Identity-driven detection and response startup ClearVector Inc. announced today that it has raised $13 million in new funding to accelerate its mission to redefine cybersecurity by shifting the focus to identity-driven security.

Founded in 2020 by John Laliberte, a former executive at Mandiant/FireEye, ClearVector aims to shift the cybersecurity paradigm from traditional threat detection to identity activity. The company’s platform emphasizes real-time detection and isolation of threats by monitoring identity behaviors across various environments.

The platform seeks to address issues with traditional security approaches that fail despite billions invested in security tools each year. ClearVector argues that enterprises continue to be compromised at an alarming rate and are overwhelmed by excessive alerts from siloed security solutions that lack critical context on how the organization operates. Added to the mix are increasing rates of identity-based attacks that traditional defenses struggle to deal with.

ClearVector says it shifts the security paradigm from chasing threats to understanding and controlling identity activity across production environments.

“Our vision is to fundamentally change the economics of cyberattacks by making the adversary’s mission prohibitively difficult and immediately visible,” explains Chief Executive Laliberte. “Rather than chasing an ever-growing list of threats, we’re giving defenders unprecedented visibility and control over every identity operating in their environment. When an adversary can’t move without being detected and is immediately stopped, the advantage shifts dramatically to the defender.”

ClearVector’s platform utilizes identity graph technology that maps and monitors the behaviors of all identities — human, machine, third-party and artificial intelligence — within an organization’s production environment. The graph currently includes more than 1 billion nodes and 4 billion edges, allowing for visibility and attribution across complex infrastructure. The feature also continuously learns how identities behave, enabling the system to detect anomalies that could indicate malicious activity.

Using the platform’s real-time threat detection and mitigation system, security teams can instantly investigate and respond to threats using a “Big Red Button” function that stops attacks with a single click. Combined with identity-aware investigations, defenders can act with speed and precision without the need to sift through vast amounts of log data.

The Series A round was led by Scale Venture Partners LP, with Okta Ventures, Inner Loop Capital and previous investor Menlo Ventures LP also participating.

“As the identity provider that organizations trust for secure access, we see tremendous value in ClearVector’s ability to track what happens post authentication — an increasingly important attack space,” said Austin Arensberg, senior director at Okta Ventures.

Image: ClearVector