Rising Star NeonSecurity

NEON Information Security is a Munich-based cybersecurity company founded in 2023 that built VASE (Verification through Attacks in a Security Environment) to close a persistent gap in enterprise security: proving that deployed controls actually detect and respond to real attack behavior, not merely that they are present or correctly configured. VASE continuously validates operational security effectiveness through automated attacker simulations, producing repeatable evidence that security controls work as intended across changing infrastructure and evolving techniques. This approach supports growing regulatory expectations that favor ongoing proof over point-in-time attestations, aligning with requirements such as NIS2 and DORA.

Positioned in the Continuous Security Validation / Security Control Validation / CTEM-adjacent market, VASE goes beyond vulnerability management and security posture management by executing realistic attack scenarios rather than only identifying weaknesses. The platform uses an agent-based, distributed testing architecture deployed throughout customer environments and runs multi-stage, end-to-end attack chains. It includes a library of more than 2,000 configurable test cases aligned to the MITRE ATT&CK framework, enabling regular, automated repetition similar in intent to Breach and Attack Simulation but oriented toward systematic control verification.

VASE supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, and validates not only whether attacks succeed but whether security controls and SIEM systems detect, correlate, and respond appropriately. Licensing is based on the number of deployed agents and available test cases, with customer-managed deployment and an optional SaaS model. NEON is self-funded via consulting revenue supplemented by EU R&D funding, is early in commercial market entry with limited reference customers, and is initially focused on Germany and regulated sectors such as government, municipalities, financial services, and critical infrastructure, supported by partners including Elastic, ACS, and KIT.

• NEON Information Security was founded in 2023.
• The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany.
• The business is self-funded through consulting revenue and supplemented by EU research and development funding.
• VASE stands for Verification through Attacks in a Security Environment.
• VASE continuously validates enterprise security controls using automated attacker simulations.
• The platform uses a library of more than 2,000 configurable test cases aligned with the MITRE ATT&CK framework.
• VASE deploys software components across the customer environment to execute attack scenarios.
• The solution supports on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments.
• Licensing is based on the number of deployed agents and the number of available test cases.
• Initial commercial focus includes government organizations, municipalities, financial services, and critical infrastructure.

• “Regulators are moving away from point-in-time attestations and toward ongoing proof that security controls remain effective.”
• “Rather than simply identifying vulnerabilities or checking configurations, VASE provides evidence that deployed controls detect and respond to realistic attacks as intended.”
• “Rather than assuming that deployed security controls are functioning correctly, VASE continuously verifies that they detect and respond to realistic attacks.”
• “The principal differentiating feature of VASE is its ability to repeatedly and systematically prove the effectiveness of deployed security controls by emulating attacker behavior rather than simply identifying vulnerabilities or confirming that controls exist.”
• “Unlike traditional penetration testing, the platform automates these tests so they can be repeated regularly.”
• “This enables organizations to validate not only whether attacks can successfully compromise protected assets, but whether existing security controls and Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platforms correctly detect and correlate malicious activity.”
• “The solution evaluates the effectiveness of multiple security technologies simultaneously by verifying that attacks are correctly detected across the entire security stack, including SIEM correlation rules.”
• “Requires customer education to clearly differentiate its continuous validation approach from BAS, penetration testing, and vulnerability management solutions.”
• “The term ‘agents,’ potentially confusing in today’s market where it is commonly associated with AI agents rather than distributed testing components, with clearer terminology possibly aiding product positioning.”