Secure every release.
Scale to every application.

Autonomous penetration testing uses AI to execute the full pentest lifecycle, from reconnaissance through reporting, at machine speed. Unlike traditional pentesting, it does not require manual execution at each stage. Cobalt Autonomous Pentest pairs AI execution with elite Cobalt Core pentesters who direct scope, enforce methodology, and ensure every engagement operates within defined guardrails. Findings include proof of exploit, steps to reproduce, and remediation guidance.

Cobalt Autonomous Pentest executes five phases in sequence: reconnaissance maps the full attack surface, scanning validates credentials and establishes a risk baseline, triage prioritizes findings by exploitability and business impact, exploitation confirms vulnerabilities with proof of exploit, and reporting synthesizes findings with remediation guidance and benchmarking intelligence. Cobalt Core pentesters review the execution plan before testing begins, approve or redirect tool calls during execution, and maintain authority over the engagement throughout. A complete pentest is delivered in 24 hours.

Autonomous pentesting sits between vulnerability scanning and manual penetration testing. Scanners identify potential issues but do not confirm exploitability, producing high volumes of theoretical findings that developers dispute or ignore. Manual pentesting provides the deepest coverage but requires weeks per application and cannot scale across a full portfolio. Autonomous pentesting closes the gap: AI executes the full exploitation chain and delivers validated findings with proof of exploit in 24 hours. On the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform, organizations use Autonomous Pentest for breadth across the portfolio and human-led pentesting for targeted depth on critical assets.

In Cobalt Autonomous Pentest, elite Cobalt Core pentesters direct every engagement. Before execution, they review and approve the AI-generated test plan. During execution, they approve or deny dynamic tool calls to ensure appropriate methods for the target environment. Throughout the engagement, they maintain authority to intervene. According to Omdia research, 94% of security teams keep humans in the loop on AI agents. Cobalt makes those humans elite pentesters with an average of 11 years of experience.

Autonomous pentesting is designed for portfolio-wide coverage and risk reduction, not as a replacement for compliance-bound pentesting. Most major frameworks, including PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001, and HIPAA, require human-led pentesting with formal attestation. Cobalt Autonomous Pentest does not produce compliance attestation reports. Organizations that need audit-ready proof should use human-led pentesting on the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform. Many teams use both: Autonomous Pentest for continuous coverage between compliance cycles, and human-led pentesting for attestation.

Cobalt Autonomous Pentest uses a credit-based pricing model. Organizations purchase credits and allocate them across their testing portfolio, replacing the per-engagement scoping and procurement cycle of traditional pentesting. For current pricing, contact the Cobalt sales team.