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Eight cybersecurity-related acquisitions or acquisition agreements were reported from May 1 through May 15, 2024. They spanned API security, threat hunting, identity and fraud prevention, software integrity, penetration testing and external cyber risk. The largest reported figures included an up-to-$2.1 billion transaction for Synopsys’ Software Integrity Group and a $1.3 billion valuation for BioCatch, though those figures describe different kinds of deal value.

Cybersecurity acquisitions and agreements from May 1–15

Date Transaction and status Subsector Buyer type Reported value or consideration
May 1 Intel 471 acquired Cyborg Security Cyber threat intelligence and threat hunting Strategic acquirer No value stated
May 2 Permira agreed to acquire a majority stake in BioCatch Behavioral biometrics, digital-fraud and financial-crime prevention Private equity $1.3 billion valuation, as reported by CybersecurityHQ Dispatch in 2024; this is a valuation, not a stated purchase price
May 4 EQT agreed to acquire WSO2 API management and identity management Private equity More than $600 million, as reported by CybersecurityHQ Dispatch in 2024
May 7 Akamai announced a definitive agreement to acquire Noname Security API security Strategic acquirer Approximately $450 million, disclosed by Akamai Technologies in 2024
May 7 HelpSystems acquired Beyond Security Not stated in the transaction table Corporate acquirer Undisclosed, according to CybersecurityHQ Dispatch’s 2024 transaction table
May 7 Clearlake Capital and Francisco Partners acquired Synopsys’ Software Integrity Group Application and software security Private equity Up to $2.1 billion, as reported by CybersecurityHQ Dispatch in 2024
May 8 TELUS acquired Vumetric Cybersecurity Penetration testing Corporate acquirer Undisclosed, according to CybersecurityHQ Dispatch’s 2024 transaction table
May 13 Haveli Investments completed its acquisition of ZeroFox External cyber risk and digital-risk protection Private equity Stockholders were to receive $1.14 per share in cash, according to ZeroFox in 2024; no total transaction value is stated here

These entries include both completed acquisitions and announced or agreed transactions; the table distinguishes the status stated for each deal. The reported figures are not directly comparable: a valuation, an upper-bound figure, a purchase-price estimate and per-share consideration measure different things.

Strategic themes behind the deals

API security drew attention as attacks grew

The Akamai–Noname agreement paired an API-security specialist with a large platform provider. Akamai said the combined offering was intended to strengthen API discovery, vulnerability and attack detection, and deployment flexibility; more than 200 Noname employees were expected to join Akamai. Akamai executive Mani Sundaram said the company had seen “109% year over year growth in API attacks” in its own data. That figure is Akamai’s reported observation, not a universal measure of attack growth across the industry.

Threat intelligence and threat hunting moved closer together

Intel 471 framed Cyborg Security’s HUNTER Platform and threat-hunting capabilities as an addition to its cyber-threat-intelligence portfolio. The strategic logic is convergence: intelligence can help identify relevant threats, while hunting capabilities help organizations look for signs of those threats in their environments. Intel 471 CEO and co-founder Jason Passwaters said the acquisition would add Cyborg’s “innovative platform and approach to threat hunting” to its offerings. Cyborg Security was founded in 2019.

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Private-equity buyers spanned several security categories

Private-equity interest was not limited to one product niche. Across the reported transactions, sponsor-backed acquisitions and agreements covered fraud prevention, API and identity management, software integrity, and external cyber risk. The mix suggests that investors were looking at security businesses with distinct customer problems rather than making a single-category bet.

ZeroFox’s take-private changed its public-market status

Haveli Investments’ acquisition of ZeroFox was completed on May 13. ZeroFox said its common stock and warrants ceased trading and the company was delisted from Nasdaq. Its platform combined external attack-surface management, digital-risk and privacy protection, threat intelligence, and breach, incident and takedown response. CEO and founder James C. Foster said that “Re-entering the private sphere strengthens our ability to move faster than the competition and ultimately better protect our customers.”

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How to read the May deal count

SecurityWeek reported 28 cybersecurity deals for the full month of May 2024. That is a month-level total, not a count for May 1–15, and it should not be used as the first-half figure. The eight transactions listed here are the deals identified for the date range covered by this roundup, not a claim that every source counted the market identically.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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