Meet the rest of OffSec as the company brings its hands-on approach to entire cyber teams.
NEW YORK, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kali Linux. OSCP. Try Harder. For 20 years, OffSec has set the standard for the tools security practitioners use, the skills they prove, and the mindset they bring to the work. This month OffSec is marking its 20th anniversary as a global leader in hands-on cybersecurity training and certifications for individuals and enterprise security teams.
“Our founders built an incredible brand and an incredible product,” said OffSec CEO Ning Wang. “Our mission has stayed the same. We develop critical thinkers, cyber warriors, and problem solvers who are ready to excel in their jobs under stress. Hands-on is the only way we believe you can effectively train someone.”
Built by the People Who Do the Work
OffSec began in 2006 when cybercrime was becoming big business. OffSec grew out of the security community, founded by practitioners who believed the best way to teach cybersecurity was to share what they'd learned through hands-on experience. That origin story still shapes how OffSec develops cybersecurity practitioners and teams. Through hands-on training with real systems, learners build practical skills, strengthen their problem-solving abilities, and gain the confidence to tackle challenges when the obvious approach fails.
The Tools Practitioners Use
BackTrack Linux brought penetration testing tools together in one open-source platform. In 2013, OffSec rebuilt it as Kali Linux, a free environment for penetration testing, research, forensics, and reverse engineering. In 2023, Kali Purple extended it to defenders.
The Standard Practitioners Prove Themselves Against
OSCP earned its reputation as the gold standard in penetration testing certifications because candidates must work through live systems, adapt their approach, and document what they accomplish. Employers trust it as evidence of real capability. For many practitioners, it is a career-defining milestone. OSCP+ added a renewable credential in 2024. Now, for a limited time, individual practitioners can save 20% off of Learn One annual subscription.
The Research and Practice They Learn From
In 2009, OffSec launched the Exploit Database, a non-profit, public-service archive of public exploits, proof-of-concept (PoC) code, shellcode, and security papers, which it still maintains as a free resource. It also acquired the open-source training project VulnHub, offers free labs in Proving Grounds Play, and recently added HackTrack. HackTrack offers live weekly training over a 10-week stretch. The first round of HackTrack focused on OSCP and was offered free to those with a Learn One or Course and Certification Bundle. A new HackTrack focused on OSAI is set to launch soon.
Along the way, Try Harder became the security community's shorthand for the persistence and dedication that a career in cybersecurity demands. In October 2026 at Singapore International Cyber Week, CEO Wang urged her Women in Cyber keynote audience to do hard things early that build confidence and resilience, noting, “If you don’t struggle through something, you will never become really great at it,” she said.
The Technology Looks Different. The Challenge Feels Familiar
Attackers now use AI to discover and weaponize vulnerabilities at speeds unimaginable 20 years ago. The time between a vendor patch and a working exploit continues to shrink. Cybersecurity skills gaps remain a growing challenge. According to ISC2’s 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 95% of organizations report at least one skills gap, with 59% describing those gaps as critical or significant, up from 44% in 2024. These findings reinforce the need to move beyond once-a-year training toward continuous, hands-on skill development, an approach rooted in OffSec’s philosophy since day one.
“Frontier AI models are evolving at unbelievable speed. If you don’t keep up, you won’t be able to do the job,” said CEO Wang. “Certification still assesses capability. But you need to constantly upskill your teams so they are ready to defend your organization. It is simply no longer a nice-to-do. It’s a must-do.”
Meet the Rest of Offsec: Training for the Whole Security Team
OffSec has grown from a specialist offensive security provider into a full cybersecurity learning and workforce development portfolio. Every course teaches the why, the what, and the how so practitioners learn to think through problems they have never seen. Through Learn Enterprise, OffSec’s hands-on training platform for enterprise security teams, organizations bring that approach to every member of their security team. The platform includes:
- 14 certifications from foundational to expert level
- 125+ customizable learning paths
- 750+ labs
- 8,000+ hours of content
- Framework mapping to NICE, DCWF, SCyWF, ECSF, and more
- Flexible licenses
- Workforce leadership reporting
In 2026, OffSec added Live Training, which brings its instructors on site to work with security teams in realistic scenarios. OffSec has provided this training to more than two dozen organizations and hundreds of learners.
OffSec’s AI Training Priorities
CEO Wang calls AI-era learning OffSec’s top priority. “To fight AI you have to use AI,” said CEO Wang. “Your red team and your blue team both need to be AI literate. Next year, we will release new and updated courses that modernize our training for the AI age.”
Preview OffSec's Learn Enterprise platform, then request a personalized demo to explore how it can support your team’s training goals at: https://www.offsec.com/business/enterprise-solutions/.
About OffSec
OffSec (formerly Offensive Security) is the world's leading provider of high-fidelity cybersecurity training and certifications. Built on a foundation of excellence, integrity, and the relentless "Try Harder" ethos, OffSec empowers individuals and organizations to outsmart evolving cyber threats through rigorous, hands-on learning.
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