IBM buys Trusteer to bolster anti-hacker arsenal

IBM has acquired security firm Trusteer, promising to use the company's anti-hacker technology to bolster customers' cyber defenses.
The tech giant confirmed it has signed a definitive agreement with Trusteer, which will see IBM take control of the security firm and its advanced financial fraud and security threat protection portfolio.
IBM will also set up a new cyber security software lab in Israel, run by 200 Trusteer and IBM researchers. This will focus on creating new mobile and application security, advanced threat, malware, counter-fraud and financial crime-protection technologies.
General manager of the Security Systems division at IBM Brendan Hannigan said the combined arsenal of Trusteer's various tools and IBM's existing defense services will offer end-to-end cyber security for customers.
"Trusteer's expertise and superior technology in enterprise endpoint defense and advanced malware prevention will help our clients across all industries address the constantly evolving threats they are facing," he said.
"Together with IBM's capabilities in advanced threat detection, analysis and remediation, we will now be able to offer our clients several additional layers of defence against sophisticated attackers."
Trusteer CEO Mickey Boodaei added that the centre is an essential step in the companies' ongoing bid to keep pace with blackhat hackers, who are constantly developing new, more sophisticated ways to target companies. "The way organisations protect data is quickly evolving," he said.
"As attacks become more sophisticated, traditional approaches to securing enterprise and mobile data are no longer valid. Trusteer has helped hundreds of large banks and organisations around the world defeat thousands of sophisticated attacks using innovative solutions that combine intelligence, cloud, mobile and desktop technologies."
The financial terms of the deal remain unknown. IBM declined V3's request for comment on how much it paid for Trusteer.
Trusteer has a strong track record of protecting banks and financial services. The company hit the headlines in August, when reports broke that criminals are exploiting a vulnerability in its Rapport browser-lockdown technology that is used by leading banks such as HSBC and NatWest. Trusteer has consistently denied the reports.