Forcepoint highlights human-centric security focus with RedOwl acquisition

Forcepoint has strengthened its cybersecurity portfolio by acquiring RedOwl, a company specialising in security analysis for managing human risk

Security vendor Forcepoint says its latest acquisition, RedOwl, fits squarely into its "human-centric" security vision.

The security analytics specialist is the latest addition to Forcepoint's portfolio, following its 2016 gobble of Stonesoft next-generation McAfee firewall, and Sidewinder proxy firewall technologies from Intel Security.

Founded in 2011, RedOwl specialises in user and identity behaviour analytics (UEBA). Its analytics platform learns the behaviour of users, groups and devices to establish baselines that adapt over time - such as the location of logins and which privileges users have - before detecting unusual behaviour that deviates from these baselines.

"If the cybersecurity industry fails to put people at the centre, it is certain to fall short in helping customers protect their most vital assets," said Forcepoint CEO Matthew Moynahan.

"Forcepoint is absolutely committed to empowering customers with human-centric security systems, and RedOwl fits squarely into this promise."

RedOwl's last round of funding of $17m (£13.1m) was secured in 2015, led by lead investor Blackstone. To date, RedOwl has raised $21.6m in venture capital funding.

Forcepoint was itself acquired in 2015, when it was still known as Websense, by US defence contractor Raytheon. The company was subsequently rebranded in January 2016.

RedOwl claims that common types of attacks it has been able to flag up include privilege escalation and credential abuse attacks.

"There is a tremendous amount of value from detecting unintentional or simply negligent behaviours, which is a greatly under-resourced effort in the security posture of most organisations," said RedOwl CEO Guy Filippelli.