CrowdStrike to acquire Bionic. Dragos raises an additional $74 million in Series D round. HiddenLayer secures $50 million in Series A round.

By the CyberWire staff

At a glance.

CrowdStrike to acquire Bionic.
Dragos raises an additional $74 million in Series D round.
HiddenLayer secures $50 million in Series A round.

Mergers and acquisitions.

CrowdStrike has agreed to acquire cloud security posture management platform provider Bionic for $350 million, TechCrunch reports. CrowdStrike said in a press release, "The combination will extend CrowdStrike’s leading Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP) with ASPM to deliver comprehensive risk visibility and protection across the entire cloud estate, from cloud infrastructure to the applications and services running inside of them. As a result, CrowdStrike will be the first cybersecurity company to deliver complete code-to-runtime cloud security from one unified platform."

Shareholders of Australian cybersecurity company Tesserent have voted in favor of an acquisition by Thales Australia for AU$176 million, ARN reports. Tesserent CEO Kurt Hansen stated, "This transaction will accelerate our three-year growth plan as the combination of Tesserent and Thales Australia will provide rapid scale and advanced services to address cyber security needs in Australia and New Zealand, including in the government, defence, and commercial sectors." If the transaction is approved by the Federal Court of Australia, Tesserent plans for the acquisition to be completed on October 4th.

Investments and exits.

Maryland-based industrial cybersecurity company Dragos has raised $74 million in a Series D extension led by WestCap, bringing the total amount of the Series D round to $274 million. The company stated, "The funding will support additional go-to-market initiatives to meet growing demand. It will also fund accelerated expansion in key growth markets including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific; and across diverse industries including electric, oil & gas, chemical, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, food and beverage, water, transportation, mining, and building automation."

Austin, Texas-based HiddenLayer, a company that provides security for AI models and assets, has secured $50 million in a Series A round led by led by M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund, and Moore Strategic Ventures, with participation from Booz Allen Ventures, IBM Ventures, Capital One Ventures, and Ten Eleven Ventures. The company says it will use the funding "to expand its talent base, increase go-to-market efforts, and further invest in its award-winning Machine Learning Security (MLSec) Platform."

San Francisco-based backup-as-a-service startup Alcion has raised $21 million in a Series A round led by Veeam. The company stated, "Looking ahead, we're deepening our data security focus, improving product functionality, and expanding our platform’s global footprint. Additionally, we will add more features tailored for our managed service provider (MSP) customers and broaden our data protection horizons to encompass other critical SaaS services beyond Microsoft 365."

French cyber insurance company Stoïk has raised $10.7 million in a funding round led by Munich Re Ventures, with participation from Opera Tech Ventures, TechCrunch reports. The funding will support the company's expansion into Germany.

Sunnyvale, California-based cybersecurity policy management startup Discern Security has emerged from stealth with $3 million in seed funding from BoldCap, WestWave Capital, Cyber Mentor Fund, Security Syndicate, and others. The company stated, "The proceeds from this funding round will be allocated to expand the product offering, incorporating essential integrations, and continuing the recruitment of a global team of cybersecurity experts."

British cybersecurity company Goldilock has secured $1.7 million in a seed funding round led by New York Angels and Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of Greater New York. The company is "dedicating the proceeds of this financing round to sales and marketing of already commercially available products, with an emphasis on building a top-tier worldwide MSSP partner and Security Vendor channel network."

Executive moves.

Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) has appointed former Chief Information Officer of the Department of the Air Force Lauren Knausenberger as Chief Innovation Officer and Tim Turitto as Chief of Staff to incoming CEO Toni Townes-Whitley.

Resecurity has hired Mohammed Alghamdi as the Managing Director for its operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Sectigo has appointed Jairo Fraile and Rob Charlebois as Vice Presidents: "Mr. Fraile will be responsible for the continued development and growth of Sectigo’s global partner sales organization, and Mr. Charlebois will be responsible for the continued success of Sectigo’s eCommerce business."

Cyware has added Rick Howard, former Chief Security Officer of Palo Alto Networks, to its advisory board. Howard currently serves as CSO for the CyberWire.

