In-Q-Tel Invests in Behavior Analytics Security Firm Interset
Interset, a developer of behavior analytics solutions, has received a strategic investment from the CIA’s venture arm In-Q-Tel for technology development. The amount of the investment wasn’t disclosed. Interset says the investment will advance the development of its UBA platform, a security software solution for detecting and surfacing compromised-account and insider attacks, while reducing and false positives in scalable environments. “U.S. intelligence and law enforcement communities have long sought to protect critical data with an approach that surfaces attacks faster and more accurately, in a highly contextual, proactive way,” says Dale Quayle, Interset CEO. “After a rigorous evaluation and due diligence process, Interset demonstrated how anomalous behaviors can be accurately surfaced and conveyed with actionable information, allowing government security experts to focus on mitigating risks and stopping attacks that may threaten our safety.” Interset uses machine learning and patented, predictive analytics-based risk-scoring technology to automate the process of sifting through billions of log files and terabytes of events.
Smiths Detection Upgrades IONSCAN 600 to Detect Narcotics
Smiths Detection has its desktop IONSCAN trace detector has been enhanced to detect and identify narcotics, in addition to its existing capabilities for explosives. The company says that with the new capabilities customers in aviation, ports and borders, and critical infrastructure markets will have a more comprehensive solution to their detection needs. The new IONSCAN 600 is available this month and offers the option to identify both narcotics and explosives, either separately, or both simultaneously.
FAA to Evaluate British Counter UAS System for Pathfinder Program
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has selected a counter-unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to evaluate at U.S. airports as part of the agency’s Pathfinder program, which researches and tests technologies that can be used to detect and identify unauthorized UAS or drone flights near airports. The Anti-UAV Defence System (AUDS) was developed by three British companies: Blighter Surveillance Systems; Chess Dynamics; and Enterprise Controls Systems. The system is integrated and supported in North America by Liteye Systems Inc. The companies say the AUDS counter-UAS system can detect a drone six miles away using electronic scanning radar, track it using precision infrared and daylight cameras, and specialized video tracking software before disrupting the flight using an inhibitor to block the radio signals that control it. The entire process takes eight to 15 seconds. The AUDS team has carried out over 400 hours of ‘live’ testing in government-related trials against more than 400 flown sorties of group 1 UAS. The AUDS can also help authorities track down the UAS pilots.
Symantec to Acquire Web Security Provider Blue Coat for $4.7 Billion
Symantec [SYMC] says it has agreed to acquire web security firm Blue Coat, Inc. for $4.7 billion in cash, giving it greater scale and a more comprehensive suite of cyber security solutions. The deal has already been approved by both companies’ boards of directors and is expected to close in the third quarter. Once the transaction is complete, Symantec will have annual sales of $4.4 billion and add capabilities in protecting against cyber threats to the Web, networks and cloud applications. Symantec said that 62 percent of Symantec’s post-acquisition sales will come from enterprise security with the remainder in consumer security applications. “Together with Blue Coat, we will be best positioned to usher in a new era of cyber security solutions to address the ever evolving threat landscape, the massive changes introduced by the shift to mobile and cloud, and the challenges created by regulatory and privacy concerns,” says Dan Schulman, Symantec’s chairman. Symantec says that combined with Blue Coat, it will be able to offer customers cyber security capabilities for email, cloud servers and applications, data centers, networks, and endpoints. Ajei Gopal, Symantec’s interim president and chief operating officer, says that there is only “small overlap” between the two companies’ capabilities and that the combination will create “huge leverage in our ability to share core protection engines, and the vast amount of threat data we collect.” In the area of cloud security Symantec will be able to offer end-to-end solutions for all sizes of customers, Gopal says.
Lockheed Martin, Interset in Partnership on Insider Threat Detection
Lockheed Martin [LMT] says it has formed a new commercial cyber partnership with Interset for a joint insider threat detection solution. “Interset’s unique, market-proven approach to User Behavioral Analytics (UBA) complements our Wisdom Insider Threat Identification’s award winning capabilities,” says Angie Heise, vice president of Lockheed Martin for Commercial Cyber. “Interset’s depth in the UBA market and big data approach to detecting insider threats makes them an ideal fit for Lockheed Martin.” Lockheed Martin’s commercial cyber business unit specializes in developing, implementing, maintaining and securing critical infrastructures for Fortune 1000 and Global 1000 companies. The Interset Threat Detection Platform uses machine learning, patented predictive analytics, and risk-based scoring to automate the process of sifting through terabytes of event data to detect and find real insider threats.