Akamai Buys Startup CyberFend To Battle Bots In The Cloud And Online

Cloud and content platform firm Akamai has acquired Cyberfend to bring the Californian cyber security startup’s bot and automation detection software into its online services.

The acquisition will see Akamai strengthen its own Bot Manager software, which is used by its customers running online businesses to detect fake customers and hackers from genuine customers, as well as limit the ability for cyber attackers to avoid detection.

Akamai acquisition

Such bot-powered attacks often result in credentials of genuine customers being compromised, pilfered and sold on the cyber black market; this creates a problem for both an online company and its customers.

So, detecting and mitigating these attacks before they can compromise valuable data is a means to actively protect against such hacker vectors of attack.

Cyberfend’s machine-learning real-time detection capabilities help keep an eye out for such attacks on some of the world’s most heavily trafficked web properties.

Akamis said the use of Cyberfend’s tech in its own Bot Manager software will help boost its capabilities and add more differentiation to the software from that of its rivals.

“The addition of Cyberfend’s technology is intended to give our customers a better way to spot and stop credential abuse on their sites – benefitting both the online business and its users,” said Stuart Scholly, senior vice president and general manager of web security at Akamai.

For Cyberfend, being bought by Akamai will expand the reach of the startups technology to a wider customer base. “Adding the scale and reach of Akamai’s platform to Cyberfend’s technology, and complementing Akamai’s Bot Manager solution with Cyberfend’s capabilities, creates an exciting value proposition for customers worldwide,” said Sreenath Kurupati, co-founder and CEO, Cyberfend.

The acquisition was a cash deal, though the amount that exchanged hands was not disclosed.

Using machine-learning for cyber security is becoming an increasingly popular way to defend against attacks; Darktrace is one such firm putting machine learning to work to detect unusual activity on IT networks that traditional security software would struggle to do.

And the introduction of tech like deep learning neural networks is potentially set to put smart software front and centre in detecting and tackling hack attacks.

Quiz: What do you know about cybersecurity in 2016?

Roland Moore-Colyer

As News Editor of Silicon UK, Roland keeps a keen eye on the daily tech news coverage for the site, while also focusing on stories around cyber security, public sector IT, innovation, AI, and gadgets.

Recent Posts

Amazon Pumps Another $2.75 Billion Into Anthropic

Amazon completes its $4bn investment into AI firm Anthropic, after providing an additional $2.75bn in…

50 mins ago

The Sustainability of AI

While AI promises unparalleled efficiency, productivity, and innovation, questions regarding its environmental impact loom large.…

4 hours ago

Trump’s Truth Social Makes Successful Market Debut

Shares in Donald Trump’s social media company rose about 16 percent after first day of…

4 hours ago

Dutch PM Raises Cyber Espionage Case With China’s Xi

Beijing visit sees Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte discuss cyber espionage incident with Chinese President…

5 hours ago

Vodafone Germany Confirms 2,000 Job Losses, Amid European Restructuring

More downsizing at Vodafone after German operation announces 2,000 jobs will be axed, as automation…

21 hours ago

AI Poses ‘Jobs Apocalypse’, Warns Report

IPPR report warns AI could remove almost 8 million jobs in the United Kingdom, with…

22 hours ago