Dallas-based LevelBlue is acquiring San Diego-based Cybereason, a leading cybersecurity company known for its advanced Extended Detection and Response (XDR) platform, “elite” threat intelligence team, and digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) capabilities, the company announced.
Softbank-backed Cybereason was founded in Israel in 2012 by Lior Div, Yonatan Striem-Amit, and Yossi Naar. It later moved its headquarters to Boston, Massachusetts, before relocating to its current HQ in the San Diego suburb of La Jolla, California.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
LevelBlue—formerly known as AT&T Cybersecurity before its spinout as a standalone business last year—is the world’s largest pure-play provider of managed security services.
“The addition of Cybereason is a strategic leap forward in our mission to become the most complete cybersecurity partner for our clients and strategic partners,” Bob McCullen, CEO and chairman of LevelBlue, said in a statement. “By combining Cybereason’s world-class XDR and DFIR capabilities with our AI-powered MDR and incident response, we can deliver unified protection that’s proactive, scalable, and purpose-built for today’s fast-evolving threats.”
LevelBlue said for clients and strategic partners, the acquisition delivers immediate value with stronger threat detection, faster response, and broader global coverage, all from a single, unified security partner. It said that by combining its AI-powered capabilities and MDR offerings with Cybereason’s deep expertise, organizations can better address today’s complex cyber challenges while reducing operational complexity and risk.
Softbank and Liberty Strategic Capital to become LevelBlue investors
As part of the deal, SoftBank Corp., SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and Liberty Strategic Capital, known for investing in disruptive and innovative technology, will become investors in LevelBlue. With global leadership in AI and next-generation technologies, the firms further bolster LevelBlue’s position as a cybersecurity innovator in an increasingly complex digital landscape, the company said.
Steven T. Mnuchin, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and managing partner of Liberty Strategic Capital, will join LevelBlue’s board of directors.
“Cybersecurity is now inseparable from economic security and national resilience,” Mnuchin said in a statement. “LevelBlue has rapidly established itself as a leader in integrated managed security services, and I look forward to helping guide its growth at a time when organizations worldwide are seeking trusted partners who understand the complexity of today’s threat landscape. I also want to thank Manish Narula, CEO of Cybereason, for his strong leadership in driving this outcome and propelling Cybereason into its next chapter of growth and innovation.”
LevelBlue said the acquisition enhances its ability to deliver measurable, outcome-driven results, helping clients accelerate threat detection, reduce response times, and build long-term cyber resilience. The deal also marks a key step in LevelBlue’s broader strategy to unite the industry’s strongest organizations, technologies, and talent into one integrated partner, the company said.
LevelBlue added that wiith recent acquisitions of Trustwave and Stroz Friedberg, it continues to accelerate its position as the most complete cybersecurity partner for organizations looking to move from reactive defense to proactive resilience.
“Joining LevelBlue marks an exciting new chapter for Cybereason,” Cybereason CEO Manish Narula said in a statement. “This acquisition strengthens our collective capabilities across XDR, MDR, offensive security, DFIR, and cybersecurity consulting services, enabling us to unlock additional value for our clients and their counsel and cyber insurance partners globally.”
LevelBlue said its acquisition of Cybereason delivers several enhancements for clients and strategic partners across all industries and regions. Per the company, those include:
- Stronger Endpoint Security (XDR + MDR): Cybereason’s advanced XDR capabilities are complementary with Trustwave’s industry-leading MDR offering and bolster LevelBlue’s native MDR service, providing faster, more accurate detection and response, helping clients reduce dwell time and contain threats before they spread.
- World-Class DFIR Services: Cybereason’s DFIR technology and services, coupled with the recent acquisition of Stroz Friedberg, immediately extends LevelBlue’s capacity, capability, and reach, creating extensive global coverage, unmatched technology-agnostic forensic expertise, and intelligence-driven speed to give organizations, and their counsel and cyber insurance partners, the confidence that every incident is met with the most effective response.
- Smarter Threat Intelligence: By unifying Cybereason’s research team with LevelBlue SpiderLabs, clients benefit from deeper visibility into emerging threat actors and attack techniques, paired with actionable insights.
- Offensive + Defensive Synergy: LevelBlue provides end-to-end security, including penetration testing, risk assessments, detection engineering, and constant monitoring, allowing clients to harden defenses while ensuring operational resilience.
- Simplified, Technology-Agnostic Integration: Whether clients rely on Microsoft, SentinelOne, or hybrid stacks, LevelBlue helps optimize their existing security investments to improve their overall cybersecurity outcomes.
- Enhanced Global Coverage: Cybereason’s strong presence in Japan, where it is among the largest providers, expands LevelBlue’s global footprint and regional delivery capabilities.
“Cybereason’s strength in XDR and digital forensics is a fantastic added capability that enables us to better serve our customers with deeper threat visibility, faster response, and greater confidence in the face of evolving cyber threats,” said Shawn Hakl, SVP of AT&T Business Product and LevelBlue board member. “LevelBlue’s continued investment in advanced capabilities makes it an even more strategic partner for us and the organizations we support.”
Advisors on the proposed transaction include Santander and Kirkland & Ellis LLP for LevelBlue, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Goodwin Procter LLP for Cybereason.
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