Author, community builder, and seasoned offensive security leader to advance Company’s global offensive security research initiatives and mentor the next generation of pentesters

Cobalt, the pioneer of penetration testing as a service (PTaaS) and leading provider of human-led, AI-powered offensive security solutions, today announced the appointment of Joseph Brinkley as its new Head of Offensive Security Research and Community. In this role, Brinkley will lead the company’s global security research agenda, deepen collaboration with the Cobalt Core community of more than 500 pentesters, and help customers stay ahead of rapidly evolving adversary tactics.

Brinkley is a respected figure in the cybersecurity community with more than two decades of experience in IT and offensive security. Widely known as “The Blind Hacker,” he is a hands-on pentester, red team leader, mentor, and coach whose work spans threat hunting, adversary emulation, and purple teaming. He is also recognized for uncovering hidden risks in complex environments and for translating attacker tradecraft into practical defenses for security teams.

“Joe brings a rare blend of deep offensive expertise, empathy for defenders, and a relentless focus on community,” said Gunter Ollmann, CTO, Cobalt. “His experience leading red teams, building inclusive security communities, and mentoring practitioners aligns seamlessly with our priority of making offensive security accessible, scalable, and genuinely impactful for customers. With Joe at the helm of offensive security research, we’ll be better equipped to translate cutting-edge adversary techniques into richer insights, stronger tests, and faster, more meaningful outcomes for our customers.”

Most recently, Brinkley served as the director of offensive security at OnDefend, where he led red team operations and threat-hunting initiatives. He has also built and led the DeadPixelSec community, a global collective of security practitioners focused on mentoring, capture-the-flag competitions, and collaborative learning. Beyond his operational roles, Brinkley is a frequent conference speaker, podcast guest, and instructor, sharing practical guidance on topics ranging from “hacking while blind” to breaking into offensive security and designing effective purple team programs.

At Cobalt, Brinkley will focus on elevating offensive security research as a core pillar of the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform. His team will analyze emerging vulnerabilities and adversary tactics, techniques, and procedures, and embed those insights into the company's pentest methodologies, tooling, and AI-assisted workflows. Brinkley will also work closely with the Cobalt Core to curate advanced testing playbooks, drive knowledge sharing, and expand opportunities for up-and-coming offensive security practitioners.

“I’m excited to join Cobalt at a time when offensive security is more critical than ever,” said Brinkley. “Attackers are moving faster, automation is changing how we test, and teams are under pressure to do more with less. Cobalt blends a level of expert pentesters, a mature PTaaS platform, and AI-driven security, which is exactly what organizations need to turn real-world attacker insights into long-term resilience. I am especially looking forward to working with the Cobalt Core to grow the next generation of offensive security talent and make this field more inclusive for everyone.”

Brinkley’s appointment underscores the continued investments Cobalt makes in proactive cybersecurity. By uniting threat research, community expertise, and AI-assisted testing, Cobalt aims to help organizations detect and remediate weaknesses earlier, reduce risk over time, and build security programs that can keep pace with rapidly evolving threats.

About Cobalt

Cobalt is the pioneer in pentesting as a service (PTaaS) and a leader in human-led, AI-powered offensive security services. We are focused on combining talent and technology with speed, scalability, and expertise. Thousands of customers and hundreds of partners rely on the Cobalt Offensive Security Platform, along with 500+ trusted security experts, to find and fix vulnerabilities across their environments. By enabling faster pentest launches, real-time collaboration with pentesters, and seamless integration with remediation workflows, we help organizations identify critical issues and accelerate risk mitigation so they can operate fearlessly and innovate securely.

Cobalt maintains an outstanding NPS of 9.12, reflecting its dedication to customer satisfaction. Read our reviews on G2 to see why customers love us. More at https://www.cobalt.io. Follow Cobalt on LinkedIn and X.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251208806173/en/