Online payments giant PayPal is set to beef up its anti-malware capabilities with the acquisition of predictive security vendor CyActive and the founding of a new security center in Israel.
PayPal CTO James Barrese claimed in a blog post that the acquisition would “bring great talent and immediately add ‘future-proof’ technology” to the firm’s payment platform.
“With CyActive, we’ll have even more ways to proactively predict and prevent security threats from ever affecting our customers,” he added.
CyActive technology works by collecting malware samples from various sources before applying advanced “bio-inspired” algorithms and an understanding of hacker behavior and constraints, according to the firm.
This in turn will help predict potentially millions of new threats from each malware sample, anticipating what derivatives the hacker might create. This intelligence can then be used to train “smart detectors” to spot these new, yet-to-be created threats.
CyActive says these detectors can be deployed on enterprise networks, SCADA equipment and embedded devices to anticipate and prevent threats.
The firm was founded by CEO Liran Tancman and CTO Shlomi Boutnaru, who are said to have roots in the Israeli Defense Force. The IDF’s famed 8200 intelligence unit is alleged to have spawned numerous hi-tech start-ups in the past.
As part of the deal, PayPal announced it will be expanding its existing Fraud and Risk Detection Center based in Tel Aviv with a new security center in the country.
“Located in one of the world’s top cybersecurity hubs, this new security center will allow us to tap into the country’s cutting-edge technology and top cybersecurity talent,” said Barrese.
“Our goal is to extend our global security leadership, and bolster our efforts in predictive threat detection and prevention.”
The deal is set to close in early Q2, according to CyActive. No terms have been disclosed, although some local reports put the figure at around $60m.