Microsoft to buy cybersecurity firm RiskIQ

The acquisition announcement comes amid a rising tide of cyberattacks across the globe, and will expand Microsoft’s existing line-up of cloud-native security solutions.

Microsoft logo.

Microsoft said on Monday it has agreed to buy RiskIQ, a cybersecurity firm that provides cloud-based security solutions and global threat intelligence to organisations. It did not disclose the terms of the agreement.

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RiskIQ’s solutions can help organisations identify, assess, and fix security concerns in their network spread across multi-cloud and hybrid cloud environments, such as Microsoft cloud, AWS, on-premises, and from their supply chain, Microsoft noted in a blog post.

“RiskIQ has built a strong customer base and community of security professionals who we will continue to support, nurture, and grow,” Eric Doerr, VP, Cloud Security at Microsoft, said in a blog post. “RiskIQ’s technology and team will be a powerful addition to our security portfolio to best serve our mutual customers.”

The cybersecurity company, which was founded in 2009, provides threat intelligence collected from across the internet. It can be used to gain context into the source of attacks, tools and systems, as well as to detect and neutralise attacks quickly, according to the blog post.

The acquisition announcement comes amid a rising tide of cyberattacks across the globe, and will expand Microsoft’s existing line-up of cloud-native security solutions, which include 365 Defender, Azure Defender, and Azure Sentinel. Microsoft will pay over $500 million in cash to buy RiskIQ, according to a Bloomberg report.

“We’re thrilled to add RiskIQ’s Attack Surface and Threat Intelligence solutions to the Microsoft Security portfolio, extending and accelerating our impact,” RiskIQ Cofounder and CEO Elias Manousos, said in a blog post. “Our combined capabilities will enable best-in-class protection, investigations, and response against today’s threats.”

Last month, Microsoft also acquired ReFirm Labs to enhance its firmware analysis and security capabilities across servers and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.