SensePost

What SensePost does

SensePost is an ethical hacking consultancy founded in 2000 in Pretoria, South Africa, operating since approximately 2018 as a team within Orange Cyberdefense. The firm provides three core service lines: security assessments (penetration testing and vulnerability assessment for enterprise applications, infrastructure, and networks), hacking training (structured curricula from novice to expert delivered at global security conferences), and managed security services (vulnerability management and threat detection implementation). Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by a research-driven content engine: the company has published technical research continuously on its blog since 2007 and releases proprietary open-source offensive security tools including Mallet (a Netty-based proxy framework for arbitrary protocols), Apostille (certificate chain forgery for pinning bypass), slimjim (network-namespace-based MITM isolation), hostapd-mana and berate_ap (rogue WiFi access point tools), and pipetap (Windows named pipe proxy). SensePost delivers training at Black Hat (22 years), DEF CON, RingZer0, and BSides conferences globally, with course offerings spanning Hands on Hacking Fundamentals, Web Application Hacking, Infrastructure Hacking, Introduction to Red Teaming, and Modern WiFi Hacking.

The business model is professional services and managed services revenue, sold via direct enterprise engagement and conference-based training registration. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are horizontal: enterprise organizations seeking independent security validation, individual security professionals seeking offensive security training, and organizations requiring managed security operations support. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Orange Cyberdefense (part of Orange Group), SensePost benefits from the parent's global delivery network and enterprise customer base while maintaining its own brand identity, research focus, and conference presence. Headcount is in the 51-100 range, consistent with a boutique specialist team rather than a large-scale MSSP. Revenue, funding history, and customer logos are not publicly disclosed.

Name

SensePost

Legal name

SensePost

Website

https://sensepost.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SensePost is an ethical hacking team within Orange Cyberdefense, founded in 2000 in Pretoria, South Africa, providing enterprise penetration testing, vulnerability assessments, conference-based cybersecurity training, and managed security services to global enterprise clients and security professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Penetration Testing and Cybersecurity Consulting Services

NAICS

Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Penetration Testing, Red Team & Ethical Hacking (EDAOAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Endpoint Security Managed Services (EDR/XDR) (BPAEADAH)

Keywords

• Penetration testing services
• Ethical hacking consulting
• Vulnerability scanning
• Cybersecurity training courses
• Managed security services

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Security Assessments: Senior team-backed security assessment services for businesses, applications, and networks. Provides penetration testing and vulnerability assessment engagements.
2. Hacking Training: Cybersecurity skills training with curriculum from novice to expert levels. Training covers developers, managers, penetration testers, and other professionals needing cyber skills. Delivered at conferences and through dedicated courses.
3. Managed Services: Managed security services including vulnerability management, threat detection, and other security operations support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

SensePost is an ethical hacking consultancy that delivers Security Assessments (penetration testing and security assurance of business applications and networks), Hacking Training (structured cybersecurity skills courses from novice to expert), and Managed Security Services (vulnerability management and threat detection implementation). Backed by a senior team with a 20-year track record, the firm supplements its services with proprietary open-source security tools and a long-running technical research blog.

Product overview

SensePost is an ethical hacking team of Orange Cyberdefense offering a portfolio of cybersecurity services and training. The company provides three core service offerings: Security Assessments (backed by 20+ years of research-lead innovation), Hacking Training (with curriculum from novice to expert levels), and Managed Services (vulnerability management and threat detection). Their training portfolio includes multiple specialized courses including Hands on Hacking Fundamentals, Web Application Hacking, Infrastructure Hacking, Introduction to Red Teaming, and Unplugged; Modern WiFi Hacking. The company also publishes open-source security tools and research through their blog.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Security Assessments Penetration testing and security assurance engagements for business applications, infrastructure, and networks. Backed by a senior team with 20+ years of research-lead innovation.
• Hacking Training Cybersecurity skills training with curriculum from novice to expert level, covering developers, managers, penetration testers, and others needing offensive and defensive security skills. Delivered as structured courses.
• Managed Security Services Managed security services helping organizations implement or scale vulnerability management, threat detection, and other security operations efforts.
• Hands on Hacking Fundamentals (HHF) Introductory training course covering technical skills and basic concepts required for a foundation in information security, targeting novice-level participants.
• Web Application Hacking Training course focused on web application security testing and exploitation techniques for security professionals and developers.
• Infrastructure Hacking Training course covering infrastructure security testing and penetration testing techniques for network and systems assessments.
• Introduction to Red Teaming Entry-level course covering red team methodologies and techniques for simulating real-world adversarial attacks against organizations.
• Unplugged; Modern WiFi Hacking Advanced WiFi security training covering modern wireless attack techniques, rogue access points, and wireless defenses.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of students trained in offensive and defensive security techniques

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Orange CyberdefensecoreOthersSensePost is now a team within Orange Cyberdefense. Their website redirects to orangecyberdefense.com for services. The company operates as part of Orange Cyberdefense's global ethical hacking and security assessment practice.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Trustwave: Large MSSP and security consultancy offering penetration testing alongside managed detection, MDR, and consulting. Broader portfolio than SensePost, but overlapping in pentest and managed services.
• Rapid7: Security analytics and services firm behind Metasploit and a managed services practice. Comparable to SensePost through Metasploit's open-source offensive heritage and managed services overlap.
• Secureworks: Global MSSP with offensive security, MDR, and threat intelligence. Comparable to Orange Cyberdefense/SensePost at the parent-portfolio level, with overlapping managed and assessment services.

Direct peers

• Bishop Fox: Elite US-based offensive security consultancy offering penetration testing, red teaming, and security research. Highly comparable to SensePost in service mix, research-led culture, and senior-practitioner model.
• Offensive Security (OffSec): Creator of the OSCP certification and Kali Linux; deep overlap with SensePost in offensive security training delivery, particularly in the hands-on, practitioner-focused segment.
• NCC Group: Global security consultancy with strong presence in penetration testing, red teaming, and security advisory. Directly competes with SensePost in enterprise offensive security engagements.
• Trail of Bits: Research-driven security firm specializing in application security, code auditing, and cutting-edge offensive research. Closely comparable to SensePost's research-led, niche consultancy model.
• NetSPI: Enterprise-focused penetration testing and attack surface management firm with both services and platform offerings. Overlaps with SensePost in pentest delivery and managed vulnerability services.

Emerging players

• HackerOne: Crowdsourced security testing platform connecting organizations to a researcher community. Represents the platform-based alternative to traditional consultancy-led pentests that SensePost delivers.
• Synack: Crowdsourced penetration testing platform with a curated researcher network. Comparable to SensePost in the elite-pentest segment, but delivered via a tech-enabled platform model rather than direct consultancy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sensepost
• GitHubgithub.com/sensepost
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sensepost

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 SensePost