Proofpoint to Acquire Threat Intelligence Firm Emerging Threats for $40 Million

Cloud-based security solutions provider Proofpoint (NASDAQ: PFPT) announced on Monday that it has agreed to acquire threat intelligence provider Emerging Threats for roughly $40 million in cash and stock.

Proofpoint will integrate Emerging Threats’ threat intelligence with its existing Targeted Attack Protection and Threat Response security solutions.

Indianapolis-based Emerging Threats offers a subscription-based suite of threat intelligence products delivered as a service that provides information about advanced cybercriminal malware distribution and command and control (C&C) infrastructure.

Emerging Threats uses an automated collection and analysis system to gather millions of malware samples and other global threat indicators per day, along with a team of threat researchers, to produce actionable threat intelligence for detecting, blocking and remediating advanced cyberattacks.

According to Proofpoint, the combined technology will provide customers with deeper insight into cyberthreats, enabling them to react faster to inbound cyberattacks, and to identify, block, and disable previously undetected malware already embedded in their organizations.

Emerging Threats also sponsors, maintains and releases the open source IDS/IPS ruleset, ETOpen Ruleset, used by more than 20,000 organizations worldwide, which Proofpoint said it intends to continue to support and invest in.

As part of the acquisition, Emerging Threats’ research, engineering, and sales teams will join Proofpoint, and Ken Gramley, Emerging Threats chief executive officer, will become vice president of Emerging Threats for Proofpoint.