AEO for digital risk protection software: AI search visibility ranking
How AI search engines rank digital risk protection software by visibility and citations. 20 brands measured quarterly across Google AI Mode: which brands the AI names in answers, which domains it cites as sources, and how the leaders compare. Digital risk protection platforms used to detect brand abuse, impersonation, exposed data, external threats, and online attack surface risks. Composite score: 70% visibility (% of AI answers naming the brand) + 30% citation rate (% citing the brand's domain). Full methodology →
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When you ask AI engines about Digital risk protection software, ZeroFox consistently emerges as the leader in the category, with a significant visibility of 50.0%. Alongside ZeroFox, Recorded Future and Group-IB are also frequently mentioned as top contenders, offering strong options for those assessing comprehensive security solutions.
The rankings are influenced predominantly by frequent citations from key sources such as peerspot.com and guideflow.com. These platforms are largely aggregator or review sites, indicating that brands with a high profile and positive user feedback on these sites tend to score highly with AI engines.
For buyers weighing their options, consider the emphasis AI engines place on brands with recent, positive reviews and reliable third-party validation. Reviewing how each brand fares in terms of topical authority within digital risk protection can provide a better understanding of how well the software aligns with your specific needs.
At a glance
What we observed in this category
ZeroFox holds the top composite score at 46.2, with 50% visibility and 37.5% citation rate, placing it well ahead of all peers. Recorded Future matches ZeroFox on visibility at 50% but scores only 38.8 composite, reflecting a much weaker citation rate of 12.5%. The category average visibility sits at just 6.2%, meaning both leaders are operating at roughly eight times the category norm. This concentration at the top signals a two-brand dominance pattern with a sharp cliff below them.
A clear divergence exists between being named and being cited. Group-IB appears in 25% of AI responses but carries a 0% citation rate, meaning the AI references it without linking to its domain. Fortra and Outpost24 show the inverse pattern, each cited 12.5% of the time despite 0% visibility, suggesting they appear as supporting sources rather than featured answers. This named-versus-trusted split indicates the AI treats some brands as contextual references rather than authoritative destinations.
Google AI Mode is the sole engine recorded across all 20 brands, confirming this category's AI visibility is entirely shaped by one engine. The top cited external sources include peerspot.com, expertinsights.com, upguard.com, and vendr.com, pointing to review aggregators and procurement platforms as the primary anchoring content. Zerofox.com itself appears in the cited sources list, one of the few brand-owned domains to do so, which partly explains its stronger citation rate relative to peers.
Movers & shakers since last refresh
Biggest visibility risers
-
Recorded Future 25% → 50% · rank #3 → #2+25pp
-
Group-IB 0% → 25% · rank #7 → #3+25pp
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ZeroFox 38% → 50% · rank #1 → #1+12pp
Biggest visibility fallers
-
Fortra 25% → 0% · rank #2 → #4-25pp
-
SOCRadar 12% → 0% · rank #5 → #6-12pp
-
BrandShield 12% → 0% · rank #4 → #7-12pp
The AEO ranking
| # | Brand | Visibility | Citation | Top engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
zerofox.com
|
50% | 38% | Google AI Mode |
ZeroFox leads with a composite score of 46.2 and a citation rate of 37.5%, the highest in the category and roughly ten times the 3.8% category average. |
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| 2 |
recordedfuture.com
|
50% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Recorded Future matches ZeroFox on visibility at 50% but its citation rate of 12.5% pulls its composite score down to 38.8, a meaningful gap below the leader. |
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| 3 |
group-ib.com
|
25% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Group-IB rose four ranks to reach 25% visibility, but its 0% citation rate limits its composite score to 17.5, signalling it is named without being trusted as a source. |
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| 4 |
fortra.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Fortra dropped from rank 2 to rank 4 after losing all visibility, yet retains a 12.5% citation rate, suggesting it survives only as a background reference in AI responses. |
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| 5 |
outpost24.com
|
0% | 12% | Google AI Mode |
Outpost24 shares Fortra's pattern exactly, with 0% visibility and a 12.5% citation rate, producing an identical composite score of 3.8 and no named presence in AI answers. |
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| 6 |
socradar.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 7 |
brandshield.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 8 |
constella.ai
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 9 |
bolster.ai
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 10 |
flare.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 11 |
cybelangel.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 12 |
searchlightcyber.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 13 |
memcyco.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 14 |
spycloud.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 15 |
redpoints.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 16 |
reliaquest.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 17 |
intel471.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 18 |
flashpoint.io
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 19 |
darktrace.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
| 20 |
microsoft.com
|
0% | 0% | Google AI Mode |
Sources AI engines trust in this category
Across the 8 buyer-intent queries we ran on digital risk protection software, these are the domains Google AI Mode cited most often. If you're not on this list — or if your competitors are — that's a concrete PR / linkbuilding target.
How to read this AEO ranking
Four things worth knowing before you act on the numbers above. These are the same definitions across every industry page — for category-specific observations, see the What we observed section above (where available) and the per-brand insights inline in the ranking.
Visibility = being named
A brand's visibility % is the share of AI answers that mention it by name in the response prose. This is who AI engines actively recommend to the buyer. More on visibility →
Citation rate = being trusted
Citation rate is the share of AI answers that include the brand's domain as a clickable source link. This is what the AI treats as authoritative evidence, different from being named. More on citation rate →
Top engine differs by brand
The "top engine" column shows which AI surface each brand performs best on. Big gaps between a brand's score across engines usually points to specific content or schema gaps. How AI engines pick sources →
AEO rankings move month to month
AI engines re-crawl and re-rank on shorter cycles than classical search. We re-audit every brand on this list at least every 90 days and refresh this page automatically. How AI search ranking works →
Run an AEO audit on your own digital risk protection software brand
The brands above were curated from public market-leader lists. Want the same answer engine optimisation measurement against your own brand — including the queries you appear on, which competitors get named instead, and a prioritised fix list? Run a free preview.
Frequently asked about AEO for digital risk protection software
Who leads AI visibility in digital risk protection software?
ZeroFox leads with a composite score of 46.2 and both 50% visibility and a 37.5% citation rate. Recorded Future ties on visibility at 50% but trails significantly on citations at 12.5%.
What is the average AI visibility for brands in this category?
The category average visibility is just 6.2% and the average citation rate is 3.8%, meaning most of the 20 brands audited have near-zero presence in Google AI Mode responses.
What sources does Google AI Mode cite most for digital risk protection research?
The most cited sources include peerspot.com, expertinsights.com, upguard.com, vendr.com, and guideflow.com, with zerofox.com being one of the few brand-owned domains to appear in the citation list.
Which brands are gaining AI visibility fastest in this category?
Recorded Future gained 25 visibility points and Group-IB gained 25 points from a base of zero, while ZeroFox added 12.5 points despite already holding the top rank.
Are there brands being cited by AI but not appearing in AI answers?
Yes, Fortra and Outpost24 each hold a 12.5% citation rate despite 0% visibility, meaning they are referenced in supporting sources but not named in AI-generated answers.
Which engine drives AI visibility in digital risk protection software?
Google AI Mode is the only engine recorded across all 20 brands in this audit, meaning the entire category's AI visibility landscape is currently determined by a single engine.