Microsoft buys security-automation vendor Hexadite
Microsoft is buying cybersecurity vendor Hexadite for an undisclosed amount.
Hexadite disclosed Microsoft's plans to purchase the company in a June 8 blog post, as did Microsoft.
Hexadite was founded in 2014 by veterans of an intelligence unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Hexadite is based in Boston, and operates a research and development center in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Hexadite's Automated Incident Response Solution (AIRS) is designed to investigate alerts and remediate threats either without human intervention or in a semi-automated mode.
Microsoft officials said they plan to use Hexadite's technology to supplement the company's Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection service for Windows 10 business users. WDATP is a post-breach service meant to help detect threats that have made it past other defenses, provide users with means to investigate breaches, and offer suggested responses.
More details on its plans for Hexadite are in Microsoft's blog post:
"Today, Microsoft is strengthening its Advanced Threat Protection offering by adding artificial intelligence-based automatic investigation and remediation capabilities, making response and remediation faster and more effective. With Hexadite, WDATP will include endpoint security automated remediation, while continuing the incredible growth in activations of WDATP, which now protects almost 2 million devices."
Microsoft has bought a number of security vendors with Israeli roots.
Microsoft bought Secure Islands Technologies in November 2015, with the intent of integrating its technology into its Azure Rights Management Service. Microsoft also bought Adallom in September of that year. Adallom monitors use of software-as-a-service applications. And in 2014, Microsoft bought cloud-security vendor Aorato, which Microsoft rebranded as Advanced Threat Analytics.