Qrypt has added Steven Silberstein, CEO of FS-ISAC, to its board of advisors.

Strider Technologies has retained Admiral (Ret.) Craig Faller as an advisor.

Coming to grips with SEC cyber reporting regulations.

The cyberattack that disrupted operations at Clorox was among the first major incidents to fall under the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules that went into effect on September 5th. (Compliance dates for mandatory reporting are somewhat later, falling for most companies in December. "The Form 10-K and Form 20-F disclosures will be due beginning with annual reports for fiscal years ending on or after December 15, 2023. The Form 8-K and Form 6-K disclosures will be due beginning the later of 90 days after the date of publication in the Federal Register or December 18, 2023," the SEC explained.) The Wall Street Journal reviews how the company has responded publicly to the incident. Clorox has issued six statements, including two Forms 8-K, since the incident was disclosed on September 14th, shortly after it was detected. There are at least two challenges: keeping reporting current as an investigation unfolds ("A stream of 8-Ks will be the new norm,” one expert told the Journal), and determining whether an incident has a material impact on a public company.

The other two major recent incidents that raise interesting regulatory challenges are the attacks against MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, both prominent casino operators. Caesars Entertainment saw data belonging to its loyalty program affected, but was able to keep its operations online during the incident. The Form 8-K the company filed with the SEC strongly hinted that it had paid the attackers ransom. MGM Resorts has had by all accounts a more difficult time. The New York Post reports that MGM continues to have trouble with its slot machines and hotel systems eight days after the attack was detected. The company is estimated to be losing as much as $8.4 million per day in revenue.

MGM and Caesars face an additional regulatory burden, Dark Reading points out, in the form of oversight by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, whose regulation 5,260 requires "covered entities" (including casino operators) to establish effective cybersecurity measures. In the event of an incident "resulting in a material loss of control, compromise, unauthorized disclosure of data or information, or any other similar occurrence," a casino operator must disclose the incident to the Board within seventy-two hours and undertake both investigation and remediation of the incident.

Marketplace

New Acquisition Powers AI-based Network Detection and Response and Open XDR Capabilities for WatchGuard (WatchGuard Technologies) Once integrated into the WatchGuard Unified Security Platform architecture, the CyGlass technology will deliver AI- and ML-based detection of network anomalies and accelerate Open XDR capabilities.

Palo Alto Networks Strengthens Presence in Taiwan With Cloud Infrastructure Investment (Fast Mode) Palo Alto Networks Strengthens Presence in Taiwan With Cloud Infrastructure Investment

Palo Alto becomes the first dedicated cyber security vendor with Telstra, providing business customers with market leading cyber security solutions. (WebWire) Global security company Palo Alto Networks (NASDAQ: PANW) and Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra (ASX: TLS) have partnered to deliver an enhanced suite of cyber security products and services for Telstra's Australian and global business customers. Palo Alto Networks becomes the first dedicated cyber security company to be named a technology alliance partner supporting the Telstra enterprise customer segment, servicing customers across more than 200 countries and...

Tesserent shareholders favour Thales acquisition (ARN) The majority of Tesserent shareholders have voted in favour of Thales Australia’s proposed $176 million acquisition of the cyber security provider.

Virtru unveils new headquarters and technology hub in Washington, D.C. (GlobeNewswire News Room) The HUB, Virtru’s new headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue, will serve as an innovation center for local cybersecurity leaders...

Four hard cyber truths all business needs to hear (Australian Financial Review) Organisations that tackle the issue head-on are sure to gain a competitive advantage while helping Australia become more resilient amid the rising threats.

Cybersecurity risks dampen corporate enthusiasm for tech investments (Help Net Security) IT leaders must be empowered to embrace innovative tech investments such as generative AI to accelerate business-critical transformation.

Israel’s Startup Funding Drops As Its Famed Cyber Sector Takes A Hit (Crunchbase News) Israeli startups saw a 67% year-to-year drop in funding, falling from $2.7 billion in Q2 last year to less than $900 million in Q2 this year, according to Crunchbase data.

