Knowledge Center

What Are the Top Benefits of Crowdsourced Security for Enterprises?

What Is Crowdsourced Security for Enterprises?

Crowdsourced security is the practice of engaging a global community of verified security researchers to find vulnerabilities across digital assets. Instead of relying only on internal teams or a single pentest provider, enterprises gain continuous testing from diverse experts worldwide. This approach is especially valuable for large organizations with complex attack surfaces, where threats evolve faster than traditional methods can keep pace.

For enterprises, crowdsourced security means:

  • Access to thousands of researchers with a wide range of skills and perspectives
  • Faster identification of vulnerabilities across global operations
  • Continuous feedback loops that strengthen existing security programs

In our latest research*, 78% of enterprises reporting more than $250 million in annual revenue use crowdsourced security solutions, and 88% of enterprises that don’t currently use it, plan to adopt the method in the next 12 months.

The Top Benefits of Crowdsourced Security for Enterprises

1. Scalable Expertise on Demand

Enterprises can tap into a broad pool of researchers with specialized skills. This provides expertise that internal teams or single pentest providers cannot always match.

2. Faster Vulnerability Discovery and Remediation

Researchers uncover critical vulnerabilities daily, allowing enterprises to fix issues before they can be exploited.

3. Improved Coverage of Complex Attack Surfaces

From cloud and SaaS applications to AI systems and supply chains, enterprises face diverse risks. Crowdsourced security expands coverage to areas often missed by automated scans or traditional testing.

4. Cost Efficiency and Return on Mitigation (RoM)

Instead of paying for fixed test windows, enterprises pay for validated findings. This model makes crowdsourced security cost-efficient and allows organizations to measure financial value in terms of avoided breach costs.

5. Seamless Integration With Security Teams and Tools

Crowdsourced testing works alongside existing security programs. Findings can integrate into tools like SIEM or CTEM workflows, enabling teams to respond quickly without disrupting established processes.

6. Strengthened Trust and Compliance Readiness

By addressing vulnerabilities faster and more transparently, enterprises demonstrate proactive security practices that support compliance and build trust with stakeholders.

Enterprise Crowdsourced Security FAQs

Crowdsourced security connects enterprises with a global community of verified researchers who continuously test for vulnerabilities, scaling coverage and expertise. Enterprises often use it to supplement internal security teams and procedures.

Traditional pentesting offers valuable insights but is limited by small, fixed teams, rigid scopes, and point-in-time windows. Crowdsourced security provides continuous coverage from a global community with diverse skills and attacker mindsets.

Instead of paying for hours regardless of outcome, organizations reward valid, impactful findings—driving stronger ROI and faster remediation. Programs can flex to new assets or threats without lengthy change orders, and findings reflect real-world attacker behavior.

By leveraging global researcher expertise, enterprises uncover a wider range of vulnerabilities that automated tools or single teams might overlook. Research* shows CISOs commonly use crowdsourced security to supplement internal efforts.

Crowdsourced security delivers strong ROI by paying only for valid, impactful findings. Researchers are incentivized to uncover high-severity issues continuously, enabling measurable breach-cost avoidance and continuous risk reduction that complements scheduled pentests.

Using Return on Mitigation (RoM), enterprises can measure cost savings from avoided breaches, reduced downtime, and faster remediation.

At a high level, RoM is calculated using the following calculation:

RoM = (Mitigated losses per year − Amount invested) / Amount invested

Crowdsourced security fits into existing workflows by sending validated findings straight into the tools teams already use, like Jira, GitHub, or ServiceNow. Security teams keep control of scope and priorities, while researchers act as an extension of the team, continuously testing and reporting issues. This lets teams address vulnerabilities faster without changing how they already work.