Deception-based cyber security firm TrapX Security, Inc. has raised $9 million Series B in a round led by investors Intel Capital and Liberty Venture Capital.

Based in San Mateo, CA, TrapX aims to move its customers to a proactive posture when it comes to cyber-attacks, through what it claims is fundamentally a very new way of thinking about the problem by changing the economics of cyber defense by shifting the cost to the attacker.

The company’s solutions rapidly detect, analyze and defend against new zero-day and APT attacks in real time, with its DeceptionGrid product providing automated, highly accurate insight into malware and malicious activity unseen by other types of cyber defense.

The TrapX Security customer base includes Forbes Global 2000 commercial and government customers around the world in sectors that include defense, healthcare, finance, energy, consumer products and other key industries.

“You can’t read the news today without learning about another significant breach on a major institution. Target, Sony, Anthem and most recently our own government are having a difficult time retaining control of their data. As a result, leading enterprises are looking at alternative approaches to traditional network perimeter security solutions,” Chief Executive Officer of TrapX Greg Enriquez said in a statement sent to SiliconANGLE.

“And that’s where our deception technology shines. Unlike perimeter-based platforms that act as a first line of defense against intruders, but sit at the network’s edge, deception sits inside an organization’s network and is able to catch bad actors who have slipped past traditional perimeter and endpoint solutions,” Enriquez said.

Interesting thinking

The inside-play of deception inside the network to catch bad actors that have slipped through traditional firewalls and other measures is an interesting way of tackling the problem, particularly as the severity and skills of bad actors continue to evolve and become more successful in breaking into companies large and small.

The client list for TrapX looks impressive, so it is definitely getting some traction, along with it also being a partner in Intel’s Security Alliance Initiative, that saw them integrating its DeceptionGrid technology with McAfee Advanced Threat Defense, a move that was said to further enable customers to meet and defeat Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs), zero-day events and other sophisticated malware.

TrapX’s last round was $5 million in 2014 when the company was known as Cybersense. Previous investors included BRM Group and Opus Capital.

The company said it would use the new round to accelerate growth across the business, spanning deception technology development, hiring engineering and marketing talent, and expanding global sales initiatives.