Suzu Labs acquires Emulated Criminals to strengthen continuous adversary emulation and AI-driven cybersecurity. New Continuous Adversarial Operations practice launched with Hacker in the Loop approach.
Suzu Labs, a cybersecurity and artificial intelligence firm focused on secure AI adoption, has acquired Emulated Criminals, a boutique cybersecurity company specializing in adversary emulation and continuous red teaming. This strategic move strengthens Suzu Labs’ ability to integrate AI-driven security solutions with real-world, human-led continuous validation.
The acquisition moves beyond traditional point-in-time compliance testing by providing organizations with an ongoing sparring partner for their defenses. By combining security-first AI expertise with advanced adversary emulation, Suzu Labs aims to help enterprises proactively defend against modern and evolving cyber threats.
As part of the acquisition, Suzu Labs has established its new Continuous Adversarial Operations (CAO) practice. This practice will be led by the former Emulated Criminals team, including Dahvid Schloss and Ann Rinaldi, bringing extensive experience from U.S. Special Operations and offensive cyber operations.
The CAO team will execute named adversary operations against client environments at enterprise scale, following a “train how you fight” methodology. This new practice anchors Suzu Labs’ Hacker in the Loop™ operating model, which emphasizes that effective security requires both AI acceleration and irreplaceable human judgment.
The integrated platform focuses on operator-led adversary emulation that replicates tactics of active threat actors across cyber, human, and physical domains. This approach exposes vulnerabilities that traditional security testing often misses.
Mike Bell, Founder and CEO of Suzu Labs, highlighted the importance of human expertise in scaling security operations:
"AI is cheapening the discovery side of offensive security, and that is fine with us. Discovery was never where the real work was. The real work is judgment, campaign design, and detection validation. That is what Adversarial Exposure Validation is actually about, and none of it scales through automation alone. It requires Hacker in the Loop™, the human-led layer of AEV that automation cannot replicate."
The CAO team delivers ongoing, multi-vector attack simulations including phishing campaigns, ransomware scenarios, insider threats, and physical intrusion testing. These simulations validate not only technology but also the people and processes that defend organizational environments.
Suzu Labs now offers a comprehensive suite of services encompassing penetration testing, adversary emulation, incident response, virtual CISO leadership, AI risk advisory, and exposure monitoring. This unified approach supports organizations in securing digital transformation and safe AI adoption.
Dahvid Schloss, former CEO of Emulated Criminals and now COO at Suzu Labs, expressed enthusiasm about the combined strengths:
“Building Emulated Criminals has been an incredible and quite enjoyable journey, and I'm excited to share our next chapter as we officially join forces with Suzu Labs. Before, our focus was strictly high-end bespoke offensive security services. Helping clients truly understand how to ‘Train how they fight.’ But now, by combining our flagship continuous adversarial emulation service, which we call Emulated Crime as a Service, with Suzu's deep defensive and advisory expertise, we can offer even more to our clients with a truly 360-degree approach to security.”
Schloss added
“At our core, we have always cared most about the betterment of our industry. This move lets us amplify that contribution and address new and existing security challenges at a much larger scale. I will always live by the ‘Train how you fight’ motto, and I know Suzu Labs has the same mentality. I look forward to working with everyone in this new endeavor.”
As threat actors increasingly leverage automation and AI themselves, the demand for continuous and realistic security testing continues to grow. This acquisition positions Suzu Labs as a next-generation cybersecurity partner equipped to help organizations stay ahead of evolving threats through proactive, behavior-driven defense strategies.
About Emulated Criminals
Emulated Criminals is a cybersecurity firm specializing in continuous adversary simulation through its ECaaS model. The company replicates real-world attack scenarios across cyber, human, and physical domains to help organizations identify vulnerabilities and strengthen their defenses. Founded by former Special Operations and offensive cyber experts, EC delivers realistic, ethical testing designed to improve resilience against modern threats.
About Suzu Labs
Suzu Labs is a cybersecurity and artificial intelligence firm dedicated to helping organizations innovate securely. The company combines offensive security expertise, risk management, and AI integration to identify vulnerabilities, strengthen defenses, and embed security into every stage of technology adoption. Suzu Labs delivers services including penetration testing, incident response, virtual CISO leadership, and AI risk advisory, enabling enterprises to reduce risk while accelerating innovation.
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