Frequently Asked Questions
Product Overview & Use Cases
What is Cymulate and what does it do?
Cymulate is a unified exposure management and security validation platform that enables organizations to proactively validate their security controls, simulate real-world attacks, and prioritize vulnerabilities. It combines Breach and Attack Simulation (BAS), Continuous Automated Red Teaming (CART), and Exposure Analytics to help teams move from reactive to proactive security postures. Learn more.
Who can benefit from using Cymulate?
Cymulate is designed for CISOs, security leaders, SecOps teams, red teams, and vulnerability management teams across industries such as finance, retail, healthcare, media, and transportation. Organizations of all sizes, from small businesses to enterprises with over 10,000 employees, can benefit from its continuous threat exposure management capabilities. See more.
What is Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) and how does Cymulate support it?
CTEM is a proactive approach to security that continuously validates exposures, threats, and response processes. Cymulate supports CTEM by automating live-data exercises, providing real-time validation of security controls, and enabling organizations to prioritize vulnerabilities based on actual exploitability and business context. Learn more.
How does Cymulate help organizations move from reactive to proactive security?
Cymulate enables organizations to simulate real-world attacks, validate security controls, and automate incident response exercises. This allows teams to identify and address vulnerabilities before they are exploited, shifting from periodic, reactive testing to continuous, proactive security validation. See case study.
What types of organizations use Cymulate in real-world scenarios?
Organizations in finance, retail, shipping, sports media, and more use Cymulate. For example, a credit union in Arizona with 500 employees adopted Cymulate to implement CTEM, and a retail company with over 10,000 employees used Cymulate to enhance web application firewall effectiveness. Browse case studies.
How did a credit union use Cymulate to improve its security operations?
A credit union with 500 employees in Arizona used Cymulate to transition to a proactive security posture. They replaced annual pen tests with continuous validation, automated live-data exercises, and prioritized vulnerabilities based on control efficacy. Results included a 60% reduction in incident response exercise setup time and improved ability to justify security investments. Read the full case study.
What were the main challenges faced by the credit union's SecOps team before using Cymulate?
The credit union's SecOps team struggled with insufficient annual pen tests, lack of an in-house red team, difficulty detecting new threats, and the need to provide proof of security effectiveness for compliance audits. Cymulate addressed these by enabling continuous validation, automation, and measurable reporting. Learn more.
How does Cymulate help with compliance and audit requirements?
Cymulate enables organizations to provide on-demand proof that security controls are functioning as designed, which is essential for compliance audits in regulated industries. The platform's continuous validation and reporting features help meet regulatory requirements efficiently. See compliance details.
How does Cymulate support collaboration between SecOps and vulnerability management teams?
Cymulate provides exposure validation insights that allow SecOps and vulnerability management teams to prioritize vulnerabilities based on what is actually exploitable in their environment, fostering collaboration and improving overall security posture. Learn more.
Can Cymulate be used without an in-house red team?
Yes, Cymulate enables organizations to independently run assessments and live-data exercises without the need for an in-house red team. The platform automates offensive testing and provides a comprehensive library of attack actions, making advanced validation accessible to all teams. See details.
Features & Capabilities
What are the key features of Cymulate?
Cymulate offers continuous threat validation, unified platform integration (BAS, CART, Exposure Analytics), AI-powered optimization, complete kill chain coverage, automated mitigation, cloud validation, and an extensive attack simulation library with daily updates. Explore features.
How does Cymulate automate live-data exercises?
Cymulate allows users to automate incident response exercises across multiple workstations and geographic sites, replicating scenarios like ransomware data exfiltration and lateral movement. This automation reduces setup time by at least 60% compared to manual methods, as reported by a Head of Cybersecurity Operations in a credit union case study.
How does Cymulate help prioritize vulnerabilities?
Cymulate enables organizations to prioritize vulnerabilities based on validated exploitability, business context, and threat intelligence, rather than just CVSS scores. This ensures remediation efforts focus on exposures that can actually be exploited in the environment. Learn more.
What integrations does Cymulate support?
Cymulate integrates with a wide range of security technologies, including Akamai Guardicore, AWS GuardDuty, BlackBerry Cylance OPTICS, Carbon Black EDR, Check Point CloudGuard, CrowdStrike Falcon, Cybereason, and more. For a full list, visit the Partnerships and Integrations page.
How easy is Cymulate to implement and use?
Cymulate is known for its simple deployment and intuitive interface. Customers report being able to start running simulations quickly, with minimal resources and no need for additional hardware. The platform's agentless mode and comprehensive support make onboarding fast and straightforward. See customer feedback.
What customer feedback has Cymulate received about ease of use?
Customers consistently praise Cymulate for its intuitive design and ease of use. Testimonials highlight the platform's user-friendly dashboard, quick implementation, and accessible support team. For example, a Head of Cybersecurity Operations stated, "Cymulate is my reliable, vetted source" for safe, repeatable attack simulations. Read more testimonials.
How does Cymulate help justify security investments?
Cymulate provides measurable results and clear ROI, enabling organizations to demonstrate the impact of security investments to executive leadership. For example, after switching antivirus solutions, a credit union saw immediate improvements in security posture, as shown in Cymulate assessments presented to their executive board.
How does Cymulate help organizations baseline and measure security efficacy?
By continuously validating controls, Cymulate enables organizations to create a baseline and track security performance over time. This helps detect and manage security drift, ensuring ongoing improvement and resilience.
