CBTS Launches AI-Powered Penetration Testing Service for Continuous Security Validation
Event summary
- CBTS launched Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS) on August 11, 2026, leveraging Horizon3.ai's NodeZero platform.
- The service provides continuous, AI-enabled penetration testing with human expert validation for exploitable risks.
- PTaaS offers flexible testing frequencies (daily to quarterly) and attack path analysis to prioritize remediation.
- CBTS serves over 3,000 clients across North America through its Cincinnati headquarters.
The big picture
CBTS's PTaaS launch addresses the growing gap between traditional annual penetration testing and rapidly evolving attack surfaces. The service responds to industry data showing vulnerability exploitation now outpaces stolen credentials as attackers' primary method of entry, particularly as AI narrows the window between disclosure and exploitation. This shift aligns with broader adoption of Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) programs.
What we're watching
- Adoption Pace
- How quickly enterprises will transition from annual to continuous penetration testing.
- AI Reliance
- Whether human expert validation remains critical as AI capabilities advance.
- Competitive Response
- The pace at which competitors integrate similar autonomous testing with human oversight.