Israel-based cybersecurity firm Illusive Networks guards networks against malicious attacks by deploying deception technology. It identifies numerous advanced attacks that went undetected by other solutions, thereby securing its customers’ networks from Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).
Its Deceptions Everywhere technology envelops a firm’s entire network – every endpoint, server and network component – with information that deceives would-be attackers. When attackers act upon the false information, illusive neutralizes the attack and triggers a detailed breach report enabling security administrators to detect, track and contain the attack in its early stages.
The firm doesn’t deal in firewalls or anything that completely prevents malicious hackers from entering because they might somehow manage to find their way into the networks. It goes on to take a page out of another development in tech, virtual and augmented reality, and creates an alternate, false version of a company’s network to trap those hackers.
Once a hacker is trapped inside the Illusive version of the network, Illusive identifies that individual and either keeps him locked in there forever, or ejects him for good.
This brings startup’s total amount of funding to over $30 million. It refrains from divulging more details about the terms and conditions that revolve around the transaction, neither will it reveal its valuation. Mony Hassid who leads Microsoft Ventures in Israel told TechCrunch they have made the inverstment just recently, and adds,
We have made a decision to invest in the deception market, and we believe there are more security opportunities, which is why we have invested in Team8 in addition to this.
Illusive doesn’t exactly disclose the details of its clientele but says they are large firms of teams of 1000 or more. They include large banks, tech companies, law firms and more. It is not clear as to how Microsoft will work with Illusive Networks but the main idea behind the deal is to work on strategies to build products and sell to their users as well.
