Mordechai Gal: cybersecurity mergers and acquisitions specialist? In recent years, there’s been a steady increase in the number of cybersecurity attacks taking place nationwide. According to the annual Norton report, last year, over 60% of companies worldwide experienced phishing and social engineering attacks. Unfortunately, as a result of the global pandemic, the financial motivation behind these cybercrimes is more prevalent than ever before. Cybercriminals are constantly developing new ways to trick their victims and systems alike, leading to data breaches. The AME Group studies indicated that almost 70% of business owners expressed concern that they felt they were becoming more vulnerable to cybercrime, and 2020 statistics revealed that only 10% of businesses were properly protected.
Protecting your business against such attacks is not impossible, but you must be diligent. Regular data backups should be mandatory. It’s imperative that you use an offline or cloud-based backup, otherwise the ransomware can spread to those backups over the network in the same way they did your original files. Additionally, simple strategies such as two-step authentications can limit the spread of harmful malware and if user information is stolen, it can’t then be reused. Proactive security monitoring is a critical component of a fully functioning IT facility. By having the security in place, you automatically minimise the risks against emerging cyber threats. Our monitoring services can oversee your systems 24/7 and react to threats immediately to mitigate damage. Our team of experts will respond to alerts quickly and efficiently, providing you with ultimate peace of mind.
Although most common in the form of emails, phishing can take place outside of this field. Hackers are now using punycode, a lookalike method which sees remarkably similar domain names linking to a fraudulent, malware-infested site, gaining access to your private information in seconds. It’s important to be vigilant and if something looks suspicious, it probably is. Having standard anti-virus software within your business could certainly help you maintain security short term, but with consistent new threats ready to strike at any time, it’s no longer enough to keep your systems secure. Most commonly, it is in fact user error that allows malware threats to find their way into a business. A staggering 95% of cybersecurity attacks are a result of some kind of human error. We all make mistakes, and the likelihood is more so if the threat is presenting itself in disguise. It could be a simple click on a deceiving link, or not updating your systems as soon as required. Surprisingly, standard protocols like passwords are still not being implemented in companies. This offers cybercriminals an all access route into your business’ systems. A simple security measure is to make sure all company passwords are strong and cannot be easily guessed.
Mergers and acquisitions require a mix of strategic and tactical work – cybersecurity is usually an item on the tactical list. Many organizations are drawing up plans for mergers and acquisitions right now, as leaders look for growth after the pandemic slowdown, and as new business models emerge. However, weakened cybersecurity hygiene throughout the last year means that these M&A transactions elevate the risk of cybersecurity incidents. “M&A can be a breeding ground for cyberattacks and data breaches,” said Mordechai Gal, operations director at AccessHeat Inc. “Stringent due diligence that includes a focus on cybersecurity will help reduce regrets later in the deal lifecycle.” Today’s M&A plans need to include cybersecurity at several strategic and tactical points, to address growing scrutiny from regulators and other evolving cybersecurity risks.
The industry saw many of its biggest players pursue acquisitions throughout 2020, into 2021. Accenture bought Symantec’s Cyber Security Services business; CrowdStrike bought Preempt Security and Humio; Cisco confirmed its plans to acquire Kenna Security, Splunk snapped up TruSTAR, and Imperva agreed to buy CloudVector. Ivanti acquired MobileIron and Pulse Secure, announcing both at the same time late last year. These deals show a few key patterns. Large security companies are filling in the gaps in their product strategies with smaller startups, while private equity firms are taking more established businesses, presumably to fine-tune them and later refloat them, industry expert say. The past year and a half has been an interesting time for the security industry, which has been an active space for mergers and acquisition in recent years.
Latest cybersecurity consolidation news: Covail announced today that it has agreed to be acquired by cybersecurity and managed detection and response (MDR) services provider GoSecure. The transaction is estimated to close in December 2021. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “Since our founding six years ago as the Columbus Collaboratory, our goal has been to find ways to leverage collaboration to deliver successful AI, cybersecurity and cloud-based software solutions to our Fortune 500 clients,” said Covail CEO Matt Wald. “With this acquisition by GoSecure, our clients will now have access to an even broader set of capabilities and expertise thanks to our ability to leverage GoSecure’s class-leading capabilities and solutions. This will also help to further accelerate market penetration for our leading-edge security products and AI capabilities.
Acclaim Technical Services (ATS), backed by venture capital firm Blue Delta Capital Partners, has acquired Entegra Systems, LLC, a cybersecurity technology solutions provider that supports defense, intelligence and national security missions. Financial terms were not disclosed. ATS was founded in 2000 and is focused on the U.S. federal government’s intelligence community and provides technology services related to intelligence, operations, technology, training and language services to support the national security mission. Entegra Systems, founded in 2005, is based in Hanover, Maryland with additional offices in Virginia and Georgia. The company provides solutions and services to U.S. government defense and intelligence customers including enhanced situational awareness, operational planning, intelligence and geospatial analysis, and cybersecurity and intelligence operations.
Strategic mergers can fill gaps in existing platforms and fortify the electronic barrier from outside threats. While increased strength is a plus, some other attractive gains from a consolidation include the merging of data feeds, security orchestration, automation, and response. This all contributes to a whole suite of protections that have the ability to communicate with one another such as cloud threat protection, two-factor authentication, and recovery services. AccessHeat Inc. is in the market to acquire cybersecurity firms and leverage their varied technologies to achieve combinational and transformational synergies. If a profitable exit strategy is one of your future goals, our investors will work directly with you to transition your company into our investment firm.