Microsoft announced today that it is acquiring CyberX, a platform for the protection of industrial control systems. The terms of the deal have not yet been revealed, but TechCrunch claims the amount reaches $ 165 million.
The acquisition strengthens Microsoft's strategic position in the standalone systems market, which it introduced in 2018 with the acquisition of Bonsai (now Project Bonsai). The Project Bonsai team applies AI technology to industrial control systems, and CyberX technology promises to protect these control systems from cyber-attacks.
"CyberX will complement existing Azure IoT security capabilities as well as existing devices, such as those used in industrial IoT applications, business technology and infrastructure." said Michal Braverman-Blumenstyk, CVP of Microsoft Cloud and AI, and Sam George, head of Azure IoT.
"With CyberX, our customers will be able to discover existing IoT components, manage and improve the security of these devices."
CyberX was created in 2012 by Omer Schneider and Nir Giller (two veterans of the Israeli Defense Forces' elite cyber unit), and aims to stop any attacks on platforms monitoring any control systems.
CyberX claims to be able to provide information on each incident in less than an hour, on average. Prior to the acquisition, its customers included two of the top five US energy providers, a leading global pharmaceutical company, a leading US chemical company, national electricity and gas companies across Europe and Asia.
