RemoteThreat launches with $7M for offensive cyber operations platform

The company says the O/C/O Platform is the first commercial end-to-end platform for offensive cyber operations. It is designed for expert human operators and has custom artificial intelligence models built in. Large enterprises and critical infrastructure operators can use it to emulate sophisticated adversaries, while U.S. government mission teams and vetted defense partners can conduct operations of their own, according to the company.

Chief Executive Chris Thompson said experienced operators lose too much time "assembling tools and building integrations" on top of planning an operation and adapting to a changing network. The O/C/O Platform contains eight connected systems, running from mission planning through AI-assisted operation. Its components can also work inside partner products, and defense technology company Talon Defense Inc. is integrating them into systems it already fields.

"Internal red teams are being asked to model adversaries whose capabilities change faster than the tools used to emulate them," said Shawn Jones, co-founder and chief technology officer of RemoteThreat. "The answer is not another black-box, automated penetration testing tool that removes the operator."

RemoteThreat has brought on The Nakasone Group as a strategic adviser. Retired Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, who ran the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, started the firm. Nakasone said RemoteThreat's team can make "a meaningful contribution to national security and enterprise defense," citing its offensive experience and custom AI models.

The launch follows an Aug. 12 presidential memorandum directing the creation of a program for vetted U.S. companies to conduct cyber operations against foreign cybercriminal groups. The Senate's fiscal 2027 defense authorization bill would go further: a trial program in that bill would let private companies gain and maintain access to adversary networks under U.S. Cyber Command authority. RemoteThreat has joined a U.S. Special Operations Command acquisition consortium to supply offensive cyber capabilities for special operations missions.

Before RemoteThreat, Thompson founded IBM Corp.'s first dedicated red team and later served as global head of X-Force Red. The wider team, drawn from Mandiant Inc., SpecterOps Inc., Microsoft Corp. and defense contractors, has run red-team engagements against nuclear power plants, critical infrastructure providers and some of the world's largest banks, according to the company.

Osage University Partners and DataTribe co-led the pre-seed round. Marc Singer, managing partner at Osage University Partners, said the founders' experience running operations against "the world's hardest targets" gave them an early read on where the market was headed. The O/C/O Platform is available now to qualified enterprise, U.S. government and vetted defense industry customers.