Mandiant, a $4.5 billion cybersecurity firm best known for finding the SolarWinds attack, is apparently in negotiations with Google about a possible acquisition.
According to a storey in The Information, Google’s cloud computing division would benefit from the transaction, which does not yet have a price attached. Both Microsoft and the security firm are interested in purchasing the company.
Bids for Mandiant were due at the end of February, even though Google’s negotiations with the business may still fail. The purchase of Mandiant by Microsoft or Google is likely to draw the attention of competition authorities.
Founded in 2004, Mandiant is the brainchild of Kevin Mandia, a former United States Air Force commander. Forensic investigations and penetration testing are among the services the organisation provides to businesses as well as governments.
in 2013 for $1 billion, the cybersecurity firm FireEye purchased Mandiant to serve as its threat research arm. As a result of the private equity consortium’s acquisition of FireEye’s products segment, As a result of the transaction, Mandiant was left as the company’s only publicly listed asset.
FireEye’s predecessor, Mandiant, uncovered and publicised the SolarWinds breach in 2020, which allowed hackers to get access to a wide range of businesses and government agencies. Experts say that Mandiant has been the “go-to business that most law firms suggest to their corporate clients when they’re compromised” since then.
Antitrust authorities throughout the world are actively suing Google. As a result, regulators are expected to pay careful attention to the deal. Microsoft’s acquisition would almost certainly be scrutinised far more closely.
Merger could restrict competitors’ and customers’ access to Mandiant services and products, say antitrust regulators. Source