What Peneto Labs does

Peneto Labs is a privately held Indian cybersecurity services firm founded in 2017 in Chennai by Managing Director Parthiban J, specializing in Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT). The company delivers manual and tool-assisted security audits across web, mobile, API, thick-client, and network environments, supplemented by specialized offerings in Red Teaming, IoT/embedded device testing, and SCADA/industrial control system assessments. Its technical methodology draws on industry frameworks (OWASP Top 10, SANS Top 25, NIST, PTES, MITRE ATT&CK) and standard offensive security tooling (Burp Suite, Postman, Frida, disassemblers), executed by consultants holding advanced certifications such as OSCE, OSCP, GXPN, GAWN, GPEN, GWAPT, GRID, and GCIH.

A central differentiator is Peneto Labs' empanelment by CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) to issue Information Security Auditing Services and audit certificates, which are required for Indian government tenders, regulatory go-lives, and compliance-driven enterprise customers. This credential anchors the firm's positioning toward regulated buyers in financial services, banking, fintech, government, and critical infrastructure, with additional reach into technology, SaaS, and healthcare verticals. The company operates from offices in Chennai (Guindy and Chromepet) and Dubai (via wholly-owned subsidiary Peneto Cyber Risk Review LLC), with stated plans to expand into Singapore.

Peneto Labs runs a consultative, sales-led go-to-market targeting CISOs and compliance officers, offering free scoping consultations, sample VAPT reports, and methodology content as demand-generation assets, alongside direct channels including phone, email, WhatsApp Business, and web inquiry forms. Pricing is scope-dependent (asset count, complexity, multi-year contracts), and the firm has completed over 2,000 audits for 150+ customers including Federal Bank, Aditya Birla Capital, Geojit, Karur Vysya Bank, Axis Finance, M2P Fintech, NCDEX, Hexagon, and Photon. The company remains founder-led and bootstrapped, with no external institutional funding identified in the source material.

Name

Peneto Labs

Legal name

Peneto Labs Private Limited

Website

https://penetolabs.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peneto Labs is a CERT-In empanelled Indian cybersecurity firm founded in 2017 that delivers manual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments to banks, financial institutions, fintechs, and government-adjacent enterprises across India and the UAE.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cybersecurity Penetration Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Vulnerability Assessment, Security Audits & Compliance Testing (BPAKAHAG)

Keywords

• Penetration testing services
• Vulnerability assessment
• CERT-In security audit
• Application security testing
• Network security assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Guindy

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. VAPT Testing Services: Professional services revenue generated through vulnerability assessment and penetration testing engagements. Services are priced based on scope (number of applications, IPs, complexity) and include deliverables such as technical reports, audit certificates, and remediation guidance. Engagements are project-based with consultation-driven scoping.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peneto Labs delivers expert-led Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) services to identify security vulnerabilities across web, mobile, API, thick client, and network environments. The company is CERT-In empanelled and issues compliance audit certificates required for Indian government tenders and regulatory mandates. Engagements culminate in technical reports, risk-ranked remediation guidance, and complimentary retesting to validate fixes.

Product overview

Peneto Labs is a cybersecurity firm operating as a services company rather than a software product vendor. Its core offering is VAPT (Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing), a unified service encompassing application security testing (web, mobile, API, thick client), network security testing (internal, external), and specialized assessments (IoT, SCADA, Red Teaming). These services are delivered by CERT-In empanelled consultants holding advanced certifications (OSCP, OSCE, GXPN, GAWN, GPEN, GWAPT, GRID, GCIH) and culminate in compliance certificates including Safe to Host certification and CERT-In audit reports. The company also provides downloadable sample reports, case studies, and security methodologies as ancillary resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) Unified service combining automated vulnerability scanning with manual penetration testing to identify weaknesses in web, mobile, API, network, and infrastructure environments, delivered to enterprises needing compliance certification and breach prevention.
• CERT-In Security Audit CERT-In empanelled security audit providing compliance certification for Indian government mandates, including Safe-to-Host certificates and regulatory audit reporting for organizations bidding on government tenders or going live with new systems.
• Application Penetration Testing Deep manual penetration testing across web, mobile, desktop (thick client), and SaaS applications, covering OWASP Top 10, SANS 25, and business logic flaws for organizations needing comprehensive application security assurance.
• Network Penetration Testing Internal and external network security testing covering perimeter vulnerabilities, lateral movement, Active Directory attacks, and MITRE ATT&CK-aligned threat simulation for organizations needing infrastructure-level security validation.
• Red Teaming and Adversary Simulation Full-scope adversary simulation including purple teaming exercises for organizations seeking advanced threat emulation beyond standard VAPT, delivered by certified offensive security consultants.
• IoT and Embedded Device Testing Security assessment for IoT devices and embedded systems covering firmware analysis, protocol testing, and device-level exploitation for organizations deploying connected hardware products.
• SCADA and Industrial System Assessments Security testing for operational technology environments including SCADA systems and industrial control systems serving critical infrastructure and manufacturing operators.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ audits completed across various industries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bishop Fox: US-based offensive security firm specializing in penetration testing, red teaming, and security consulting. Directly comparable as a boutique, expert-led pentesting services firm with similar manual testing methodology and premium positioning.
• Trail of Bits: US-based security research and consulting firm focused on application security, cryptography, and vulnerability assessment. Comparable for its expert-led manual penetration testing approach and emphasis on deep technical research over automation.
• Indusface: Indian application security company offering web, mobile, and API penetration testing along with vulnerability management. Comparable as an India-based cybersecurity services firm targeting similar regulated enterprise customers with VAPT and CERT-In-aligned offerings.
• Astra Security: India-based cybersecurity firm offering automated and manual penetration testing for web, mobile, and cloud applications. Comparable as a competitor targeting similar SMB and enterprise customers in India with VAPT offerings.
• Appknox: India-based mobile application security testing platform offering automated and manual security assessments. Comparable as a VAPT services provider targeting enterprise customers with mobile application security needs.
• Securzy: India-based cybersecurity services firm focused on penetration testing and security audits. Comparable as a domestic Indian competitor offering VAPT and compliance services to enterprise customers.

Emerging players

• Cobalt.io: Penetration testing as a service platform connecting organizations to a vetted community of testers. Comparable for penetration testing services to enterprise customers, but differentiated by a crowdsourced platform model versus Peneto's in-house consulting model.

Broad incumbents

• NCC Group: Global cybersecurity consulting firm offering penetration testing, threat intelligence, and managed security services. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping offensive security capabilities, though significantly larger and serving a global enterprise customer base.
• Tata Consultancy Services (Cybersecurity): Indian IT services giant with a broad cybersecurity practice covering VAPT, managed security, and compliance. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering penetration testing services, though it operates at significantly larger scale and as part of a wider IT services portfolio.
• Wipro (Cybersecurity Services): Global IT services firm with a cybersecurity division offering penetration testing, vulnerability management, and compliance services. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping VAPT capabilities, serving enterprise customers across multiple geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/penetolabs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peneto-labs-private-limited

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Peneto Labs