, and FedRAMP assessments with a similarly auditor-pure, vendor-independent positioning that mirrors Crimson's differentiation.
- IOActive: IOActive delivers high-end penetration testing, security consulting, and incident response services to enterprise and critical-infrastructure clients, comparable to Crimson's pen testing and forensic analysis offerings.
- KirkpatrickPrice: KirkpatrickPrice is a PCI QSA and audit firm providing PCI, SOC, HIPAA, ISO, and penetration testing services, serving regulated SMB and mid-market clients with a similar assessment-driven business model.
Broad incumbents
- Optiv Security: Optiv is a large cybersecurity solutions integrator offering advisory, managed security, and compliance services including PCI assessments and pen testing, broader in scope than Crimson but competing for the same enterprise compliance budgets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Crimson Security social profiles
Digital presenceCrimson Security compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Crimson Security financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Crimson Security leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Crimson Security funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Crimson 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 Crimson Security
What does Crimson Security do?
Crimson Security is an information security compliance and assessment firm that delivers professional services including security compliance assessments across PCI, ISO 27002, HIPAA, GLBA, NIST 800-53, FERC/NERC, and BITS/COBRA frameworks. Core offerings include full-knowledge penetration testing, internal and external vulnerability scanning, SSAE 16/SOC audits, vendor security management, incident response planning and execution, forensic analysis, and SIEM-based security monitoring. All services are delivered by CISSP-certified and GIAC-trained technicians through a secure client portal with 256-bit encrypted report delivery.
Is Crimson Security a public or private company?
Crimson Security is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Crimson Security founded?
Crimson Security was founded in 2002. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Crimson Security based?
Crimson Security is headquartered in Reston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Crimson Security make money?
One revenue line is on record: security Compliance Assessments.
Who are Crimson Security's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Coalfire, SecurityMetrics, Trustwave, NCC Group, Bishop Fox, NetSPI, Schellman & Co., IOActive and KirkpatrickPrice. Optiv Security is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Crimson Security have an API?
No public API is recorded for Crimson Security.
What industry is Crimson Security in?
Crimson Security's product category is Information Security Compliance & Assessment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAKADAC, Security Audits & Compliance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOX), with a secondary code of BPAEADAD, Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services. Its NAICS code is 541519 and its SIC code is 8734.