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CrowdStrike, a leader in cybersecurityCybersecurity solutions are essential in the modern era… in the cloud, today announced the acquisition of Adaptive Shield, a company recognized for its SaaS security solution. With this purchase, made during the Fal.Con Europe conference in Amsterdam, CrowdStrike strengthens its position as the only cybersecurity company providing comprehensive protection against identity-based attacks in hybrid environments, covering everything from on-premises Active Directory to SaaS applications and cloud identity providers.
George Kurtz, CEO and co-founder of CrowdStrike, emphasized the importance of this acquisition in a context where the growth of SaaS and AI adds complexity to account and configuration management, creating vulnerabilities that attackers exploit. “With the acquisition of Adaptive Shield, we continue to set the standard for identity-based protection in cloud environments, offering best-in-class SaaS protection from our Falcon platform,” noted Kurtz.
Growth of Identity-Based Attacks and the Rise of SaaS
The proliferation of SaaS services has significantly expanded the attack surface, with each application generating potential entry points. In the past year, cloud exploitation cases increased by 110%, and 75% of initial attacks were malware-free, highlighting the sophistication of cybercriminals. According to IDC, SaaS is the largest category in cloud computing, accounting for over 40% of all public cloud investment.
Configuring and managing identities across hundreds of SaaS applications presents a challenge for cybersecurity teams. This has prompted companies to seek solutions that allow them to maintain consistent visibility and control, protecting sensitive data and preventing security breaches.
Integration of Adaptive Shield into Falcon: Key Benefits for SaaS Security
By integrating into the Falcon platform, Adaptive Shield brings advanced security management and protection capabilities for SaaS (SSPM). Key benefits of this integration include:
- Comprehensive SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM): Organizations will gain full visibility into configurations, permissions, and identity activity—both human and automated—across more than 150 SaaS applications. This will facilitate rapid detection and response in the cloud, providing a holistic view of the entire hybrid environment.
- Control of Generative AI Applications (GenAI): Adaptive Shield continuously monitors AI applications, adjusting configurations to prevent data leakage, identifying unauthorized AI applications, and revoking high-risk access.
- Unified Protection of Hybrid and Cloud Identities: The combination of Adaptive Shield with CrowdStrike Falcon Identity Protection delivers comprehensive security in SaaS environments, on-premises Active Directory, and cloud-based identity platforms such as Okta and Microsoft Entra ID.
- Accelerated Detection and Response: Adaptive Shield integrates with CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM, enhancing detection and response capabilities across various security domains, including endpoints, identities, and applications.
Maor Bin, CEO and co-founder of Adaptive Shield, highlighted the significance of this partnership in addressing the challenges posed by the growth of SaaS and the dispersal of security controls. “Our goal of stopping security breaches in SaaS aligns perfectly with CrowdStrike, accelerating the consolidation of the most comprehensive cybersecurity platform,” Bin stated.
Challenges and Considerations in the Integration of Adaptive Shield
The acquisition, which will be predominantly financed in cash with a portion in stock, is expected to close in CrowdStrike’s fourth fiscal quarter, subject to customary closing conditions. With Adaptive Shield integrated, CrowdStrike will bolster its response capabilities against current threats, in an environment where organizations face an increasing number of cloud and identity-based attack vectors.
This acquisition marks a milestone in CrowdStrike’s strategy to consolidate its Falcon Platform as a comprehensive solution to protect not only endpoints but the entire cloud workspace, including identities, workloads, and applications.
Why is SaaS Security Now a Priority?
The mass adoption of SaaS exposes companies to new and complex risks. In the shared responsibility model, SaaS providers implement basic security controls, but the responsibility for managing configurations and access lies with the organizations. This compels security teams to implement solutions that protect information in applications that are beyond their direct control.
Consequently, companies face multiple challenges:
- Visibility and Control: Maintaining a clear record of who has access to what, with what permissions, and whether such access is appropriate.
- Protection of Sensitive Data: Configuring and monitoring the exposure of confidential information, as any breach in configuration can compromise critical data.
- Resilience Against AI and SaaS: Generative AI adds a layer of complexity, as applications integrating AI may process and expose data in ways that are not always controlled. Adaptive Shield’s solution detects deviations and ensures that data remains protected.
CrowdStrike and Adaptive Shield: A Partnership for the Future of Cybersecurity
With the inclusion of Adaptive Shield in its platform, CrowdStrike becomes the first provider to offer truly comprehensive protection for SaaS environments and identity management. This represents a fundamental step in protecting against identity-based attacks, especially in the context of a world where attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and malware-free.
In a global landscape where hybrid environments and cloud applications are expanding, this acquisition positions CrowdStrike at the forefront of cybersecurity, with solutions designed to provide end-to-end security and facilitate the management of an increasingly complex ecosystem.
For more information about Adaptive Shield and CrowdStrike, visit their official website and discover how this acquisition marks a shift in the protection of identities and data in SaaS and cloud environments.