Cisco undertakes another round of layoffs with 350 jobs targeted in San Jose, Milpitas (Silicon Valley Business Journal) Cisco Systems Inc. is adding to its job loss numbers by laying off a total of 350 employees from both its Milpitas and San Jose offices.

The Next Phase of Armis (Armis) Learn how Armis is evolving our story to become Armis, the Asset Intelligence Cybersecurity Company with our AI Powered Platform Armis Centrix™.

Absolute Software Recognized in 2023 Gartner® Market Guide for Zero Trust Network Access as Representative Vendor (Absolute Software) Absolute Software today announced that it has been recognized for the second year in a row as a Representative Vendor in the 2023 Gartner Market Guide for Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA).

Palo Alto Networks to expand Israel center by 250 employees (CTech) Palo Alto's Israeli R&D center is its second largest outside of its California headquarters, employing around 1,000 people

Dell’Oro Group Again Ranks Versa Networks as the Current Worldwide Unified SASE Market Share Leader (Versa Networks) Dell’Oro Group Research Ranked Vendors Based on Q2 2023 Worldwide Revenue; Reveals Worldwide SASE Market Annual Revenue will Increase to More Than $14B in 2027

Aryaka SD-WAN and SASE Services Delivered 113% ROI and $2.48 Million in Net Present Value Over Three Years According to Total Economic Impact Study (PR Newswire) Aryaka®, the leader in Unified SASE solutions, today announced the results of a business benefit analysis and its ability to aid businesses...

Serial cybersecurity founders get back in the game (Help Net Security) Serial cybersecurity founders enter the new game with more maturity, confidence, and focus for the startup journey.

Dell Technologies’ August Layoffs Cost $364M In Severance Charges, SEC Filings Show (CRN) Dell Technologies has shelled out $740 million this year in two rounds of layoffs which have targeted the infrastructure leader’s sales force.

Google lays off hundreds of employees (ET CIO) Google is laying off hundreds of employees from its recruiting team globally, as the new hiring has slowed down at the Alphabet company, the media reported.

Products, Services, and Solutions

NordPass introduced passkey support for iPhone users (GlobeNewswire News Room) With Apple rolling out its latest operating system, iOS 17, today, NordPass announced that its customers are...

Thales Announces Support for External Key Management in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (Business Wire) Thales launches CipherTrust Cloud Key Management integration with Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to meet growing customer demand

Security Journey Launches “The Diligent Developer” Limited Time Free Security Education Program (GlobeNewswire News Room) The Diligent Developer program provides product access and resources on OWASP Top 10 in support of National Coding Week...

BioCatch Scout Delivers Financial Pre-Crime Logistical Intelligence for Targeted Fraud Interdiction & Mule Account Identification (PR Newswire) BioCatchÒ, the global leader in digital fraud and money laundering detection and response powered by behavioral biometric intelligence, today...

Corelight Expands Partnership with Mandiant to Further Strategic Efforts to Protect and Defend Customers Worldwide (PR Newswire) Corelight, the leader in open network detection and response (NDR), today announced a critical update to their mission-focused, strategic...

SentinelOne® and Mandiant Bolster Strategic Partnership, Empowering Organizations to Harden Defenses and Proactively Protect Against the Latest Threats (Business Wire) Cybersecurity leaders will combine the power of the SentinelOne Singularity™ platform with Mandiant-infused industry-leading intelligence through strategic offering

Introducing the unified Chronicle Security Operations platform (Google Cloud Blog) Chronicle’s latest update unifies our SOAR and SIEM solutions, integrates Mandiant’s attack surface management technology, and offers more robust application of threat intelligence.

Focus on Outcomes: Attack Surface Reduction at Scale (Mandiant) New capabilities to Mandiant Attack Surface Management enable an outcome-focused and risk-based approach to security.

New infosec products of the week: September 15, 2023 (Help Net Security) The featured infosec products this week are from: Armis, Cisco, CTERA, Kingston Digital, Purism, and Swissbit.

Incode Technologies and MaxBet Transform Player Onboarding with AI Identity Verification (PR Newswire) Incode Technologies Inc., the global leader in next-generation identity solutions, today announced a game-changing partnership with MaxBet, a...

