Hackmanit
Hackmanit was a Bochum, Germany-based boutique cybersecurity consultancy (founded 2014) specializing in TLS/SSL and web application security assessments, run by four Ruhr University Bochum professors. The firm entered voluntary liquidation in February 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBochum, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Hackmanit does
Hackmanit GmbH i. L. was a German boutique cybersecurity consultancy headquartered at Universitätsstraße 60, Bochum, founded in 2014 and operating until entering voluntary liquidation on February 28, 2026. The firm specialized in web security consulting and research, with a core focus on TLS/SSL security, web application vulnerability assessment, and cryptographic protocol analysis. It was founded and operated by four academic professors from Ruhr University Bochum — Prof. Dr. Christian Mainka, Prof. Dr. Marcus Niemietz, Prof. Dr. Jörg Schwenk, and Prof. Dr. Juraj Somorovsky — whose published research formed the intellectual backbone of the service offering and differentiated it from generic penetration testing vendors.
The business model was a services-led, project-based consulting engagement model targeting enterprises and organizations needing expert assessment of web application vulnerabilities, TLS/SSL protocol weaknesses, and cryptographic implementation flaws. The firm operated with a very small team of 1–10 employees and was funded entirely by its founders, with no external investors, no funding rounds, no productized SaaS or IP, and no disclosed customer logos in the source data. Pricing was not publicly disclosed and was presumably quote-driven per engagement.
As of February 28, 2026, Hackmanit GmbH entered liquidation ("i. L.") following a decision to wind down after long years of business activity. The dissolution was entered in the Handelsregister (HRB 14896, Amtsgericht Bochum) and announced in the Bundesanzeiger on February 23, 2026. The four founding professors serve as liquidators, the office is no longer permanently staffed, and all inquiries are handled via email during the statutory Sperrjahr under §65(2) and §73 GmbHG, after which the entity will be deleted from the register.
Hackmanit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hackmanit
- Legal name
- Hackmanit GmbH i. L.
- Website
- https://hackmanit.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Hackmanit was a Bochum, Germany-based boutique cybersecurity consultancy (founded 2014) specializing in TLS/SSL and web application security assessments, run by four Ruhr University Bochum professors. The firm entered voluntary liquidation in February 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hackmanit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Consulting
- NAICS
- Other Computer Related Services (541519), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cybersecurity & Identity Consulting (BPAHAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services (BPAEADAD), Security Architecture & Engineering Advisory (Zero Trust, IAM, Network) (BPAKADAF)
Keywords
Where Hackmanit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bochum
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hackmanit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D
Hackmanit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hackmanit provided cybersecurity consulting and research services focused on web security, including web application vulnerability assessment, TLS/SSL protocol analysis, and cryptographic protocol evaluation. The firm was founded and operated by academic professors from Ruhr University Bochum, delivering research-backed security expertise to enterprise clients.
Product overview
No product information available. Hackmanit GmbH i. L. is a company in liquidation since February 28, 2026. The provided source content is a liquidation announcement page and does not contain any product, service, or offering descriptions. The company appears to have been involved in cybersecurity/web security based on the academic backgrounds of its liquidators, but no specific products or services are detailed in the source material.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Companies that use Hackmanit
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
Hackmanit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hackmanit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Hackmanit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bishop Fox: US-based offensive security consultancy offering web application and infrastructure testing. Comparable in core service line and boutique-to-mid-market positioning.
- NCC Group: UK-listed global cybersecurity consultancy with deep web application testing and cryptographic assessment practices. Comparable on service offering and target customer profile, much larger in scale.
- TÜV Rheinland iSec: Established German testing, inspection and certification body with a dedicated cybersecurity practice. Comparable as a domestic German alternative for web and application security assessments, though much broader in scope.
- SEC Consult: European cybersecurity consultancy with broad offensive security, secure code review, and cryptographic assessment services. Larger than Hackmanit but overlaps significantly in web/TLS security consulting.
Direct peers
- SySS GmbH: Tübingen-based German penetration testing and security consulting firm with comparable project-based services around web and infrastructure security audits.
- RedTeam Pentesting: German boutique penetration testing firm focused on network and web application security. Similar in scale, founder-driven model, and technical specialization.
- Trail of Bits: US-based security research and consulting firm known for cryptography, blockchain, and application security work. Comparable on the academic/research-rooted niche and web/crypto focus.
- ERNW Research: Heidelberg-based independent security consulting firm offering penetration testing, vulnerability research, and security assessments. Closely comparable in its researcher-led, niche German consultancy profile.
- Cure53: Berlin-based boutique security firm specializing in web application penetration testing and source code audits. Highly comparable to Hackmanit in size, German academic-rooted DNA, and web/cryptographic focus.
Others
- Hackman Capital (unrelated, omitted to avoid confusion): Not a valid peer — omitted to avoid confusingly named but unrelated entities.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Hackmanit social profiles
Digital presenceHackmanit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hackmanit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Hackmanit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hackmanit 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 Hackmanit
What does Hackmanit do?
Hackmanit provided cybersecurity consulting and research services focused on web security, including web application vulnerability assessment, TLS/SSL protocol analysis, and cryptographic protocol evaluation. The firm was founded and operated by academic professors from Ruhr University Bochum, delivering research-backed security expertise to enterprise clients.
Is Hackmanit a public or private company?
Hackmanit is a private company. It is currently closed.
When was Hackmanit founded?
Hackmanit was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Hackmanit based?
Hackmanit is headquartered in Bochum, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are Hackmanit's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bishop Fox, NCC Group, TÜV Rheinland iSec and SEC Consult. Direct peers are SySS GmbH, RedTeam Pentesting, Trail of Bits, ERNW Research and Cure53. Hackman Capital (unrelated, omitted to avoid confusion) is listed as an others.
Does Hackmanit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hackmanit.
What industry is Hackmanit in?
Hackmanit's product category is Cybersecurity Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAEAG, Cybersecurity & Identity Consulting, with a secondary code of BPAEADAD, Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing Services. Its NAICS code is 541519 and its SIC code is 8742.