Varonis’s AI Powered Bet On The Future Of Cyber Defense

Ranging from Business Email Compromise (BEC) to weaponized QR codes, even in this age of futuristic technology, E-Mail still remains the weakest and most important attack vector for cyber criminals. Varonis’s acquisition of SlashNext emphasizes how important this avenue is. 

A Fitting Strategy

Varonis Systems’ acquisition of SlashNext, is a fitting move in response to the evolving nature of cyber attacks. With AI sweeping into every field, attackers are also shifting towards more sophisticated AI social engineering and with this acquisition Varonis is fighting fire with fire. Also, this is not their first move in the direction, in March Varonis acquired Cyral, a company specializing in database activity monitoring. 

E-Mail phishing is not the same old Nigerian Prince Scam anymore, it has evolved with the modern world. In this way acquiring an AI integrated cyber defense (SlashNext) for a $150 million dollar cash-and-stock deal, is a fitting response by Varonis. 

The SlashNext Significance

SlashNext’s AI-driven detection stack is what defines the company’s distinction against AI-powered and sophisticated cyber breaches. The company identifies phishing attempts with an exceptional general accuracy of 99% and 100% against BEC and QR code attacks. The strategy to achieve this feat is through adequate deployment of computer vision, natural language processing, and even virtual browsers. 

The staggering number validates this acquisition beyond any marketing move. SlashNext has a noticeable number of clientele including Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, and Zoom, that are already taking the company’s services to counter the phishing attempts. 

The Numbers At Play

The number game is an interesting part of the deal as well. Sure, Varonis has acquired SlashNext for securing their E-Mail security and confidential information, but in the corporate world, no move is taken without running the numbers. 

Varonis is playing a punt on a long term game. E-Mail security is projected to take a leap of more than 2x from $5.2 billion to $13.22 Billion by the end of 2032. Hence, the SlashNet deal is more than just a future upgrade, it’s also a market foresight. 

As remote work becomes more common and generative AI lowers the barrier for complex phishing, the demand for a rock-solid E-Mail defense would skyrocket.  In other words, Varonis is making sure that when this surge wave comes, they ride it rather than scrambling to catch after it. 

With this established, that AI is now both a weapon and the shield, Varonis is not just buying another forward looking technology, they’re making a move to stay ahead of the game by predicting and not reacting to both the more sophisticated cyber attacks and the forthcoming surge in the demand of E-Mail security.