Google buys threat intel giant Mandiant for $5.4bn
(2022/03/08)
- Reference: 1646749834
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/03/08/google_buys_mandiant_5_4bn_dollars/
- Source link:
Google is buying preeminent threat intel firm Mandiant for $5.4bn, the two companies announced this morning.
The purchase, which will bring the infosec giant into Google Cloud, is one of the largest ever made by Google, coming second to its [1]$12.5bn purchase of Motorola phone division Mobility in 2011.
"Cyber security is a mission, and we believe it’s one of the most important of our generation. Google Cloud shares our mission-driven culture to bring security to every organization," said Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant in a canned statement.
[2]
Mandiant is one of the most well-regarded threat intelligence companies in cybersecurity. In its pre-spinoff [3]guise as FireEye , it was the first to publish details of SolarWinds hacking techniques – which both the firm and intelligence [4]concluded were state-sponsored Russians – and gave out a free tool to detect signs of intrusion.
[5]
[6]
Thomas Kurian, chief executive of Google Cloud, said in a statement: "This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world. Together we can make a profound impact in securing the cloud, accelerating the adoption of cloud computing, and ultimately make the world safer."
Google's security portfolio is focused mainly on securing its internal products, as [7]noted by Silicon Valley investment news website Venturebeat. Acquiring Mandiant's threat intelligence and incident response expertise is a major win for Google, boosting its credibility in a field where players mainly talk about layering security on top of its products rather than looking at the depth of in-house expertise.
[8]
Mandiant's share price was up 16 per cent over the course of yesterday's US trading hours, finishing at $22.49 after talk of Google's interest was reported.
Infosec folks' reactions on Twitter were mixed, though the social networking website – where most coalface cybersecurity workers tend to hang out – is not known for hosting large numbers of positive thinkers.
Oh gawd no, I was hoping this was a joke. [9]https://t.co/S5JPd658Zq — Alyssa Miller 👑 Duchess of Hackington (@AlyssaM_InfoSec) [10]March 7, 2022
If there ever was a consolidation of threat intelligence in cybersecurity - this is it.
After Google bought VirusTotal and many other things; the amount of insight one business will have will be huge (and will surpass pretty much everyone else). [11]https://t.co/CFX6cytVUc — Andrew Dwyer (@DrAndrewDwyer) [12]March 8, 2022
Google's track record with buyouts is mixed. The Motorola buyout ended after just three years with Mountain View [13]taking a $9bn hit by selling the mobile-maker to Lenovo; Google did, however, retain Moto's patent portfolio.
[14]FireEye sold to McAfee's new owners for $1.2bn as Mandiant split into standalone firm again
[15]Google buys DoubleClick for $3.1bn cash
[16]Google SHOCK! Snaps up Motorola phone biz for $12.5bn
[17]Hello Moto: Lenovo grabs Motorola biz for $3bn. But Google's KEEPING the patents
Its 2014 acquisition of [18]AI firm Deepmind , however, has kept Google in the headlines – especially whenever Google Deepmind goes anywhere near health data. Similarly, [19]Nest, the smart home gadget firm , cost the Chocolate Factory a cool $3.2bn in that same year.
Further back in time, what was then a search engine bought a tracking cookie provider [20]called Doubleclick , sowing the seeds for Google's ascendancy to global online ad dominance in the 2010s. Ditto YouTube, now the world's best-known video sharing site, [21]was acquired for $1.6bn in 2006 .
As long as Google doesn't do to Mandiant what it did to [22]Google+, all should go well. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2011/08/15/google_buys_motorola_mobility_wtf/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/03/fireeye_sold_stg_1_2bn_dollars_mandiant/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/20/solarwinds_update_trump_contradicts_pompeo_russia_attribution/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://venturebeat.com/2021/10/24/googles-future-in-enterprises-hinges-on-strategic-cybersecurity/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://t.co/S5JPd658Zq
[10] https://twitter.com/AlyssaM_InfoSec/status/1500947733833830401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11] https://t.co/CFX6cytVUc
[12] https://twitter.com/DrAndrewDwyer/status/1501175861403336709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/29/google_sells_motorola_to_lenovo_for_291bn_but_keeps_the_patents/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/03/fireeye_sold_stg_1_2bn_dollars_mandiant/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/14/google_buys_doubleclick/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2011/08/15/google_buys_motorola_mobility_wtf/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/29/google_sells_motorola_to_lenovo_for_291bn_but_keeps_the_patents/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/27/google_deep_mind_buy/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/15/google_nest_buy_analysis/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/14/google_buys_doubleclick/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2006/10/09/youtube_content_deals/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2018/12/11/google_hacked_again/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The purchase, which will bring the infosec giant into Google Cloud, is one of the largest ever made by Google, coming second to its [1]$12.5bn purchase of Motorola phone division Mobility in 2011.
"Cyber security is a mission, and we believe it’s one of the most important of our generation. Google Cloud shares our mission-driven culture to bring security to every organization," said Kevin Mandia, CEO of Mandiant in a canned statement.
[2]
Mandiant is one of the most well-regarded threat intelligence companies in cybersecurity. In its pre-spinoff [3]guise as FireEye , it was the first to publish details of SolarWinds hacking techniques – which both the firm and intelligence [4]concluded were state-sponsored Russians – and gave out a free tool to detect signs of intrusion.
