Searchlight Cyber acquires Assetnote to enhance continuous threat exposure management

Searchlight Cyber today announced that it has acquired Assetnote, a Brisbane-based Attack Surface Management (ASM) company. The acquisition, the first by Searchlight Cyber, will integrate Assetnote’s ASM solution with its dark web intelligence and monitoring capabilities, creating a holistic Continuous Threat Exposure Management (CTEM) platform that enables customers to zero in on the highest-priority threats and take action to prevent cyberattacks.

Founded in 2018 by some of the leading minds in offensive security, Assetnote is a pioneer in the attack surface management sector. Assetnote offers customers continuous vulnerability discovery and management, providing businesses with essential insight and control over their changing threat exposure to efficiently manage their security posture. The company boasts an impressive roster of loyal customers such as Linktree, Afterpay, and Canva, as well as one of the most prolific and respected vulnerability research teams in the industry.

Attack Surface Management shifts the focus of security from an internal to an external lens, making it a natural companion to Searchlight Cyber’s existing CTEM capabilities. Assetnote's ASM technology uses the attacker’s perspective to identify critical vulnerabilities in customers’ infrastructure early on, while Searchlight Cyber provides visibility and context of attackers targeting organizations, allowing cybersecurity teams to focus on the most pressing threats and take mitigating actions before disaster strikes.

This inaugural acquisition marks a key milestone in Searchlight’s growth journey. Following the strategic growth investment announced in January 2024 from Charlesbank Capital Partners, the company has continued to add to its headcount and global network of partners, with the Assetnote integration considerably expanding Searchlight’s customer base and reach globally.

The entire Assetnote team will be joining Searchlight, including founders CEO Michael Gianarakis and CTO Shubham Shah, who will be spearheading the ASM side of the business and the engineering and research teams in Australia.

Ben Jones, Co-Founder and CEO of Searchlight Cyber, said: “ASM was always going to be the next area of expansion for Searchlight, and when we met the Assetnote team, we very quickly recognized the opportunity to incorporate one of the best solutions on the market into our company. The expertise within the Assetnote team, its industry-leading research, and its impressive customer base bring huge value to Searchlight and our customers. We are delighted to welcome the Assetnote team into the business and celebrate this critical step in our continued growth.”

Michael Gianarakis, Co-Founder and CEO of Assetnote, commented: “Having built our business from the ground up, the next phase of Assetnote’s journey is all about how we can best expand our options and proposition for our customers. With Searchlight, we found a company that is similar in terms of culture, vision, and opportunities for growth; everything naturally clicked into place. There is real excitement from across the team for the next chapter, and we can’t wait to see the benefits that our shared customers will experience as a result.”

AGC Partners served as exclusive financial advisor to Assetnote. Mintz and Corrs Chambers Westgarth served as legal advisors to Searchlight.