The news appeared yesterday that Sophos have acquired the developer of the highly regarded Hitman Pro anti malware tool. Was I suprised ? Not really but I look foward to the benefits of Hitman appearing in the Sophos Endpoint protection portfolio. I hope we will see this relatively soon as the threats to endpoints keep increasing !!

From the press release – some highlights

Based in Hengelo, the Netherlands, SurfRight has developed a portfolio of technologies that prevent, detect and remediate zero-day and sophisticated attacks by interrupting malware and advanced persistent threat (APT) vectors. SurfRight’s real time anti-exploit technology focuses on detecting and preventing the memory manipulations and abuses that allow malicious code to run in the first place. Generic prevention of exploits at this early stage in the attack chain is a key enhancement to endpoint security mechanisms and can help thwart malicious code in the processor and memory. The portfolio also includes anti-espionage technology and enhanced protection against ransomware attacks such as CryptoLocker.

Sophos will immediately work to integrate the SurfRight technology into its line of endpoint security solutions. Once the integration work has been completed, Sophos will make the technology acquired from SurfRight available via its global network of more than 15,000 channel partners.

SurfRight’s technology will also further enhance the effectiveness of Sophos’ , in which multiple components of security protection, including network security and endpoint security, communicate with each other. This innovative approach leads to faster threat detection and a dramatic reduction in the time and resources required to investigate and address security incidents.

Sophos will continue development and support for SurfRight’s existing product line including its popular , used by more than 20 million users worldwide. Sophos acquired SurfRight for a cash consideration of $31.8 million and will retain all SurfRight employees and the company’s office in Hengelo.