[5]
[6]
Thomas Kurian, chief executive of Google Cloud, said in a statement: "This is an opportunity to deliver an end-to-end security operations suite and extend one of the best consulting organizations in the world. Together we can make a profound impact in securing the cloud, accelerating the adoption of cloud computing, and ultimately make the world safer."
Google's security portfolio is focused mainly on securing its internal products, as [7]noted by Silicon Valley investment news website Venturebeat. Acquiring Mandiant's threat intelligence and incident response expertise is a major win for Google, boosting its credibility in a field where players mainly talk about layering security on top of its products rather than looking at the depth of in-house expertise.
[8]
Mandiant's share price was up 16 per cent over the course of yesterday's US trading hours, finishing at $22.49 after talk of Google's interest was reported.
Infosec folks' reactions on Twitter were mixed, though the social networking website – where most coalface cybersecurity workers tend to hang out – is not known for hosting large numbers of positive thinkers.
Oh gawd no, I was hoping this was a joke. [9]https://t.co/S5JPd658Zq — Alyssa Miller 👑 Duchess of Hackington (@AlyssaM_InfoSec) [10]March 7, 2022
If there ever was a consolidation of threat intelligence in cybersecurity - this is it.
After Google bought VirusTotal and many other things; the amount of insight one business will have will be huge (and will surpass pretty much everyone else). [11]https://t.co/CFX6cytVUc — Andrew Dwyer (@DrAndrewDwyer) [12]March 8, 2022
Google's track record with buyouts is mixed. The Motorola buyout ended after just three years with Mountain View [13]taking a $9bn hit by selling the mobile-maker to Lenovo; Google did, however, retain Moto's patent portfolio.
[14]FireEye sold to McAfee's new owners for $1.2bn as Mandiant split into standalone firm again
[15]Google buys DoubleClick for $3.1bn cash
[16]Google SHOCK! Snaps up Motorola phone biz for $12.5bn
[17]Hello Moto: Lenovo grabs Motorola biz for $3bn. But Google's KEEPING the patents
Its 2014 acquisition of [18]AI firm Deepmind , however, has kept Google in the headlines – especially whenever Google Deepmind goes anywhere near health data. Similarly, [19]Nest, the smart home gadget firm , cost the Chocolate Factory a cool $3.2bn in that same year.
Further back in time, what was then a search engine bought a tracking cookie provider [20]called Doubleclick , sowing the seeds for Google's ascendancy to global online ad dominance in the 2010s. Ditto YouTube, now the world's best-known video sharing site, [21]was acquired for $1.6bn in 2006 .
As long as Google doesn't do to Mandiant what it did to [22]Google+, all should go well. ®
Get our [23]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2011/08/15/google_buys_motorola_mobility_wtf/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/03/fireeye_sold_stg_1_2bn_dollars_mandiant/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2020/12/20/solarwinds_update_trump_contradicts_pompeo_russia_attribution/
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[7] https://venturebeat.com/2021/10/24/googles-future-in-enterprises-hinges-on-strategic-cybersecurity/
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YieLuLQ18gnEpKtptGtkqgAAANQ&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://t.co/S5JPd658Zq
[10] https://twitter.com/AlyssaM_InfoSec/status/1500947733833830401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[11] https://t.co/CFX6cytVUc
[12] https://twitter.com/DrAndrewDwyer/status/1501175861403336709?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/29/google_sells_motorola_to_lenovo_for_291bn_but_keeps_the_patents/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/03/fireeye_sold_stg_1_2bn_dollars_mandiant/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/14/google_buys_doubleclick/
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2011/08/15/google_buys_motorola_mobility_wtf/
[17] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/29/google_sells_motorola_to_lenovo_for_291bn_but_keeps_the_patents/
[18] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/27/google_deep_mind_buy/
[19] https://www.theregister.com/2014/01/15/google_nest_buy_analysis/
[20] https://www.theregister.com/2007/04/14/google_buys_doubleclick/
[21] https://www.theregister.com/2006/10/09/youtube_content_deals/
[22] https://www.theregister.com/2018/12/11/google_hacked_again/
[23] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"As long as Google doesn't do to Mandiant what it did to Google+, all should go well"
Mike 137
Even if it lasts, I predict an at least gradual decline in quality. It's hard for a high end specialist entity to retain its independent standards once subsumed into a behemoth money-at-any-cost machine.
LDS
Given the level of access Mandiant tools have, it's not a good news. I won't by security tools and service by ads delivery company.
badflorist
I feel this purchase is only to promote their cloud B.S., which now makes Mandiant nothing more than a poster boy.
"...securing the cloud, accelerating the adoption of cloud computing, and ultimately make the world safer."
Keywords: cloud, cloud, safer.
However, maybe Mandiant knew it's future was to sell out. From the look of it, nobody employed at Mandiant is complaining (golden parachutes help I guess).
Swarthy
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12.5bn purchase of Motorola phone division Mobility
Oh yeah, the one where they bought Motorola and shut it down. I had a US-made Moto G for a hot second. Hope they don't do the same here.