ERNW Research
ERNW Research is an independent IT security firm in Heidelberg, Germany, offering incident response, digital forensics, malware analysis, medical device security, and advanced security assessments to enterprise and healthcare customers in the DACH region through project-based consulting engagements.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersHeidelberg, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ERNW Research does
ERNW Research GmbH is an independent IT security research and consulting firm headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, founded in 2015 as the first spin-off of ERNW (Enno Rey Netzwerke GmbH). The firm operates with a small specialized team (11–50 employees) delivering professional services across four practice areas: publicly funded research projects in cooperation with universities, incident response and forensic reporting, medical device security (with particular emphasis on HL7 interoperability), and advanced security assessments including penetration testing, red teaming, and closed-source product evaluations across IoT/embedded, cloud/virtualization, Microsoft/Active Directory, and network appliance environments.
The firm's core technology consists of proprietary methodologies rather than a unified software platform: structured incident response processes aligned with common IR frameworks, forensically-sound evidence collection with multi-stage reporting (executive summaries for legal staff plus deep technical documentation), multi-stage malware analysis (static, automated/manual dynamic, reverse engineering), and customized testing methodologies for specialized technologies including medical communication standards. Research output includes 71+ published whitepapers dating back to 2003, the Insinuator company blog, and affiliation with the TROOPERS IT security conference — collectively functioning as the firm's primary distribution and demand-generation channels.
Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements acquired via direct sales to enterprise and healthcare customers in the DACH region. No external funding, public listing, or institutional investors are evidenced; ownership appears founder-/management-led under Managing Director Dr-Ing. Andreas Dewald. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed. The firm markets primarily through content (whitepapers, blog, newsletter) and conference presence rather than resellers or marketplaces.
ERNW Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ERNW Research
- Legal name
- ERNW Research GmbH
- Website
- https://ernw-research.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ERNW Research is an independent IT security firm in Heidelberg, Germany, offering incident response, digital forensics, malware analysis, medical device security, and advanced security assessments to enterprise and healthcare customers in the DACH region through project-based consulting engagements.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ERNW Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cybersecurity Consulting Services
- NAICS
- Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Other Computer Related Services (541519), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Risk Management (ERM), Operational Risk & Business Continuity (BPAEAPAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) (HDADAIAC)
Keywords
Where ERNW Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Heidelberg
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
ERNW Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Security Consulting and Assessment Services: Project-based professional services for security assessments including penetration testing, red teaming, and closed-source product evaluations. Revenue generated through direct customer engagements for specific security testing and consulting projects.
- Incident Response Services: On-demand incident response and forensic analysis services for customers experiencing or suspected incidents. Includes immediate response, on-site analysis, and technical forensic report compilation.
- Publicly Funded Research Projects: Research services working on scientific and pragmatic problems in the IT security space, including cooperation with universities and fellow researchers on funded research activities.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
ERNW Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ERNW Research is an independent IT security service provider delivering highly technical incident response, digital forensics, malware analysis, and medical device security assessments, as well as advanced security testing (penetration testing, red teaming, and closed-source product evaluations). The company combines publicly funded research, university collaborations, and customer projects, translating research findings into practical security engagements for healthcare providers and enterprise customers.
Product overview
ERNW Research is an independent IT security service provider offering a portfolio of professional services rather than a unified product platform. The core offerings include Publicly Funded Research Projects, Incident Response & Forensic Reports, Medical Device Security, and Security Assessment Services (penetration testing, red teaming, and product evaluations). Supporting these are published whitepapers (ERNW Whitepapers series), the Insinuator company blog, and a newsletter service. The services are delivered by a specialized team in Heidelberg, Germany, combining cutting-edge research with practical customer projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Insinuator: Company blog for research and insights created at ERNW, reflections on the information security world, and practical security advice resulting from assessment and consulting projects.
Companies that use ERNW Research
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ERNW Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
ERNW Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ERNW Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Computest Security: Benelux-based specialist security testing and incident response consultancy. Computest is a comparable regional boutique security firm serving Northern European enterprise customers with similar penetration testing and IR service lines.
Broad incumbents
- Trustwave: Global cybersecurity services and MDR provider covering penetration testing, incident response, and managed detection. Trustwave is a broad incumbent reference for where scaled players offer the same core services ERNW Research provides.
- Mandiant (Google Cloud): Industry-leading incident response and cyber threat intelligence firm, now part of Google Cloud. Mandiant represents the scaled-up archetype of ERNW Research's IR and digital forensics practice, providing a benchmark for service-line economics and competitive positioning.
- NCC Group: Global cyber and escrow assurance firm offering penetration testing, incident response, and managed security services. NCC Group is a broad incumbent whose scale and breadth contrast with ERNW Research's specialist model, anchoring the addressable competitive landscape.
- ERNW (Enno Rey Netzwerke GmbH): Parent entity from which ERNW Research was spun off in 2015. Enno Rey Netzwerke operates the broader consulting/network security practice while ERNW Research holds the research-focused mandate; both share leadership, brand, and methodologies, making it the most directly comparable reference for ERNW Research's service scope.
Direct peers
- IOActive: Global security consultancy renowned for embedded, IoT, and medical device security assessments. IOActive is the most direct comparable for ERNW Research's medical device security specialty and shares an assessment-services-led, research-influenced GTM.
- Cure53: Berlin-based boutique security consultancy specializing in web application penetration testing, code audits, and applied security research. Cure53 mirrors ERNW Research's tight, research-driven boutique model and its reliance on senior practitioner reputation and whitepaper-style publications.
- Bishop Fox: US-based offensive security consultancy specializing in red teaming, penetration testing, and advanced security assessments. Bishop Fox is closely comparable to ERNW Research's high-end red team and assessment offerings and its research-fuelled go-to-market.
- SRLabs: Germany-based security research and consulting firm combining telecom/network security research with red-team and advisory work. SRLabs is highly comparable in terms of research-grade security services, European concentration, and conference-driven brand building (e.g., CCC/Black Hat presence).
- Recurity Labs: Berlin-based IT security consultancy focused on vulnerability research, code audits, and penetration testing. Recurity Labs is a direct peer in the German boutique security-research ecosystem, with strong overlap in assessment methodology and academic-style output.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ERNW Research social profiles
Digital presenceERNW Research compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
ERNW Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ERNW Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
ERNW Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ERNW Research 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 ERNW Research
What does ERNW Research do?
ERNW Research is an independent IT security service provider delivering highly technical incident response, digital forensics, malware analysis, and medical device security assessments, as well as advanced security testing (penetration testing, red teaming, and closed-source product evaluations). The company combines publicly funded research, university collaborations, and customer projects, translating research findings into practical security engagements for healthcare providers and enterprise customers.
Is ERNW Research a public or private company?
ERNW Research is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ERNW Research founded?
ERNW Research was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ERNW Research based?
ERNW Research is headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does ERNW Research make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Security Consulting and Assessment Services are the primary driver. The others are incident Response Services and publicly Funded Research Projects.
Who are ERNW Research's main competitors?
Computest Security is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Trustwave, Mandiant (Google Cloud), NCC Group and ERNW (Enno Rey Netzwerke GmbH). Direct peers are IOActive, Cure53, Bishop Fox, SRLabs and Recurity Labs.
Does ERNW Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for ERNW Research.
What industry is ERNW Research in?
ERNW Research's product category is Cybersecurity Consulting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAEAPAJ, Risk Management (ERM), Operational Risk & Business Continuity, with a secondary code of HDADAIAC, Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). Its NAICS code is 5417 and its SIC code is 8700.