Huntress Acquires Network-Aware Endpoint Detection and Response Technology from Level Effect to Strengthen Platform Capabilities

The acquisition brings malicious network traffic detection and expanded forensic capabilities to the Huntress Security Platform regardless of endpoint location

Ellicott City, MD – January 12, 2021 — Huntress, the leading provider of managed detection and response (MDR) with human-powered threat hunting, announced today the acquisition of network-aware endpoint detection and response (EDR) technology from San Antonio-based startup Level Effect.

Known as Recon™, the technology is the first EDR solution that merges endpoint forensics with sophisticated network traffic visibility with no appliance required. Recon can see what’s happening to protected endpoints both internally and externally, providing unparalleled visibility and detection of attacker behavior including payload downloads, lateral movement and more.

The acquisition will enable Huntress to expand and strengthen its detection and response capabilities, allowing the company’s partners to capture more holistic views of endpoint security and better protect their end customers.

“We’re thrilled to bring Level Effect’s Recon technology to Huntress,” said Kyle Hanslovan, Founder and CEO at Huntress. “Our core telemetry today focuses primarily on persistence-enabled attacks. By integrating Recon, our platform will respond to malicious network sessions, event logs and non-persistent threats, allowing us to support broader cybersecurity use cases and defend additional attack surfaces.”

As part of the acquisition, Level Effect co-founders Greg Ake and Robert Noeth will join the Huntress team to support the initial integration and ongoing development of the Recon software.

Like the founding team at Huntress, both Ake and Noeth have strong backgrounds in the U.S. intelligence community, having worked within the National Security Agency, Air Force and other institutions.

“The combination of Recon's correlated network and endpoint visibility with Huntress' advanced detection and response capabilities will be a game-changer for security monitoring and response,” said Ake. “We're really excited about this acquisition and what it means for partners who are fighting to defend their technology environments and protect customers.”

“We’re looking forward to frustrating a lot of hackers,” Noeth added. “It’s exciting to be able to combine our strengths with Huntress and accelerate our shared mission to deliver greater security to SMBs.”

While Huntress has acquired the Recon technology and related IP portfolio, Level Effect will continue to operate as its own independent business—providing cybertraining services to aspiring security practitioners looking to advance their knowledge.

Huntress partners will receive additional information regarding planned service and feature enhancements as it becomes available, with initial updates expected in Q3 2021.

About Level Effect
Level Effect, LLC. provides endpoint security and strives to mitigate enterprise risks and maintain confidentiality, integrity and availability of enterprise-sensitive assets. Leveraging an advanced methodology, Recon offers instant visibility and protection across enterprise assets, providing real-time protection and actionable threat intelligence from the start.

Level Effect is dedicated to closing the cybersecurity skills gap in the industry by providing hands-on training in networking, systems, web technologies, databases, and defensive and offensive cybersecurity.