Synack Pen-Testing Available on AWS Marketplace

Originally published on CyberNetSec.

Executive Summary

Synack, a provider of penetration testing solutions, has partnered with Carahsoft Technology Corp. to offer its platform to U.S. Public Sector customers via the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Marketplace. The partnership simplifies the acquisition process for government agencies seeking advanced security validation. Synack's platform offers a hybrid model, combining an AI-driven testing engine with a vetted community of human security researchers. This approach is designed to deliver continuous, scalable risk validation tailored to the complex needs of federal agencies.

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Service Overview

The partnership, announced on July 27, 2026, places Synack's security testing platform within Carahsoft's CarahCloud Marketplace program, making it easily procurable for government entities with AWS contracts. The core of Synack's offering is its dual-pronged approach to security testing:

1. Sara AI Pentesting: An AI-powered engine, driven by the Synack Autonomous Red Agent, that performs continuous reconnaissance, attack surface mapping, and automated exploit validation. This provides scale and speed, constantly scanning for vulnerabilities.
2. Synack Red Team: A global, vetted community of elite ethical hackers who provide the human element. They validate the findings from the AI, test for complex business logic flaws, and provide contextual analysis that automated tools cannot replicate.

This combination aims to provide a more comprehensive and continuous view of an organization's security posture compared to traditional, point-in-time penetration tests. By making this available through the AWS Marketplace, the goal is to reduce procurement friction for federal agencies, allowing them to more easily integrate continuous security validation into their operations.

Impact Assessment

For U.S. public sector agencies, this partnership provides a streamlined pathway to adopt a modern, continuous approach to security testing. Traditional penetration tests are often infrequent and may not keep pace with rapid development cycles and evolving threat landscapes. The Synack model offers a way to get persistent testing coverage. By leveraging Carahsoft's government contract vehicles and the AWS Marketplace, agencies can bypass lengthy procurement cycles. This is particularly relevant as federal mandates increasingly push for stronger cyber resilience and continuous monitoring. The hybrid AI-human model addresses the cybersecurity skills gap by augmenting internal security teams with on-demand expertise, allowing them to focus on strategic initiatives while ensuring a baseline of continuous validation is maintained.

Compliance Guidance

Public sector organizations can leverage this offering to meet several compliance and security framework requirements:

• NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF): The continuous testing model directly supports the 'Identify' and 'Protect' functions by continuously discovering assets and vulnerabilities.
• FedRAMP: For agencies managing cloud services, continuous monitoring is a core requirement. Synack's platform can be used as a component of a continuous monitoring strategy.
• CISA Directives: As CISA issues directives for vulnerability management (e.g., the KEV catalog), a continuous testing platform can help agencies quickly identify their exposure to newly disclosed threats.

Implementation Guidance

1. Procurement: Agencies can acquire the service directly through the AWS Marketplace using existing contract vehicles managed by Carahsoft.
2. Onboarding: Onboarding typically involves defining the scope of the assets to be tested (e.g., web applications, cloud infrastructure, APIs) and providing the necessary credentials or access for the Synack platform.
3. Integration: The platform's findings can be integrated into existing vulnerability management workflows and ticketing systems (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow) to streamline remediation efforts.
4. Continuous Monitoring: Agencies should treat this not as a one-time test but as an ongoing program, regularly reviewing findings, prioritizing remediation, and adjusting the testing scope as their attack surface changes.