Cyber Intelligence Firm Intsights Raises $17 Million

Israel-born startup Intsights Cyber Intelligence has raised $17 million in a Series C funding round led by Tola Capital. It brings the total capital raised by the firm to $41.3 million ($1.8 million seed funding in 2015; $7.5 million Series A in 2016; and $15 million Series B in 2017).  "This new round of funding," commented CEO Guy Nizan, "will fuel further investment in our cyber reconnaissance capability and global expansion, allowing us to bring the power of tailored intelligence to enterprises around the globe." The firm was founded in Israel in 2015 by Alon Arvatz, Gal Ben David, Guy Nizan. All three are veterans of the elite cyber-warfare and intelligence services of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Intsights is now headquartered in New York, NY. Intsights Cyber Intelligence is predicated on the idea that effective defense begins before an attack is launched. By definition, most traditional security controls are reactive. They attempt to recognize an attack at the perimeter and block it, or an existing incursion and mitigate it. But also by definition, reactive controls are after the event: the attack is in progress or has already succeeded. Intsights seeks to be proactive -- to recognize and mitigate an attack before it occurs. It does this by crawling both the surface and dark web looking for indications that an attack is being planned by a hacker or criminal gang. Clues can include actions like scouting targets, using suspicious tools, and collaborating with other hackers on underground forums. The Intsights platform then goes further by integrating with many of the most popular security controls, automatically updating the security infrastructure to block or mitigate the budding attacks it discovers.