Ethical Hacking News
Former X-Force hackers launch RemoteThreat, an offensive cybersecurity startup that aims to equip enterprises and government agencies with the tools necessary to simulate nation-state-level attacks and counter them with unparalleled speed and scale. Backed by $7 million in pre-seed funding, RemoteThreat is positioning itself to supply the picks and shovels for the growing gold rush in offensive cybersecurity products.
RemoteThreat, a cutting-edge offensive cybersecurity startup, has emerged with $7 million in pre-seed funding.The company's platform utilizes AI to simulate nation-state-level attacks and counter them with speed and scale.RemoteThreat's platform is comprised of eight connected systems and allows customers to connect models from OpenAI or Anthropic.The platform can be operated by humans or AI agents, with flexibility in tool selection and deployment.RemoteThreat has partnered with Talon Defense and is positioning itself to supply offensive cyber products to the government.The company aims to prepare Fortune 500 organizations for nation-state-level attacks and provide the government with a tool to target adversaries.
The cybersecurity landscape has witnessed a significant shift with the emergence of RemoteThreat, a cutting-edge offensive cybersecurity startup backed by $7 million in pre-seed funding. Founded by two former leaders of IBM's X-Force Red team, Chris Thompson and Shawn Jones, RemoteThreat aims to equip enterprises and government agencies with the tools necessary to simulate nation-state-level attacks and counter them with unparalleled speed and scale.
Thompson and Jones, who previously ran X-Force Red, a team that was hired to test nuclear power plants, critical infrastructure, and major banks, have now leveraged their expertise to create a platform that utilizes AI to plan, execute, and adapt offensive cyber operations. This approach extends beyond the continuous penetration testing and vulnerability detection offered by other automated security tools.
RemoteThreat's platform is comprised of eight connected systems covering mission planning, command and control, implants, initial access, advanced attack capabilities, obfuscation, analysis, and AI-assisted operations. The platform uses small, purpose-built models for some tasks and allows customers to connect models from OpenAI or Anthropic, or use an open-weight alternative, giving them access to a library of 1,000 tools built from scratch.
The platform can be operated by either humans or AI agents, with customers able to "drive a lot of this testing from your Codex terminal instead of having to log into our website, for example," Thompson said. RemoteThreat has also partnered with Talon Defense, which supplies AI and cyber technology to national security, defense, and intelligence customers.
The launch of RemoteThreat comes as Washington seeks a larger private-sector role in offensive cyber operations. The US Cyber Strategy published in March calls for closer cooperation with industry on defensive and offensive missions. An August presidential memorandum goes further, ordering the creation of a program through which vetted US companies may conduct cyber operations against foreign cybercrime groups under federal direction and oversight.
RemoteThreat is positioning itself to supply the picks and shovels – albeit ones capable of breaking into somebody else's network. According to Thompson, the government is expected to make greater use of commercially developed offensive cyber products, both to support existing mission teams and to pursue cybercriminal groups.
Thompson expects the government to make greater use of commercially developed offensive cyber products, both to support existing mission teams and to pursue cybercriminal groups. "It's a bit of a gold rush in this space because this is the first time, across every major program, the government is being pushed to work with the commercial sector," he said.
The startup says its customers already include a major bank, a securities exchange operator, a large US healthcare company, and a leading AI lab. Access to the platform is restricted to vetted enterprises, defense contractors, and US government customers, given the obvious potential for misuse.
Thompson and Jones are clear about the potential benefits of RemoteThreat's platform. "We're focused on preparing these Fortune 500 organizations to better simulate this nation-state level of attack," Thompson said. "And then on the flip side, provide the government with the tooling to target their adversaries as quickly as possible."
The launch of RemoteThreat marks an exciting development in the cybersecurity landscape, with the startup poised to play a significant role in the growing gold rush for offensive cybersecurity products. As the demand for such products continues to rise, it will be interesting to see how RemoteThreat navigates the complex landscape and delivers on its promises.
Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Former-X-Force-Hackers-Launch-Offensive-Cybersecurity-Startup-RemoteThreat-ehn.shtml
https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/09/29/former-x-force-hackers-chase-the-offensive-cyber-gold-rush/5299662
Published: Tue Sep 29 06:43:46 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
