Cobalt
Cobalt is a Pentest as a Service platform that combines SaaS efficiency with a global community of security experts to identify and remediate vulnerabilities in your applications.
Core Impact
Core Impact is a comprehensive penetration testing software that allows you to safely test your IT infrastructure by replicating real-world multi-staged attacks to identify and prioritize security vulnerabilities.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Cobalt | Core Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Website | cobalt.io | coresecurity.com |
| Pricing Model | Custom | Custom |
| Starting Price | Custom Pricing | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✘ No free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✘ No free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2013 | 1996 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, USA | Minneapolis, USA |
Overview
Cobalt
Cobalt transforms traditional penetration testing into a dynamic, tech-enabled experience through its Pentest as a Service (PtaaS) platform. You can move away from slow, static PDF reports and instead launch comprehensive security assessments in days rather than weeks. The platform connects you directly with a vetted community of on-demand security researchers who test your web applications, APIs, and cloud infrastructure in real-time.
You can manage the entire testing lifecycle from a single dashboard, allowing your developers to communicate directly with testers for faster vulnerability remediation. It integrates with your existing development workflows to ensure security keeps pace with your release cycles. Whether you need to meet compliance requirements like SOC2 or harden your external attack surface, you get actionable data and on-demand retesting to stay secure.
Core Impact
Core Impact helps you reveal the most pressing security threats across your entire organization. You can automate routine exploitation tasks for your network, endpoints, and even web applications, allowing your security team to focus on more complex manual testing. The platform provides a library of commercially developed and tested exploits, so you can validate vulnerabilities with confidence and without crashing your systems.
You can use the software to run multi-vector attack simulations that pivot from a compromised web application to the internal network. This helps you understand exactly how an attacker could move through your environment. It also generates detailed reports that map your findings to regulatory requirements, making it easier to prove compliance and prioritize remediation efforts based on real-world risk.
Overview
Cobalt Features
- On-Demand Pentesting Launch a manual pentest in as little as 24 hours to meet tight production deadlines or compliance windows.
- Real-Time Reporting View vulnerabilities as testers find them so your team can start fixing critical bugs before the test even finishes.
- Direct Researcher Access Chat directly with your assigned security experts to clarify findings and get specific guidance on complex remediation steps.
- SDLC Integrations Push findings automatically to Jira, GitHub, or Slack so your developers can manage security fixes in their existing tools.
- Complimentary Retesting Request a free retest once you've applied a fix to ensure the vulnerability is fully resolved and verified.
- Compliance Reporting Generate audit-ready reports for SOC2, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS with a single click to satisfy your stakeholders and auditors.
Core Impact Features
- Rapid Penetration Tests. Automate common testing tasks to quickly identify and exploit vulnerabilities across your network, web, and client-side assets.
- Certified Exploit Library. Access a massive library of professionally written and tested exploits to safely validate risks without disrupting your business operations.
- Multi-Vector Pivoting. Simulate how attackers move through your environment by pivoting from one compromised machine to another across different network segments.
- Vulnerability Scanner Import. Import results from scanners like Nessus or OpenVAS to validate which vulnerabilities are actually exploitable in your specific environment.
- Teaming Capabilities. Collaborate with your security team in real-time by sharing workspaces and attack data during complex, large-scale engagements.
- Automated Reporting. Generate comprehensive reports that translate technical findings into actionable business intelligence for stakeholders and compliance auditors.
Pricing Comparison
Cobalt Pricing
Core Impact Pricing
Pros & Cons
Cobalt
Pros
- Significantly faster setup time than traditional consulting firms
- Direct communication with testers speeds up remediation
- Clean dashboard replaces messy PDF report management
- High-quality, vetted researchers provide deep manual insights
Cons
- Credit-based pricing can be complex to forecast
- Platform focus is primarily on manual testing over automation
- Premium pricing reflects the high-touch expert service
Core Impact
Pros
- Automated wizards save significant time on routine testing
- High-quality exploits are safer than open-source alternatives
- Excellent pivoting capabilities simulate realistic lateral movement
- Detailed reporting simplifies complex compliance documentation
Cons
- Higher price point compared to open-source tools
- Significant learning curve for the advanced feature set
- Interface feels dated compared to modern SaaS tools