Sophos Acquires BrainTrace: Enhanced Threat Detection

Sophos Acquires Braintrace to Enhance Network Security

Sophos, a cybersecurity company owned by Thoma Bravo, has announced the acquisition of Braintrace, a startup specializing in identifying anomalous network activity. The financial details of this transaction have not been publicly revealed.

Braintrace's Network Detection and Response (NDR) Solution

Founded in 2016, Braintrace secured $10 million in funding to develop a network detection and response (NDR) solution. This technology empowers organizations to thoroughly examine network traffic and effectively isolate potentially harmful activity.

The core of Braintrace’s approach lies in remote network packet capture (RNCAP) technology. This allows for comprehensive visibility into network traffic patterns, even those that are encrypted, without requiring decryption via man-in-the-middle techniques.

Furthermore, the solution extends its visibility to cloud network traffic, a capability often requiring on-site resources. It offers support for leading cloud platforms, including AWS and Microsoft Azure.

Integration with Sophos' Cybersecurity Ecosystem

This acquisition will result in the integration of Braintrace’s NDR technology into Sophos’ existing adaptive cybersecurity ecosystem. This ecosystem serves as the foundation for all of Sophos’ security offerings.

The technology will also enhance Sophos’ ability to gather data from sources like firewalls, proxies, and VPNs. This expanded data collection will facilitate the detection of network traffic associated with malware such as TrickBot, and the identification of attackers utilizing Cobalt Strike.

Ultimately, this integration aims to proactively prevent malicious traffic that could lead to ransomware attacks.

Team Integration and Future Growth

As part of the agreement, Braintrace’s team – including its developers, data scientists, and security analysts – will join Sophos’ global managed threat response (MTR) and rapid response teams.

Sophos CEO, Joe Levy, stated that the company anticipates becoming one of the largest and fastest-growing managed detection and response (MDR) providers as a result of this acquisition.

He emphasized the effectiveness of solutions created by skilled cybersecurity professionals to address real-world challenges, noting that Braintrace’s technology was specifically designed to improve security outcomes for MDR customers.

Statements from Braintrace Leadership

Bret Laughlin, co-founder and CEO of Braintrace, explained that their NDR technology was built from the ground up for detection purposes.

He added that integrating with Sophos will enable a comprehensive system for cross-product detection and response across diverse vendor environments.

Thoma Bravo's Continued Investment in Cybersecurity

This deal follows Thoma Bravo’s $3.9 billion acquisition of Sophos just over a year ago. It represents a further expansion of the private equity firm’s presence within the cybersecurity sector.

Recent investments by Thoma Bravo include the $12.3 billion acquisition of Proofpoint and a $225 million funding round for zero trust security company Illumio.