CrowdStrike announced on Tuesday, Nov. 3, that it will acquire two AI‑security firms—Fiddler and Dreadnode—to embed observability and automated testing into its Falcon platform. The moves aim to help enterprises secure the growing number of AI agents they deploy in daily operations.
What CrowdStrike announced
- Acquisitions: Fiddler, a pre‑deployment evaluation and behavioral‑monitoring company, and Dreadnode, which provides automated AI security testing.
- Deal values: About $400 million for Fiddler and roughly $95 million for Dreadnode, according to the Wall Street Journal.
- Timing: Both transactions are expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2027, subject to customary closing conditions.
- Integration: The acquired technologies will become part of CrowdStrike’s Falcon platform, which the company markets as a security control plane for AI agents.
Why AI observability and testing matter
Enterprises are integrating AI models, agents and applications faster than security teams can validate them, according to CrowdStrike President Michael Sentonas. Traditional software testing does not capture the unique risks of AI, such as unexpected decision pathways or hidden biases. By adding Fiddler’s observability tools, companies gain a “lens into agent behavior before and after they ship,” while Dreadnode’s testing suite offers a repeatable way to validate AI security before deployment.
These capabilities address concerns raised by analysts about “shadow AI agents” that operate without clear oversight, a risk highlighted in a recent RSA warning to banks.
