November 12, 2024 at 03:39PM
CrowdStrike has acquired Israeli startup Adaptive Shield for approximately $300 million to enhance its security posture management capabilities. This acquisition will strengthen its Falcon platform by integrating SaaS application monitoring, improving identity protection, and offering tools to manage and secure identities against increasingly common identity-based attacks. Completion is expected by January 2025.
### Meeting Takeaways
**1. Acquisition Overview:**
– **CrowdStrike Acquires Adaptive Shield**:
– Deal valued at approximately **$300 million**, paid in cash and stock.
– Expected completion by **January 2025**.
– Adaptive Shield specializes in securing SaaS ecosystems against identity-based attacks.
**2. Adaptive Shield Insights:**
– Founded in **2019**.
– Supports over **150 SaaS applications** including Adobe, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Slack, and Zoom.
– Offers **Integration Builder**, a no-code tool for custom SaaS applications, along with monitoring for misconfigurations and identity threats.
**3. Competitive Landscape:**
– Analyst **Rik Turner** speculates whether this acquisition will prompt competitors (Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Sentinel One) to engage in similar acquisitions, especially given the active acquisition climate for cloud and data security posture management (DSPM) startups.
– This is CrowdStrike’s **third acquisition** in the security posture management sector within 18 months.
**4. Integration and Benefits to Falcon Platform:**
– CrowdStrike aims to enhance its **Falcon platform** by integrating Adaptive Shield, focusing on boosting protection against identity-based attacks.
– The integration will provide visibility into misconfigurations, privileges, and account activities, enhancing SaaS security posture management.
**5. Identity Protection Strategy:**
– CrowdStrike seeks to unify **identity protection** across the Falcon security platform, incorporating ISPM, CIEM, and ITDR into a single solution to tackle modern identity challenges.
– Future features to enhance **CrowdStrike Falcon Identity** are planned for rollout by **February 2025**, including integrations with AWS Identity Center, Okta, Google Workspace, and improved policy management.
**6. Rising Threat Landscape:**
– **Identity-based attacks** are increasingly common, with **80%** of breaches having an identity component, as per CrowdStrike’s findings.
– Notable examples of identity exploitation include attacks on MGM Resorts and Microsoft, showcasing the need for robust identity management solutions.
**7. Future Developments:**
– Enhancements under consideration include:
– Attack path detection across multiple identity providers in **2025**.
– Expanded integration capabilities and API for policy management.
### Conclusion:
CrowdStrike’s acquisition of Adaptive Shield is a strategic move to bolster its security offerings amid a growing demand for robust identity and SaaS security solutions. The integration aims to enhance the Falcon platform’s capabilities and address increasing identity attack vectors, positioning CrowdStrike as a leader in this crucial area of cybersecurity.