Highlights:

  • A key advantage of Cylance is its agent, a lightweight program installed on devices to detect malware.
  • The company assists customers in addressing infrastructure vulnerabilities, detecting malicious activity, and resolving breaches.

Recently, a well-funded cybersecurity startup, Arctic Wolf Networks Inc., acquire the Cylance division of BlackBerry Ltd.

BlackBerry will receive USD 160 million in cash and 5.5 million shares of Arctic Wolf. Since Arctic Wolf is privately held, the value of these shares remains undisclosed. Following its latest funding round in 2021, Arctic Wolf was valued at USD 4.3 billion.

Once the leading smartphone manufacturer globally, BlackBerry now generates its revenue from two primary areas: software for connected devices and cybersecurity tools. In the connected device sector, the company’s flagship product is the QNX operating system, primarily used in smart car subsystems. BlackBerry’s cybersecurity offerings include encrypted messaging apps and breach prevention tools.

Cylance joined BlackBerry’s cybersecurity portfolio through a 2018 acquisition. The division offers a software platform designed to protect endpoints like employee workstations, capable of detecting ransomware, zero-day vulnerabilities, unpatched threats, and other malicious activities.

A key feature of Cylance is its lightweight agent, a program installed on devices to scan for malware. According to BlackBerry, this agent uses only a fraction of the hardware resources compared to competing tools, leaving more processing power available for employees’ applications. Additionally, the agent operates without requiring an internet connection.

Cylance features an artificial intelligence assistant that aids cybersecurity teams in analyzing breach alerts. For instance, if a hacker deploys a malicious script within a company’s network, the assistant can detail which systems were affected and how they were altered. Administrators can also set up automated workflows to respond to malicious activity without requiring human intervention.

Arctic Wolf is a leading provider of managed cybersecurity services, having secured approximately USD 900 million in venture and debt funding since its inception. Earlier this year, the company revealed that it serves over 5,200 organizations.

Arctic Wolf assists customers in addressing infrastructure vulnerabilities, detecting malicious activity, and mitigating breaches. Its services are driven by an in-house platform called Aurora, which gathers data from a company’s existing cybersecurity tools, correlates it with threat intelligence, and leverages AI to identify potential hacking indicators.

Aurora connects with various cybersecurity tools, including Cylance, “We will continue to support (and further expand) all our existing platform integrations, including those with the more than 15 endpoint security vendors we support today,” according to a recent blog post by Dan Schiappa, Arctic Wolf’s Chief Product and Services Officer.

Arctic Wolf plans to incorporate Cylance’s technology into its Aurora platform, which currently processes over 7 trillion cybersecurity-related data points weekly from customer environments. Cylance’s tools will enhance Aurora’s ability to analyze this data for signs of malicious activity.

BlackBerry anticipates finalizing the sale by the end of February.