Rackspace Technology Taps Palo Alto Networks for Comprehensive Cybersecurity Solutions (GlobeNewswire News Room) Strengthening customers’ ability to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats...

CompTIA Introduces Emergency Response Team for Cybersecurity Assistance (ChannelE2E) CompTIA, a nonprofit association for the IT sector, has unveiled a new Emergency Response Team (ERT) to support businesses encountering cybersecurity disruptions or incidents.

CertiK launches SkyInsights to simplify crypto compliance and risk management (Help Net Security) Leveraging CertiK’s extensive and real-time databases, SkyInsights risk insights are enriched with more than two billion wallet address.

Claroty’s VRM enhancements empower security teams to quantify CPS risk posture (Help Net Security) Claroty’s newly enhanced VRM solution further empowers CISOs to efficiently prioritize vulnerabilities affecting their CPS environments.

Bitwarden adds passwordless SSO to make enterprise customer lives easier (ZDNET) Bitwarden is one of the more reliable and flexible password managers on the market and it just made things even easier for enterprise customers with SSO for trusted devices.

Estonian firm develops virtual ‘shooting range’ to test cyber defenses (C4ISRNet) CybExer Technologies works with Estonian Defence Forces, as well as the armed forces of a number of European countries including Ukraine.

Trua Announces Integration With Apple Wallet That Will Lead to Secure, Seamless Identity Sharing (PR Newswire) Trua, the leader in reusable verified digital identity and screening, is integrating its Smart Wallet with the Apple Wallet, providing users an...

OTORIO Achieves ISO 27001 and IEC 62443-4-1 Certifications for Critical Infrastructure (PR Newswire) OTORIO, the leading provider of OT cyber risk management solutions, announced today its ISO 27001 certification for information security...

ThreatModeler Transforms Automotive Security by Bringing Free, Industry-Specific Threat Models to its Growing Marketplace (PR Newswire) ThreatModeler, a leader in threat modeling from design to code to cloud, today announced an expansion of its Threat Model Marketplace with the...

MetaGeek, an Auvik Company, Partners with Oscium to Deliver the Industry’s First Affordable, Portable Wi-Fi and Spectrum Diagnostic Tool for Wi-Fi 6E (Auvik) MetaGeek Chanalyzer and WiPry Clarity bring together the best of breed in both software and hardware to provide customers with the first affordable and portable spectrum analyzer for 6 GHz.

Socure Announces Partnership with Public to Launch Investment Service in the United Kingdom with Seamless Identity Verification (PR Newswire) Socure, the leading provider of digital identity verification and fraud solutions, announced its partnership with Public, a New York-based...

DoControl Integrates with HRIS Platforms to Mitigate Insider Threats (PR Newswire) DoControl, the leading SaaS Security Platform (SSP), today announces integration with popular Human Resources Information System (HRIS)...

SentinelOne Earns Top Honors Across Five Key Security Categories in 2023 PeerSpot Awards (Business Wire) Trusted customer review platform validates company’s leadership in XDR, EDR, EPP, MDR, and Anti-Malware solutions through verified user feedback

Checkly Expands Monitoring Capabilities with Introduction of Heartbeat Checks (PR Newswire) Checkly, the leading provider of monitoring solutions powered by a Monitoring as Code (MaC) workflow, today announced the introduction of...

OneSpan Named a Leader in Worldwide eSignature Software Vendor Assessment by the IDC MarketScape (OneSpan) OneSpan™, the digital agreements security company, announced it was named a Leader in the “IDC MarketScape Worldwide eSignature Software 2023 Vendor Assessment."

Ivanti and Catchpoint Partner to Proactively Address Remote Connectivity Issues and Enhance Workforce Productivity (Business Wire) The partnership expands the Ivanti Digital Experience Score with application and network visibility to detect and troubleshoot remote connectivity issues before they impact the workforce.

