Hack The Box (HTB), a provider of gamified cybersecurity skills development, has announced the acquisition of LetsDefend, a pioneering blue team training platform known for its hands-on SOC simulations and growing community members. The company said the combination of the two companies “will offer hands-on labs, real-world simulations and cross-role skill development to empower enterprises, governments, MSSPs and academic institutions to continuously benchmark, upskill and certify their cyber workforce.” It also said that this unified approach will drive more predictable security outcomes, reduce risk and create high-performing cyber teams for organisations.
“Today’s cyber threats demand that security professionals train in a holistic, predictive way,” said Haris Pylarinos, Founder & CEO at Hack The Box. “Together with LetsDefend, we will provide a one-stop platform where aspiring penetration testers and SOC analysts can learn side by side, effectively gamifying the entire cyber kill chain. This collaboration delivers to our community and organisations an unparalleled environment to prepare for and overcome real-world cyber warfare.”
LetsDefend, founded in 2021, has quickly grown into a go-to platform for blue team practitioners, boasting a community of over 320,000 users across 150+ countries. Its cloud-based virtual SOC enables users to experience being a security analyst in a safe, educational environment.
“By accelerating LetsDefend’s vision with our in-house AI, we’re turning a virtual SOC experience into a living range where learners face the same AI-related tactics adversaries use,” said Gerasimos Marketos, Chief Product Officer at Hack The Box. “The data backs it up: recent HTB competitions show AI agents and LLM-assisted operations can rival top human teams. This isn’t a threat to learners; it’s a head start.”
The combined user base, now purported to be one of the largest in the cybersecurity space, will have access to cross-platform features and challenges. Hack The Box said it will also expand community events, virtual meetups, and CTF competitions to include both offensive and defensive elements, reflecting its comprehensive methodology.
