Ex-IBM X-Force Leaders Launch AI-Powered Offensive Security Startup

A new cybersecurity startup called RemoteThreat has launched with $7 million in pre-seed funding, founded by Chris Thompson and Shawn Jones, both former leaders of IBM's X-Force Red offensive security team. The company aims to use artificial intelligence to plan, execute and adapt offensive cyber operations at a speed and scale beyond standard automated penetration testing tools.

Thompson and Jones say their motivation stems from concerns that AI could soon let attackers produce custom malware rivalling state-sponsored quality, then deploy it rapidly and at scale. RemoteThreat's 15-person team includes specialists drawn from organisations such as Mandiant, SpecterOps, Microsoft, Bugcrowd and various government agencies. The company says its platform is built from eight connected systems covering areas including mission planning, command and control, initial access and AI-assisted operations.

The startup states its early customers include a major bank, a securities exchange operator, a large US healthcare company and an AI lab, with the goal of helping these organisations simulate nation-state level attacks while also giving government operators faster offensive capabilities.