Adlumin Unveils Warranty and Cyber Insurance Offerings that Make Coverage Attainable and Affordable for Previously Unprotected Small and Mid-Sized Organizations (Business Wire) Adlumin Protection Plus Suite Receives Cysurance Certification to Provide Low Friction Path to Complementary Financial Protection

BackBox Announces Strategic Partnership and Product Integration with Paessler AG – BackBox Software (BackBox Software) Paessler PRTG and BackBox now integrate seamlessly to provide a complete NOC stack DALLAS, TX – Sept. 13, 2023 — BackBox, the world’s most trusted network automation company, today announced a strategic partnership with Paessler AG, the monitoring experts for IT infrastructures and networks. In addition, BackBox and Paessler PRTG now work together seamlessly to support

Adaptive Shield Now Available on Google Cloud Marketplace (Business Wire) Delivers Businesses Fast Path to Securing Growing SaaS Environments

SecurityScorecard Joins Forces with Measured Analytics and Insurance to Deliver Industry-First Cyber Insurance Discounts for Top Security Ratings (Business Wire) Continuous cyber risk assessments with actionable threat mitigation plans reduce breach likelihood and financial vulnerability

Alkira Boosts Global Expansion Efforts for Enterprises with Cloud Exchange Point Presence in China (PR Newswire) Alkira®, the pioneer in agentless, multi-cloud networking, today announced availability of Alkira Cloud Exchange Point® (CXP) in China,...

SentinelOne® Launches Singularity™ RemoteOps Forensics for Incident Response and Evidence Acquisition (Business Wire) New solution combines forensics evidence with real-time telemetry to deliver unified insights into security incidents analysts need to perform investigation and response activities with efficiency and speed

ConnectWise Announces Integrations with Microsoft in Collaboration to Benefit Managed Service Providers, Worldwide (GlobeNewswire News Room) MSPs Gain Strengthened Cybersecurity Management, Streamlined IT Management, Improved Operational Efficiency...

People

Stack Identity Announces Official Formation of Advisory Board, Appoints Multiple Cybersecurity Leaders to Solve Shadow Access Problem (Business Wire) Former Crowdstrike chief product officer, Amol Kulkarni, and former Accurics CEO and serial entrepreneur, Sachin Aggarwal, join as newest members

Former GCHQ chief joins security investment group Gallos as chai (Financial Times) Jeremy Fleming’s appointment a feather in the cap of fledgling investment company

Admiral (Ret.) Craig Faller Joins Strider Technologies as an Advisor (Strider Intel) Strider Technologies, Inc. ("Strider"), the leading provider of strategic intelligence, today announced that Admiral (Ret.) Craig Faller is joining the company as an Advisor. In this role, Admiral Faller will provide Strider valuable insight on our strategic priorities, product development, and other opportunities to achieve our long-term goals.

Cybersecurity Expert Rick Howard Joins Cyware's Advisory Board (Business Wire) Cyware, the leading provider of threat intelligence management, security collaboration, and cyber fusion solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of renowned cybersecurity expert, Rick Howard, to its advisory board. Mr. Howard brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise that will play a pivotal role in guiding the company's strategic initiatives and technological advancements.

Sectigo Strengthens Global Partner and eCommerce Channels with New Executive Hires (GlobeNewswire News Room) Former McAfee and LastPass Executives Join Sectigo to Scale Global Partner and eCommerce Businesses...

ex-Bain and Booz Allen Executive to Lead Resecurity's Expansion in Saudi Arabia (StreetInsider.com) Resecurity, Inc. (USA), a global cybersecurity solutions provider protecting Fortune 500 and government agencies worldwide, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mohammed Alghamdi as the Managing Director for its operations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

SAIC hires former Air Force CIO Knausenberger (Washington Technology) Knausenberger will be one of two new executive vice presidents to join Science Applications International Corp. as the company prepares for a new CEO to start.

Qrypt Appoints FS-ISAC CEO, Steven Silberstein, to Board of Advisors (Business Wire) Qrypt, the pioneering quantum-secure encryption company, today announced Steven Silberstein, the CEO of FS-ISAC (the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center), is joining its Board of Advisors. With more than 25 years of experience in financial services, technology and cybersecurity, Silberstein is a longstanding leader in promoting data security and protecting the financial sector from cybersecurity threats.