Synack occupies an interesting position in the penetration testing market. Founded in 2013 by former NSA and CIA operatives, they built their platform around the concept of "the most vetted researchers available" — a curated pool called the Synack Red Team (SRT). Unlike Cobalt's broader freelance researcher approach, Synack enforces stricter vetting: background checks, identity verification, technical assessments, and geographic restrictions on certain programs.
This model gave Synack strong traction in government and defense — markets where accountability, documentation, and cleared-researcher requirements matter as much as technical skill. That strength, however, also shapes how the platform works for commercial clients who have different requirements.
Lorikeet Security is purpose-built for commercial growth-stage and mid-market companies: integrated continuous ASM, dedicated senior testers who know your architecture, and a PTaaS model designed around the realities of how modern SaaS companies actually ship software.
How Synack Actually Works
Synack's platform combines two components: SmartScan, their automated scanning engine, and the Synack Red Team, their human researcher pool. When you launch an engagement, SmartScan runs continuous automated scanning while SRT researchers manually test the target and submit findings through the Synack platform.
SmartScan
SmartScan runs automated vulnerability scanning using a suite of integrated tools through Synack's platform. It provides continuous scanning coverage between and during manual engagements. The output feeds into the same platform dashboard as manual SRT findings, giving a consolidated view of automated and manual results.
The important limitation: automated scanners, however well-integrated, cannot find the class of vulnerabilities that matter most in modern SaaS applications. BOLA (Broken Object Level Authorization), BFLA (Broken Function Level Authorization), business logic flaws, multi-tenant data isolation failures, and complex authentication bypasses require human context that no automated tool provides. SmartScan's contribution is primarily to cover known vulnerability patterns — not to replace adversarial manual testing.
The Synack Red Team
SRT researchers are vetted, background-checked, and organized in a pool that Synack allocates to programs. Unlike Cobalt's broader "Cobalt Core," SRT is a smaller, more curated group with stricter entry requirements. This addresses some of the quality-floor concerns with broader crowdsourced models.
However, the crowdsourced assignment model still applies: you receive researchers from the pool, not a dedicated team that accumulates knowledge of your architecture over time. Each engagement starts from the same baseline knowledge.
Direct Comparison
| Factor | Synack | Lorikeet Security |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher model | Curated crowdsource (SRT) + SmartScan automation | Dedicated senior team + integrated ASM |
| Tester vetting | High — background checks, identity verification | In-house senior practitioners |
| Government/FedRAMP fit | Strong — primary market segment | Commercial focus (SOC 2, ISO 27001) |
| Architecture continuity | Limited — SRT pool assignment varies | Dedicated team accumulates context |
| Automation component | SmartScan (integrated) | Continuous ASM (integrated) |
| API/cloud depth | Dependent on assigned SRT researchers | Core expertise area |
| Pricing model | Platform + testing fees; higher than Cobalt | Fixed-price per engagement |
| Best compliance fit | FedRAMP, CMMC, DoD requirements | SOC 2, ISO 27001, startup-stage compliance |
| Remediation retesting | Additional cost | Included in scope |
What Automation Can and Cannot Do
Both Synack (SmartScan) and Lorikeet Security (ASM) include automation as part of their offering. Understanding what each does — and more importantly, what neither can do — is essential for evaluating which model matches your risk profile.
- Known CVEs in web frameworks, libraries, and dependencies
- Common misconfigurations (open ports, exposed services, weak TLS)
- Basic injection patterns (SQLi in obvious input fields, reflected XSS)
- Information disclosure in HTTP headers, error messages, directory listings
- Expired certificates, weak cipher suites
Synack's SmartScan addresses the automated coverage layer. Lorikeet's ASM addresses continuous external asset discovery and monitoring. Neither replaces manual testing for the vulnerabilities that matter most — but the ASM integration in Lorikeet's model means new assets and services are discovered and added to scope as you ship, rather than only being discovered at the next annual engagement.
Who Should Evaluate Synack vs Lorikeet Security
A Framework for Evaluating Any Security Testing Vendor
Regardless of which vendor you choose, use this framework to evaluate your options:
- Define your compliance requirements first. FedRAMP, CMMC, and DoD requirements have specific approved assessor lists. SOC 2 and ISO 27001 accept any qualified firm. Know which category you are in before evaluating vendors.
- Match your stage to the vendor's typical client. A vendor whose core business is federal government contracts will optimize their processes, pricing, and platform for that market — not for your Series A SaaS company. Alignment matters.
- Understand the automation-to-manual ratio. Ask specifically: what percentage of reported findings come from automated scanning versus manual testing? For critical business logic and authorization vulnerabilities, that ratio determines your real coverage.
- Clarify tester assignment and continuity. Will the same testers work your account? Can you request continuity? What is the process if a key researcher is unavailable?
- Ask about findings that weren't in the report. The best indicator of testing depth is not the findings they include — it is whether they can explain what they tested and found nothing on. A tester who can articulate negative results with confidence demonstrates real coverage.
Not Sure Which Model Is Right for You?
We are happy to talk through your specific requirements — compliance obligations, architecture, stage, and budget — and give you an honest recommendation, even if that means pointing you toward a different vendor. Security decisions should be made on fit, not sales pressure.
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