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CrowdStrike to buy Fiddler AI and Dreadnode for about $495 million
TechCrunch and Techmeme, citing CrowdStrike and The Wall Street Journal, report CrowdStrike plans to acquire Fiddler AI and Dreadnode for roughly $495 million.
CrowdStrike said on Tuesday it intends to acquire Fiddler AI, which builds observability software for enterprise AI agents, and Dreadnode, which automates security testing of AI models, applications and agents1.
The Wall Street Journal reported the company is paying about $400 million for Fiddler AI and about $95 million for Dreadnode, a combined figure of roughly $495 million that TechCrunch and Techmeme both carried1,2.
Techmeme's summary of the Journal report said the deals are mostly in cash2.
CrowdStrike said Fiddler will become part of its Falcon platform as Falcon Observe, where it is meant to help customers evaluate agents before they are deployed, monitor what they do afterward and feed that telemetry into the broader platform1.
Dreadnode is to be integrated into Falcon Guardian, CrowdStrike's existing detection and response controls for AI agents, with testing results used as security policy recommendations1.
TechCrunch said the purchases come as companies roll out AI agents and models faster than many security policies can keep up, and that CrowdStrike is trying to use its existing enterprise footprint to compete in a growing market for securing AI1.
Fiddler AI was founded in 2018 and has raised about $99 million, according to PitchBook figures cited by TechCrunch; Dreadnode was founded in 2023 and has raised $14 million1.
CrowdStrike did not publish the purchase prices in the TechCrunch account of its announcement, and neither outlet reported when the deals are expected to close1,2.
Sources
- TechCrunchCrowdStrike to shell out nearly $500M for 2 AI security startups as the market for securing agents takes off
- TechmemeCrowdStrike agrees to buy Fiddler AI, which helps monitor AI agents, for ~$400M, and Dreadnode, an automated security AI testing tool, for ~$95M, mostly in cash (James Rundle/Wall Street Journal)
How it’s being reported
2 sourcesFirst reported by 
Techmeme
CrowdStrike to shell out nearly $500M for 2 AI security startups as the market for securing agents takes off
How the deals expand Falcon to monitor and test AI models and agents as enterprises roll them out.
CrowdStrike said it will buy Fiddler AI for observability of AI agents and Dreadnode for automated AI security testing, with WSJ-reported prices of about $400 million and $95 million.
Leaves out That the deals are mostly in cash, as Techmeme's WSJ summary states.
TechmemeFirstCrowdStrike agrees to buy Fiddler AI, which helps monitor AI agents, for ~$400M, and Dreadnode, an automated security AI testing tool, for ~$95M, mostly in cash (James Rundle/Wall Street Journal)
The WSJ price tags and cash mix, plus related coverage of a kill switch for rogue agents.
Aggregates James Rundle's Wall Street Journal report that CrowdStrike agreed to buy Fiddler AI for about $400 million and Dreadnode for about $95 million, mostly in cash.
Leaves out CrowdStrike's product integration names Falcon Observe and Falcon Guardian and the startups' fundraising totals.
Where they agree
- CrowdStrike is buying Fiddler AI and Dreadnode.
- Reported prices are about $400 million for Fiddler AI and about $95 million for Dreadnode.
- Fiddler is described as monitoring AI agents; Dreadnode as automated AI security testing.
Where they differ
How the deals will be paid