Exposure Security

What Exposure Security does

Exposure Security is a self-funded, independent cybersecurity consultancy founded in 2014 by veteran CISO Jason Hengels and headquartered in Silicon Valley, California. The firm provides Fortune 500-caliber security leadership and hands-on technical services to organizations that lack the internal resources to build full security programs. Its core service portfolio includes Virtual CISO leadership, ComplianceClarity (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001), RED Team adversary-grade penetration testing, RiskAcuity board-ready risk assessments, VirtualSOC managed security operations, TalentBridge staff augmentation, Enlighten human-led source code review, CloudCounsel architecture guidance, security training, breach recovery, and PCI DSS advisory. The firm has served 125+ clients since founding, with a named roster that includes Nvidia, Cisco, Ford, Palo Alto Networks, Symantec, Equinix, Digital Realty, Avaya, GoPro, SailPoint, Informatica, Singtel, Sleep Number, CareDx, United Therapeutics, and Securiti.ai, spanning technology, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, and consumer industries.

The firm's underlying technology is a portfolio of proprietary service methodologies (RED, RiskAcuity, Enlighten, CloudCounsel, ComplianceClarity, VirtualSOC, TalentBridge) supported by hands-on practitioner engagement. In 2025, Exposure Security expanded into product with the Secure Code Skill Pack, a $499 downloadable package of AI security rules integrating with Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and OpenAI/ChatGPT, raising AI-generated code security pass rates from 52% to 92.8% across 250 OWASP-aligned assertions on 20 real-world coding prompts. The firm also publishes free Executive Briefings on emerging threats (Vercel breach, Atlassian data-use changes, EU Cyber Resilience Act, TeamPCP supply chain attack, ChatGPT data leakage, Claude Desktop Extensions risks, Iran-affiliated threats) and operates a LinkedIn and RSS presence for thought leadership.

The business model is predominantly professional services, with revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements, ongoing managed security retainers, and staff augmentation placements. Services are quote-based with multi-year contracts typical for enterprise engagements; the Secure Code Skill Pack at $499 one-time is the only publicly disclosed price point. Go-to-market is direct enterprise sales through consultation requests, targeting Fortune 500-level enterprises and mid-market companies requiring executive security leadership. The firm is fully founder-owned with zero outside investors, no funding rounds, and a deliberately small 1-10 person senior practitioner team, differentiating through practitioner quality and independence rather than scale.

Name

Exposure Security

Legal name

Exposure Security LLC

Website

https://exposuresecurity.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Exposure Security is a self-funded Silicon Valley cybersecurity consultancy founded in 2014 by veteran CISO Jason Hengels, providing Fortune 500-caliber Virtual CISO, penetration testing, compliance, managed security, and AI security services to 125+ enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Consulting Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Insider Threat Program Design & Risk Assessments (BPAKADAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cybersecurity Awareness & Digital Safety Training for Security Personnel (BPAKAOAO), Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE)

Keywords

• Cybersecurity consulting services
• Virtual CISO advisory
• Penetration testing services
• Security compliance advisory
• Managed security operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Palo Alto

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Cybersecurity Services: Professional services including Virtual CISO, penetration testing, compliance programs, risk assessments, source code review, architecture guidance, and security training. Revenue generated through project-based consulting engagements and ongoing service retainers.
2. VirtualSOC Managed Security: Ongoing managed security operations including 24/7 monitoring, incident detection and response, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence integration. Provides recurring revenue through service retainers.
3. TalentBridge Staff Augmentation: Pre-vetted cybersecurity professionals available for short-term projects or long-term placements. Flexible engagement models generating project-based or time-and-materials revenue.
4. Secure Code Skill Pack: One-time purchase of AI security rules and platform configurations for secure AI-assisted coding. Sold directly via Stripe for $499.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Exposure Security is a self-funded cybersecurity consultancy that provides Fortune 500-caliber security leadership and hands-on expertise to organizations, primarily through practitioner-delivered services including Virtual CISO embedding, RED Team penetration testing, ComplianceClarity (SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001) compliance programs, VirtualSOC managed security, TalentBridge staff augmentation, Enlighten source code review, CloudCounsel architecture guidance, and RiskAcuity risk assessments. The firm also sells one commercial software product, the Secure Code Skill Pack, a $499 drop-in set of AI security rules that integrates with AI coding assistants such as Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and ChatGPT.

Product overview

Exposure Security is a cybersecurity consultancy offering professional services and one commercial product. The core offering is a portfolio of security services led by Virtual CISO (flagstone service), complemented by penetration testing (RED Team), managed security (VirtualSOC), compliance programs (ComplianceClarity including SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, ISO 27001), risk assessments (RiskAcuity), staff augmentation (TalentBridge), training, source code review (Enlighten), architecture guidance (CloudCounsel), and breach recovery. Additionally, Exposure Security offers the Secure Code Skill Pack ($499), a downloadable AI security rules product that integrates with AI coding tools (Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, OpenAI) to improve AI-generated code security pass rates from 52% to 93%. The company also publishes free Executive Briefings on emerging threats. The consultancy operates as a self-funded, independent firm without products to sell beyond the Secure Code Skill Pack.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Virtual CISO: Virtual CISO service providing experienced security executives embedded in client organizations
• ComplianceClarity
• RED Team
• RiskAcuity
• TalentBridge
• VirtualSOC
• Enlighten
• CloudCounsel

