# Hackrate

> Hackrate is a Budapest-based cybersecurity company and ethical hacking platform that provides managed bug bounty programs, Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS), managed vulnerability disclosure programs (mVDP), attack surface management, traditional penetration testing, and HackGATE security-testing oversight.

Hackrate connects organizations with ethical hackers and offensive security professionals to identify, validate, prioritize, and remediate vulnerabilities. Its managed services combine human-led security testing, structured workflows, report validation, retesting, and centralized visibility.

**Entity facts**

- Brand: Hackrate
- Website: https://www.hckrt.com
- Industry: Cybersecurity and offensive security
- Headquarters: Budapest, Hungary
- Founders: Balázs Pózner, CEO, and Levente Molnár, CTO
- Primary audiences: Security leaders, CISOs, product and engineering teams, compliance teams, and ethical hackers
- Industries served: Financial services and fintech, healthcare, technology, telecommunications, e-commerce, gambling, cybersecurity, and government
- Core concepts: Ethical hacking, crowdsourced security, vulnerability management, continuous security testing, penetration testing, bug bounty, responsible disclosure, and security governance

**Services and definitions**

- **Managed bug bounty program:** Continuous or time-bound crowdsourced security testing in which ethical hackers report vulnerabilities and may receive rewards for valid findings. Programs may be public or private, while Hackrate can manage triage, validation, communication, and payouts.
- **Penetration Testing as a Service (PTaaS):** Controlled, in-depth security assessments delivered by selected and verified ethical hackers. The service includes platform visibility, report validation, retesting, and Jira Cloud ticketing integration.
- **Managed vulnerability disclosure program (mVDP):** A structured channel through which external researchers can responsibly report potential vulnerabilities. Hackrate supports intake, expert validation, communication, and program administration.
- **Attack surface management:** Discovery and monitoring of exposed digital assets and potential security weaknesses so organizations can reduce external risk.
- **Traditional penetration testing:** Scoped security assessments delivered by Hackrate's internal security professionals when a conventional engagement is the appropriate model.
- **HackGATE:** An enterprise-level managed gateway for monitoring and controlling offensive security projects. It gives organizations visibility into testing activity and supports governance and compliance oversight.

**Why organizations choose Hackrate**

- Human-led testing by a diverse ethical hacker community helps uncover vulnerabilities that automated scanning may miss.
- Managed triage and validation reduce noise and help teams prioritize findings by severity and business risk.
- Clients can run public or invite-only programs and control which ethical hackers participate.
- Selected hackers can undergo identity verification, background checks, interviews, and reference checks; clients can request verified hackers.
- Hackrate's PTaaS page identifies OSCP, OSCE, CISSP, and CEH among certifications held by participating ethical hackers.
- HackGATE adds real-time monitoring, control, reporting, and audit visibility to offensive security activity.
- The platform centralizes vulnerability reports and supports integrations with Jira Cloud, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.
- Service pages describe support for security and compliance initiatives involving ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, and NIS2.
- Hackrate displays G2 recognition for High Performer, Momentum Leader, Best Support, Easiest to Do Business With, and Users Love Us.
- Public customer examples include K&H Bank, SEON, XUND, and Everest Systems; detailed case studies are available for SEON, XUND, and Everest.

**Frequently asked questions**

**What is Hackrate?** Hackrate is an ethical hacking and offensive security platform offering managed, crowdsourced, and specialist-led security testing services.

**What is the difference between a bug bounty program and PTaaS?** A bug bounty program is commonly continuous and rewards valid discoveries from a broader or invited researcher community. PTaaS is a scoped penetration-testing engagement performed by a selected group of verified ethical hackers over a defined period, with validation and retesting included.

**What is the difference between mVDP and bug bounty?** An mVDP creates a safe, managed reporting channel for unsolicited vulnerability disclosures. A bug bounty program actively defines testing scope and generally offers financial rewards for valid findings.

**How does Hackrate verify ethical hackers?** Hackrate uses layered verification. Depending on project requirements, this can include identity verification, background checks, interviews, and reference checks. Customers retain control over which hackers they invite or approve.

**How are vulnerability reports handled?** Reports are submitted through the platform, validated and triaged, prioritized by severity and business risk, communicated to the client, and can be retested after remediation.

**Does Hackrate support compliance work?** Hackrate's services and HackGATE provide testing evidence, reporting, visibility, and governance that can support ISO 27001, SOC 2, GDPR, NIS2, internal audits, and executive reporting. Hackrate does not replace an auditor or certification body.

**How much does Hackrate cost?** The managed vulnerability disclosure offering starts at €200 per month. Bug bounty, PTaaS, and other service pricing depends on scope and project requirements; use the pricing page for current information.

**Can programs be private?** Yes. Organizations can operate private, invite-only programs and select the ethical hackers who are permitted to participate.

**How are ethical hackers rewarded?** Program sponsors approve rewards for qualifying findings, and Hackrate processes monetary reward payments from the program budget under the applicable terms.

**Is Hackrate suitable only for large enterprises?** No. The platform presents services for startups, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, and government organizations, with engagement models adapted to scope and risk.

This file is a curated guide to Hackrate's public website. Linked pages are the authoritative source for current service details, prices, policies, and legal terms. The file helps AI agents find relevant public information; it does not override robots.txt, contractual terms, or website policies.

