DATA SECURITY

Cloudflare Acquired Area 1 Security for Expanding its Zero Trust Platform

Cloudflare | February 24, 2022

Cloudflare
Cloudflare, Inc. a security, performance, and reliability firm striving to build a better Internet, has agreed to buy Area 1 Security. Area 1 Security's cloud-native software, which integrates with any email provider, prevents phishing assaults by detecting and deleting them before they can cause harm in the workplace. As a result, the organization stopped more than 40 million harmful phishing operations in 2021 alone, including business email compromise, malware, ransomware, and other advanced threats.

“Email is the largest cyber-attack vector on the Internet, which makes integrated email security-critical to any true Zero Trust network. That’s why today we’re welcoming Area 1 Security to help make Cloudflare’s platform the clear leader in Zero Trust, To us, the future of Zero Trust includes an integrated, one-click approach to securing all of an organization’s applications, including its most ubiquitous cloud application, email. Together, we expect we’ll be delivering the fastest, most effective, and most reliable email security on the market.”

Matthew Prince, co-founder, and CEO of Cloudflare

Malicious phishing attacks, especially business email intrusion, are the most costly, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center 2020 Internet Crime Report, with U.S. businesses losing more than $1.8 billion. For example, the JPMorgan Chase breach, in which a phishing attack impacted 76 million households and 7 million small businesses; SolarWinds, in which phishing led to the compromise of 18,000 customers, including multiple government agencies; Sony Pictures, in which a phishing attack reportedly resulted in the theft of more than 100 terabytes of proprietary data; and the United States elections, in which phishing has been cited as the cause of damage inflicted "The biggest challenges with email are its ubiquity and our readiness to trust it," Forrester says. Everyone has an email account, and many of them have many accounts, making it an easy target for hackers." As a result, businesses of all sizes must explore how to incorporate email solutions into their broader security stack and strengthen it with global threat intelligence. As a result, email continues to be an attractive entry point for increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

Research Director for IDC’s Network Security Products and Strategies, Chris Rodriguez, notes, "Email is often the largest cloud application for any organization; and also represents the largest attack vector. Instead of viewing email security as a standalone issue, more businesses realize that it needs to be part of their holistic security strategy. The combination of Cloudflare and Area 1 Security offers customers a uniquely differentiated and comprehensive Zero Trust offering with coverage across the entire threat lifecycle."
“Today, email is a business’ most-used cloud application. It's unfortunately unprotected. We estimate that more than 90% of cyber security damages are the result of just one thing: phishing," said Patrick Sweeney, CEO, and President of Area 1 Security. "By combining our leading phishing protection and threat intelligence capabilities with Cloudflare’s global network, data capabilities, and Zero Trust platform, we truly believe that together we can help companies of any size better secure their entire network infrastructure and better protect against the most destructive cyber risks.”

In 2021, Cloudflare launched its Advanced Email Security Suite, which includes creating bespoke email names, managing incoming email routing, and preventing email spoofing and phishing on outgoing emails. Because Cloudflare's global network blocks an average of 86 billion cyber threats per day, it has unique threat intelligence data that can help it better filter out targeted phishing attacks (spear phishing) and other security threats that legacy email security solutions and API-only email security offerings may miss. Area 1 Security has long adopted a proactive approach to email security to halt phishing operations in their infancy. The two businesses will create a complete Zero Trust solution that clients may enable through Cloudflare's global edge by combining Area 1 Security's highly scalable technology and years of experience in email protection with Cloudflare's worldwide network.

Cloudflare will pay $162 million for Area 1 Security, subject to normal adjustments, with 40-50 percent of the amount paid in Cloudflare's Class A common stock and the rest paid in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2022, subject to usual closing conditions.

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ENTERPRISE SECURITY, PLATFORM SECURITY, SOFTWARE SECURITY

Cyber Security & Cloud North America – New Line-Up Speakers Announced

TechEx Events Ltd | April 17, 2023

The Cyber Security & Cloud Congress North America (17-18th May) has announced exciting new additions to its line-up of speakers and panellists for the upcoming two-day event in Santa Clara. The event will take place on May 17th and 18th, 2023, and will feature a diverse range of tech industry experts, including CIOs, CTOs, Cyber Security, Cloud Architects, and other key players in the field. Attendees will have a great opportunity to hear from the most talented speakers including: Prasanna P., Digital Transformation Leader – Enterprise Architecture & Enterprise Strategy Leader – Molina Healthcare Shea Lovan, Chief Security Officer – UC Santa Barbara Sachin Vaidya, EVP Chief Information Officer of Heritage – Bank of Commerce Kishore Viswanathan, Senior Technical Program Manager, Cybersecurity and Compliance – Lucid Motors Sameh Emam, Division Risk Manager – Union Bank Kavitha Venkataswamy, Director – Digital Product Security – Capital One Richard Paz, CISM, Cyber Security Engineer – NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory & many more! In addition to these keynote speakers, the event will also feature several panel discussions covering a wide range of topics, including Zero Trust, Threat Detection & Response, Training, Talent & Culture, Identity & Access Management, Application Security, Data Security and more. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with other industry professionals and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and technologies shaping the cybersecurity and cloud technology landscape. The Cyber & Cloud Congress North America promises to be a knowledge-packed, innovative, and engaging event for all those interested in Cyber Security and Cloud technology, but also the newest technology solutions, products and services that will be showcased during the event. “We are thrilled to have such an outstanding group of speakers joining us for the Cyber & Cloud Expo,” said Lia Richards, Head of Conference. “With their diverse backgrounds and extensive experience, they will bring a wealth of knowledge and insights to our attendees. We look forward to hearing their perspectives on the most pressing issues facing the industry today”. WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT? Over the course of two days at Cyber Security & Cloud Congress North America attendees will have a great number of opportunities to visit exhibition stalls and connect with the representatives of some of the world’s biggest brands including IBM, IDC, Bosh, AWS, Zoho and many more, all implementing the latest in Cyber Security & Cloud technologies within their sectors. Paying attendees will also have a chance to join the networking party event following Day 1 of the conference, where all will be able to connect and network in a more relaxed setting, with free food and drinks provided. This opportunity is open for Gold and Ultimate Pass Holders, Speakers, Press, Sponsors, and Exhibitors. Find out more information here: https://www.cybersecuritycloudexpo.com/northamerica/networking-party/ Early-bird registration offering 25% discount of the full ticket price is open until 17th April, and interested attendees are encouraged to secure their tickets before the offer ends to avoid missing out on this exciting opportunity. Follow this link to discover ticket types and prices: https://www.cybersecuritycloudexpo.com/northamerica/ticket-types-and-prices/. About TechEx Events Ltd The TechEx Event portfolio is an international conference and tech showcasing cutting-edge tech innovation in enterprise. Featuring real-life use cases and in-depth industry insights, the event series delves into the AI, Big Data, Blockchain, Cyber Security, 5G, IoT and Edge Computing ecosystems. Running for over six years, our co-located events strengths lie within our expert community. We bring the heroes responsible for pushing game changing tech and strategy together, to craft relationships and creative solutions. We are the place where networking never stops – The one-stop-shop for enterprise innovators.

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As organizations consider their future of work and the technologies that will make them successful, understanding the value of their investments will be crucial. Download this whitepaper, IDC created in conjunction with VMware, to learn how organizations have realized a return on investment (ROI) by supporting their employees an

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