Symantec to acquire cybersecurity firm Fireglass

Symantec has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Israel-based Fireglass, the agentless isolation solution provider that eliminates ransomware, malware and phishing threats in real-time by preventing potentially harmful content from reaching user endpoints or the corporate network. Symantec said with this acquisition, it further strengthens its Integrated Cyber Defense Platform and extends its leadership in Secure Web Gateway and Email protection delivered both on premises and in the cloud.

Fireglass’ approach to browser isolation substantially reduces the attack surface, strengthening an enterprise’s security posture and as a result, significantly reduces the burden on the company’s security operation center (SOC) and IT help desk. Users are protected regardless of the links they click or the uncategorised websites they visit, as all potentially harmful website and email content and attachments are executed within a fully protected and separate environment, eliminating the most common infiltration points for ransomware, exploits and malware. Delivered as a cloud service, on premises, or in a hybrid model, Fireglass provides a transparent and worry-free end-user experience, with customers reporting a dramatic reduction in problem tickets and the resulting workload of the security team.

“Integrating Fireglass’ isolation technology with Symantec’s existing endpoint, email and secure web gateway solutions could reduce security events by as much as 70 percent, while virtually eliminating advanced threats spread by web browsing or email content. Isolation will become a core component in the design of cyber defense architectures for the cloud generation who face the reality of an encrypted Internet and the crisis inherent in email and web-delivered attacks,” said Greg Clark, CEO, Symantec. “The ability for the security team to take an aggressive stance on unknown websites and questionable attachments without causing chaos for a company’s users and IT help desk is now a reality. Isolation is a key element of securing the cloud generation and is even a productivity gain for both the end user and security operations center.”

Guy Guzner, Founder and CEO, Fireglass, said, “We’ve long admired Symantec for their leadership in protecting customers’ critical information. Fireglass’ industry-leading isolation technology helps customers battle zero-day attacks and other serious vulnerabilities, making it an essential element for protecting email, messaging and web browsing. It easily integrates with existing security solutions and across all forms of the endpoint including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS and all others including browser-enabled IoT devices. With Symantec’s global scale, we’re excited to bring this groundbreaking technology into the hands of more customers.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, and is expected to close in the third calendar quarter of 2017. Symantec expects Fireglass’ technology to be available to its customers and partners soon after the transaction closes. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.