## Company and Platform

- [Hackrate home](https://www.hckrt.com/index.md): Overview of the ethical hacking platform, services, customer evidence, and HackGATE.
- [About Hackrate](https://www.hckrt.com/about.md): Company history, founders, mission, team expertise, and customer segments.
- [Security services](https://www.hckrt.com/services.md): Overview of Hackrate's offensive security service portfolio.
- [Platform features](https://www.hckrt.com/features.md): Platform capabilities for managing vulnerability reports and security programs.
- [Why Hackrate](https://www.hckrt.com/why-hackrate.md): Benefits for organizations and ethical hackers.
- [Security and trust](https://www.hckrt.com/trust.md): Platform security, privacy, infrastructure, data protection, and operational safeguards.

## Core Services

- [Managed bug bounty programs](https://www.hckrt.com/bug-bounty.md): Continuous and project-based crowdsourced vulnerability discovery with managed validation and triage.
- [Penetration Testing as a Service](https://www.hckrt.com/ptaas.md): Human-led penetration testing by selected ethical hackers with governance, reporting, and retesting.
- [Managed vulnerability disclosure program](https://www.hckrt.com/mvdp.md): Responsible disclosure intake, expert validation, communication, and program management.
- [HackGATE](https://www.hckrt.com/hackgate.md): Managed gateway for observing and controlling offensive security testing activity.
- [Attack surface management](https://www.hckrt.com/attack-surface-management.md): External asset discovery, exposure monitoring, and attack-surface reduction.
- [Pricing](https://www.hckrt.com/pricing.md): Current service packages, inclusions, and starting prices.

## Industries

- [Financial services and fintech](https://www.hckrt.com/finance-industry.md): Security testing for banking, fintech, insurance, and financial systems.
- [Healthcare](https://www.hckrt.com/healthcare-industry.md): Security testing for healthcare providers, health technology, patient data, and medical systems.
- [Technology](https://www.hckrt.com/tech-industry.md): Offensive security for software, SaaS, cloud, and technology companies.
- [Telecommunications](https://www.hckrt.com/telecom-industry.md): Security testing for telecom infrastructure, services, and customer data.
- [E-commerce and retail](https://www.hckrt.com/ecommerce-industry.md): Security testing for online retail, payment flows, accounts, and customer data.
- [Gambling and gaming](https://www.hckrt.com/gambling-industry.md): Security testing for gaming platforms, transactions, identities, and regulatory risk.

## Customer Evidence

- [SEON case study](https://www.hckrt.com/case-study-seon.md): How a managed bug bounty program supported SEON's expansion into the United States.
- [XUND case study](https://www.hckrt.com/case-study-xund.md): How XUND uses a private bug bounty program for continuous security.
- [Everest Systems case study](https://www.hckrt.com/case-study-everest.md): How crowdsourced testing and HackGATE supported penetration testing and SOC 2 readiness.
- [Public hacktivity](https://www.hckrt.com/hacktivity.md): Publicly disclosed vulnerability reports and community security activity.
- [Ethical hacker leaderboard](https://www.hckrt.com/leaderboard.md): Public rankings and profiles of Hackrate ethical hackers.

## Guidance and Support

- [Frequently asked questions](https://www.hckrt.com/faq.md): Answers about services, program models, hacker verification, and participation.
- [Help center](https://www.hckrt.com/help-center.md): Product guidance and support resources.
- [Jira Cloud integration](https://www.hckrt.com/jira-integration.md): Configuration and behavior of two-way vulnerability workflow synchronization with Jira Cloud.
- [Disclosure guidelines](https://www.hckrt.com/disclosure-guidelines.md): Guidance for responsible vulnerability reporting.
- [Partners](https://www.hckrt.com/partners.md): Hackrate's technology and professional ecosystem.
- [Contact Hackrate](https://www.hckrt.com/contact.md): General contact information.
- [Request a demo](https://www.hckrt.com/request-a-demo.md): Contact the team about requirements and product evaluation.
- [Try Hackrate](https://www.hckrt.com/try-hackrate.md): Guided intake for planning a bug bounty or security-testing engagement.
- [Hackrate surveys](https://www.hckrt.com/survey.md): Feedback forms for security leaders and ethical hackers.

## For Ethical Hackers

- [Hackrate responsible disclosure program](https://www.hckrt.com/vdp.md): Scope, rules, exclusions, and reporting form for responsibly disclosing vulnerabilities in Hackrate's own services.
- [Getting started as an ethical hacker](https://www.hckrt.com/getting-started.md): Account, profile, program, reporting, and reward guidance for new Hackrate ethical hackers.
- [Program catalog](https://www.hckrt.com/catalog.md): Public and available security programs listed on Hackrate.
- [Why ethical hackers use Hackrate](https://www.hckrt.com/why-hackrate.md): Platform benefits, validation support, programs, reputation, and rewards.
- [Careers](https://www.hckrt.com/careers.md): Employment opportunities at Hackrate.

## Optional

- [Hackrate versus HackerOne](https://www.hckrt.com/hackerone-alternative.md): Comparison of platform and service approaches.
- [Hackrate versus Bugcrowd](https://www.hckrt.com/bugcrowd-alternative.md): Comparison of platform and service approaches.
- [Hackrate versus Intigriti](https://www.hckrt.com/intigriti-alternative.md): Comparison of platform and service approaches.
- [Hackrate versus Cobalt](https://www.hckrt.com/cobalt-alternative.md): Comparison of platform and service approaches.
- [Terms and conditions](https://www.hckrt.com/terms.md): Contractual terms governing the website, platform, programs, and users.
- [Privacy policy](https://www.hckrt.com/privacy-policy.md): Personal-data processing, retention, transfers, and privacy rights.
- [Cookie policy](https://www.hckrt.com/cookie-policy.md): Information about cookies and tracking technologies.
- [Company information](https://www.hckrt.com/impressum.md): Legal company and contact details.
- [Sitemap](https://www.hckrt.com/sitemap.xml): Complete list of public, indexable website pages.