Business Impact & Measurable Results
What measurable results have customers achieved with Cymulate?
Customers report a 52% reduction in critical exposures, a 60% increase in team efficiency, an 81% reduction in cyber risk within four months, and a 60% reduction in incident response exercise setup time. These outcomes demonstrate significant improvements in security posture and operational efficiency. See case study.
How does Cymulate improve operational efficiency?
Cymulate automates manual processes, enabling teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Customers have reported a 60% increase in efficiency and significant time savings, such as reducing threat validation from days to hours and saving an average of 60 hours when testing new threats.
What business impact can organizations expect from Cymulate?
Organizations can expect improved threat prevention (30% improvement), reduced critical exposures (52% reduction), increased operational efficiency (60% increase), faster threat validation (40X faster), enhanced threat detection (85% improvement), and proven ROI (81% reduction in cyber risk within four months). See more.
How does Cymulate help organizations communicate risk to stakeholders?
Cymulate provides validated exposure scoring and quantifiable metrics, enabling CISOs and security leaders to communicate risk effectively and justify security investments to stakeholders. Learn more.
Security, Compliance & Trust
What security and compliance certifications does Cymulate have?
Cymulate holds SOC2 Type II, ISO 27001:2013, ISO 27701, ISO 27017, and CSA STAR Level 1 certifications, demonstrating compliance with industry standards for security, privacy, and cloud services. See details.
How does Cymulate ensure data security and privacy?
Cymulate hosts services in secure AWS data centers, uses encryption for data in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256), and follows a strict Secure Development Lifecycle (SDLC). The company also complies with GDPR and employs a dedicated privacy and security team, including a DPO and CISO. Learn more.
How does Cymulate support secure cloud environments?
Cymulate provides dedicated validation features for hybrid and cloud environments and complies with ISO 27017 for cloud security. The platform integrates with leading cloud security tools and validates cloud-specific attack surfaces. See more.
Is Cymulate GDPR compliant?
Yes, Cymulate is GDPR compliant. The company incorporates data protection by design and has a dedicated privacy and security team, including a Data Protection Officer (DPO) and a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). See compliance details.
Pricing & Plans
What is Cymulate's pricing model?
Cymulate uses a subscription-based pricing model tailored to each organization's needs. Pricing depends on the chosen package, number of assets, and scenarios selected for simulation. For a personalized quote, schedule a demo with the Cymulate team.
Competition & Comparison
How does Cymulate compare to AttackIQ?
Cymulate offers an industry-leading threat scenario library, AI-powered capabilities, and streamlined workflows for security posture improvement. AttackIQ focuses on automated security validation but does not match Cymulate's innovation, threat coverage, or ease of use. See comparison.
How does Cymulate differ from Mandiant Security Validation?
Mandiant is one of the original BAS platforms but has seen little innovation in recent years. Cymulate continually innovates with AI and automation, expanding into exposure management and being recognized as a grid leader. See comparison.
How does Cymulate compare to Pentera?
Pentera is useful for attack path validation but lacks the depth Cymulate provides for full defense assessment. Cymulate optimizes defense, scales offensive testing, and increases exposure awareness. See comparison.
How does Cymulate compare to Picus Security?
Picus may suit organizations seeking a BAS vendor with an on-prem option. Cymulate offers a more complete exposure validation platform, covering the full kill chain and cloud control validation. See comparison.
How does Cymulate compare to SafeBreach?
Cymulate outpaces SafeBreach with unmatched innovation, precision, and automation. It features the industry’s largest attack library, a full CTEM solution, and comprehensive exposure validation. See comparison.
How does Cymulate compare to Scythe?
Scythe is suitable for advanced red teams building custom attack campaigns. Cymulate provides a more comprehensive exposure validation platform with actionable remediation and automated mitigation. See comparison.
How does Cymulate compare to NetSPI?
NetSPI excels in penetration testing as a service (PTaaS). Cymulate is designed for continuous, independent assessment and strengthening of defenses, and is recognized as a leader in exposure validation by Gartner and G2. See comparison.
Support & Implementation
How long does it take to implement Cymulate?
Implementation is fast and straightforward. Customers report being able to deploy Cymulate and start running simulations almost immediately, thanks to agentless mode and minimal resource requirements. See customer feedback.
What support resources are available for Cymulate customers?
Cymulate provides comprehensive support, including email and chat support, webinars, e-books, and a knowledge base to ensure a smooth onboarding and ongoing experience. Access resources.
Where can existing customers log in to the Cymulate platform?
Existing customers can log in to the Cymulate platform at app.cymulate.com.
How can Cymulate partners and resellers manage their accounts?
Partners and resellers can manage their accounts by logging into the Partner Portal.
Customer Proof & Case Studies
Where can I find more Cymulate customer case studies?
You can browse all Cymulate customer success stories, with options to filter by industry, on the Case Studies page.
How did a credit union adopt proactive security and optimize SecOps with Cymulate?
A credit union shifted to a proactive security model to validate exposure and threats while optimizing SecOps with live-data exercises using Cymulate. Read the full story in our case study.
What were the primary security challenges faced by the credit union's SecOps team before using Cymulate?
The team faced challenges such as insufficient annual pen tests, lack of an in-house red team, difficulty keeping up with new threats, and the need to prove security effectiveness for compliance. Cymulate provided a solution with simple deployment, easy-to-use interface, and a library of over 100,000 attack actions. Read more.