SECURITY
SECURITY
SECURITY
Mimecast acquires MessageControl to increase its email protection services
Email security provider Mimecast Ltd. said today it has acquired eTorch Inc., the owners of MessageControl, a messaging security provider that offers solutions to stop social engineering and human activity attacks, for an undisclosed price.
Founded in 2015, MessageControl uses artificial intelligence to stop identity attacks. The company’s offering inspects email attributes and content and then applies machine learning to build a library of known and unknown patterns for individual users. The AI then detects anomalous behavior and provides real-time warnings in email, allowing employees to make better choices by providing them information on potentially untrusted senders or content.
MessageControl’s service also can prevent misaddressed email leaks. Leveraging graph technology, MessageControl is able to notify employees before they accidentally send information to the wrong recipients based on historical sending patterns.
For Mimecast, the acquisition will provide customers using productivity apps such as Microsoft 365 with strong protection against advanced phishing and impersonation attacks.
“MessageControl is a natural complement to Mimecast’s suite of cyber-resilience solutions,” Mimecast Chief Executive Officer Peter Bauer said in a statement. “Its artificial intelligence and machine-learning capabilities will offer additional layers of defense by evolving and ‘learning’ the customer environment and user behaviors over time.”
There’s naturally a COVID-19 reference, with Mimecast noting that there has been a significant increase in spam and phishing attacks during the pandemic as businesses grow nervous about their effects. A recent report from Mimecast found that 60% of organizations have seen the volume of impersonation attacks increase, while only one in five offers monthly awareness training to employees. Some 85% of organizations believe that the volume of web and email spoofing will either remain flat or increase in the months ahead.
Prior to acquisition, MessageControl had raised $4 million in venture capital funding, according to Pitchbook. Investors included Founder Equity, Guild Capital, Plug and Play Tech Center, Valor Equity Partners and Cyber Mentor Fund.
Image: MessageControl
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