CrowdStrike has added an emergency stop for artificial intelligence agents that go off script, alongside agreements to buy two startups that watch and test those agents. The company announced the moves on 3 November at its Fal.Con Europe conference in Barcelona.

The new AI Kill Switch sits inside Falcon Guardian, CrowdStrike's agent-security platform. It lets an authorised security administrator stop a running AI agent through gateway controls, prevent it from relaunching and cut off its network access. It is available now, and every action is recorded in an audit log, according to TradingView.

Two acquisitions alongside the kill switch

CrowdStrike also agreed to acquire Fiddler AI, which monitors agents and explains their behaviour, and Dreadnode, which tests models and agents with over 100 known attack methods before deployment. Fiddler's technology will be sold as Falcon Observe, recording what an agent did and why, while Dreadnode's findings will feed into Falcon Guardian as policy recommendations.

CrowdStrike did not disclose what it is paying. The Wall Street Journal reported a combined price of about $495 million, roughly $400 million for Fiddler and $95 million for Dreadnode. Both deals are expected to close in CrowdStrike's fiscal fourth quarter of 2027, funded predominantly in cash with a portion in stock, and the products built on them are due to become generally available in the same quarter.

The package reflects a growing worry: an agent with broad access can act quickly, and a mistake or attack can spread before anyone notices. A kill switch lets security teams halt one fast, although it does not undo anything the agent already did. CrowdStrike shares closed at $244.68 on 3 November, up about 1 percent, TheStreet reported.