Products and services

• Virtual CISO Experienced security executives embedded in client organizations to deliver immediate executive-level security leadership, including security program design and management, board-level reporting, vendor evaluation, policy development including AI usage and data handling policies, and security team hiring and mentoring; serves organizations that cannot or choose not to hire a full-time CISO.
• ComplianceClarity Compliance program services specializing in SOC 2 readiness and audit support with deep experience in HIPAA, GDPR, and ISO 27001 Annex A, including hands-on work with Vanta and Drata compliance automation platforms; positions compliance as a way to strengthen security posture rather than just satisfy checkbox requirements.
• RED Team Penetration Testing Adversary-grade penetration testing using real attack techniques to reveal vulnerabilities and attack paths that automated scanners miss.
• RiskAcuity Risk and Maturity Assessments Board-ready risk and maturity assessments providing a clear, standardized picture of an organization's security posture and a prioritized roadmap of where to invest.
• TalentBridge Staff Augmentation Pre-vetted cybersecurity professionals (engineers, analysts, architects) available for short-term projects or long-term placements to fill critical security gaps without the lead time of a traditional hire.
• Security Training Secure coding bootcamps and AI-era security awareness programs covering secure use of AI coding assistants, safe AI tool adoption, shadow AI detection, phishing, social engineering, and deepfake attacks.
• VirtualSOC Managed Security Ongoing managed security operations including 24/7 monitoring, incident detection and response, vulnerability management, and threat intelligence integration tailored to each client's environment.
• Enlighten Source Code Review Human-led source code review identifying security vulnerabilities, logic flaws, and architectural weaknesses, including issues commonly introduced by AI coding assistants.
• CloudCounsel Architecture Guidance Security architecture review uncovering design-level weaknesses, including how AI tools, third-party integrations, and cloud services expand attack surfaces in ways scanners cannot detect.
• Breach Recovery Incident response services including containment, forensic investigation, regulatory notification, recovery planning, and post-incident improvements.
• PCI DSS Advisory PCI DSS v4.0.1 readiness assessments, cardholder data environment scoping, compensating control documentation, Customized Approach support, remediation planning, evidence preparation, QSA selection guidance, and ongoing PCI program maintenance.
• Secure Code Skill Pack AI security rules product that raises AI-generated code security pass rate from 52% to 92.8% across 250 OWASP-aligned assertions on 20 real-world coding prompts; covers OWASP Top 10 (2021), OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications (2025), and OWASP Top 10 for Agentic Applications (2026); includes 558 lines of core security rules, 14 framework-specific reference files, and pre-built platform configs for Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf, and OpenAI; $499 one-time purchase with free updates and a free snippet tier available.

Quantifiable outcome

• Secure Code Skill Pack raises AI-generated code security from 52% baseline to 92.8% pass rate across 250 OWASP-aligned assertions on 20 real-world coding prompts

Named customers34 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

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mandiant (Google Cloud): Global incident response, threat intelligence, and security consulting firm (now part of Google Cloud). Comparable to Exposure Security's Breach Recovery, RED Team, and VirtualSOC services at the Fortune 500 end of the market.
• Secureworks: Managed security services provider with consulting, MDR, and threat intelligence capabilities. Comparable to Exposure Security's VirtualSOC and broader advisory practice, with a much larger operational scale and global SOC footprint.
• Palo Alto Networks Unit 42: Threat intelligence and incident response consulting arm of Palo Alto Networks. Overlaps with Exposure Security's RED Team, VirtualSOC, and executive advisory services, with a broader threat intelligence pipeline tied to a major security product vendor.
• Optiv: Large cybersecurity solutions integrator providing advisory, managed security, and professional services to enterprise clients. A broader incumbent alternative to Exposure Security's portfolio, with deeper vendor relationships but less of an independent-advisor positioning.
• Kroll Cyber: Cyber risk and incident response practice within Kroll, providing advisory, forensics, and managed services to enterprise clients. Comparable to Exposure Security's Breach Recovery and Virtual CISO offerings at the larger enterprise end of the market.

Direct peers

• NCC Group: Global cybersecurity consultancy with strong penetration testing, source code review, and threat intelligence practices. Comparable to Exposure Security's RED Team and Enlighten services; serves Fortune 500 enterprise clients with similar engagement models.
• Praetorian: Cybersecurity consulting firm offering penetration testing, red teaming, and managed detection services. Closely comparable to Exposure Security's RED Team and VirtualSOC offerings, with a similar enterprise-targeting motion.
• Coalfire: Cybersecurity advisory firm with a deep compliance practice spanning SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI DSS. Directly comparable to Exposure Security's ComplianceClarity and RiskAcuity offerings, and a similarly positioned alternative for compliance-driven mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Bishop Fox: Boutique offensive-security consultancy specializing in adversary-grade penetration testing and red team engagements. Closely comparable to Exposure Security's RED Team service line, with a similar practitioner-led, senior-staffed delivery model.
• Schellman: Top-tier compliance and certification firm specializing in SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HITRUST. Comparable to Exposure Security's ComplianceClarity service and frequently selected by similar SaaS and tech clients for readiness and audit support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/exposure-security
• Xx.com/ExposureSec

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Exposure Security