What Ridgeback Network Defense Inc. does

Ridgeback Network Defense Inc. is a private, Baltimore-based cybersecurity vendor founded in 2014 that builds and sells a single enterprise platform, branded 'Ridgeback,' which provides preemptive network control at OSI Layers 2-4. The platform deploys lightweight synthetic 'Phantom assets' across unused or protected address space so that any unauthorized discovery or lateral-movement probe triggers immediate, policy-driven network consequence — connection disruption, process freeze, or host isolation — without relying on endpoint agents, OS logs, or host telemetry. Architectural emphasis is on operating below the operating-system trust problem and producing deterministic outcomes rather than alerts.

The company sells through a two-channel go-to-market model: a direct enterprise motion gated by technical briefings aimed at CISOs, CTOs, red/blue team leaders, security architects, and OT/mission assurance stakeholders, and a partner program covering Select VARs, distributors, MSPs, MSSPs, MDR providers, and compliance/advisory firms. Revenue is software-centric and recurring via annual subscription pricing with a quote-based sales process; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Target verticals span defense and national security, energy and critical infrastructure, healthcare and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, data centers and MSPs, transportation and logistics, financial services, and higher education/legal/distributed enterprise.

Ridgeback is founder-led under CEO Scott Fogarty, with CTO and co-founder Thomas Phillips (military background) and VP and co-founder Steve Rixse. The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, no disclosed revenue or ARR, no disclosed customer logos, and no disclosed patents in the available data. It has been recognized by Gartner as a leader in 'deny, deceive and disrupt' preemptive security, and its methodology has been documented in the DoD's Cyber Defense Review. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range.

Name

Ridgeback Network Defense Inc.

Legal name

Ridgeback Network Defense, Inc.

Website

https://ridgebacknet.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ridgeback Network Defense Inc. is a private Baltimore-based cybersecurity vendor selling a Layer 2-4 preemptive network-control platform that uses synthetic Phantom assets to deny unauthorized discovery and disrupt lateral movement for defense, critical infrastructure, healthcare, industrial, and enterprise buyers via direct sales and channel partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Security Software

akta.pro primary industry

Network Detection & Response (NDR) (HDADABAI)

Keywords

• Network security platform
• Preemptive cybersecurity
• Deception technology
• Lateral movement prevention
• Network segmentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Software Platform Subscription: Software-centric, recurring revenue model with low services overhead. Built for durable margins with subscription-based pricing model for the preemptive security platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ridgeback is an enterprise preemptive network security platform that operates at OSI Layers 2-4, using lightweight synthetic Phantom assets to deny unauthorized discovery and disrupt lateral movement at first contact. It imposes deterministic network consequence — connection disruption, process freeze, or host isolation — without relying on endpoint agents, OS logs, or host trust, addressing unmanaged IT, IoT, OT, IoMT, and legacy devices.

Product overview

Ridgeback Network Defense offers a single unified enterprise security platform called Ridgeback, which provides preemptive control for critical networks through the deployment of Phantom assets. The platform operates at OSI Layers 2-4, independent of endpoint agents or host trust, to deny unauthorized discovery, disrupt lateral movement, and impose real-time network consequence. There are no separate modules, add-ons, or standalone products—all capabilities are delivered as an integrated feature set within the core Ridgeback platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ridgeback Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Mean Time to Deploy (MTTD) under 15 minutes across all broadcast domains
• +5 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Select VARs and DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partners including select value-added resellers and distributors who offer Ridgeback's preemptive security platform to end customers. Partners differentiate their portfolio with a capability customers don't already own.
• MSPs, MSSPs and MDR ProviderscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorManaged service providers, managed security service providers, and MDR providers integrating Ridgeback into their service offerings. Software-centric, recurring revenue model built for durable margins and low services overhead.
• Compliance and Advisory FirmssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCompliance and advisory consulting firms that help deploy and integrate Ridgeback's preemptive security platform to meet regulatory requirements and validation needs including NIST, CMMC, and FTC alignment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Acalvio Technologies: Acalvio provides active defense and deception-based threat detection (ShadowPlex), operating on similar architectural principles of deceptive assets and lateral movement disruption. Directly comparable to Ridgeback's Phantom asset/synthetic terrain approach.
• CounterCraft: CounterCraft builds deception technology platforms using synthetic environments, breadcrumbs, and decoys to detect adversaries - functionally analogous to Ridgeback's Phantom asset methodology in preemptive network control.
• Vectra AI: Vectra AI provides network detection and response with AI-driven attack signal analysis, focusing on lateral movement detection and threat prioritization - closely aligned in problem space to Ridgeback's network-native disruption approach.
• ExtraHop: ExtraHop delivers network detection and response (Reveal(x)) using passive network monitoring at the wire layer. Operates in similar Layer 2-4 visibility domain as Ridgeback with comparable use cases around lateral movement and east-west traffic analysis.

Broad incumbents

• Darktrace: Darktrace is an established AI-driven network detection and autonomous response platform. Overlaps with Ridgeback's Layer 2-4 detection and automated response, but operates as a much broader incumbent with substantial funding and enterprise footprint.
• SentinelOne (Attivo Networks): SentinelOne acquired Attivo Networks, a leading deception platform, and now markets identity and deception-based threat detection as part of its Singularity XDR suite - representing direct platform-level competition to Ridgeback from a much larger endpoint-security incumbent.
• Palo Alto Networks (Smokescreen): Palo Alto Networks acquired Smokescreen Technologies, a deception-based threat defense vendor, and integrated it into its broader security platform. Represents incumbent absorption of deception technology similar to Ridgeback's category.
• Guardicore (Akamai): Guardicore (acquired by Akamai) provides microsegmentation and lateral-movement protection, complementing and in some cases overlapping with Ridgeback's network-native lateral movement control value proposition.

Emerging players

• Cymulate: Cymulate provides breach and attack simulation and continuous security validation, with deception-adjacent capabilities around validating lateral movement controls. Emerging competitor in the broader preemptive/validation category where Ridgeback operates.
• Pentera: Pentera provides automated security validation focusing on lateral movement exploitation testing - directly addressing the same segmentation-validation and lateral-movement-risk pain points Ridgeback targets, though from an offensive-validation angle rather than preventive control.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ridgeback-network-defense
• Xx.com/RidgebackSecure

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ridgeback Network Defense Inc.