Cybersecurity News

From manufacturing to banking and software development to ride hailing — none of it can happen without the proper security in place to protect it from hackers, bad actors and other threats, both internal and external.

Welcome to Crunchbase News’ page dedicated to all things cybersecurity — bringing together cyber news concerning startups, venture capital, funding, new technologies and trends old and new. 

Latest Articles

Dec 10, 2024 · 3 min read

Venture Dollars Pour Into The Intersection Of AI And Cybersecurity

Thus far this year, VC-backed AI cybersecurity startups have raised more than $2.6 billion, per Crunchbase data. That nearly triples the slightly more than $900 million such startups raised all of last year in almost the same number of deals.
Dec 09, 2024 · 3 min read

These Were The Winners And Losers In A Boring Year For Startup IPOs

Dec 06, 2024 · 4 min read

The Week’s Biggest Funding Rounds: Tenstorrent And Nuvig Top List

Dec 06, 2024 · 3 min read

Most-Active US Investors In November: a16z, General Catalyst And Sequoia Lead Quiet Month

Dec 05, 2024 · 3 min read

How CISOs Are Spending Their New Budgets

Dec 05, 2024 · 5 min read

The 10 Biggest Rounds Of November: xAI And Anthropic Raise Billions Again

Nov 25, 2024 · 2 min read

Anti-Ransomware Startup Halcyon Reaches Unicorn Status After $100M Series C

Nov 22, 2024 · 4 min read

The Week’s Biggest Funding Rounds: xAI And Anthropic Headline Big Week For AI (Again)

Nov 22, 2024 · 4 min read

Among Biggest Startup Funding States, California Gains While Massachusetts Declines

Nov 20, 2024 · 2 min read

Data Security Startup Cyera More Than Doubles Value To $3B In 7 Months

Nov 08, 2024 · 3 min read

Most-Active US Investors In October: Andreessen Horowitz Takes Top Spot Again

Nov 05, 2024 · 4 min read

Fewer Small And Midsize Venture Funds Are Closing This Year

Nov 01, 2024 · 5 min read

The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Crusoe Energy, Insider And Biotech Raise Big

Oct 28, 2024 · 1 min read

Cyber Startup Armis Security Raises $200M At $4.2B Valuation

Oct 24, 2024 · 3 min read

Even With Venture Slowdown, Megadeals Grow

Oct 17, 2024 · 2 min read

Data Security Startup Cyera Buys Trail Security In Tepid M&A Market

Oct 10, 2024 · 4 min read

Cybersecurity Funding Plummets 51% In Q3

Oct 02, 2024 · 4 min read

GV, Salesforce Ventures Top Corporate Venture In Leading Investments

Sep 27, 2024 · 4 min read

The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Zing Health And Whatfix Head Up Slow Week

Sep 27, 2024 · 4 min read

Startup M&A Trends Higher As PE Leads, But Remains Sluggish Compared To Earlier Years

Sep 20, 2024 · 4 min read

The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: Greentech And Biotech See $200M Raises

Sep 19, 2024 · 3 min read

Eye On AI: Thrive Capital’s Busy Year

Sep 16, 2024 · 2 min read

Salesforce Ventures Doubles Down Again On AI

Sep 16, 2024 · 4 min read

Startup Buying Power — VC-Backed Companies Are Hunting For More Startups

Sep 12, 2024 · 2 min read

Mastercard Buys Insight Partners’ Recorded Future For $2.65B

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity refers to the practice of protecting computers, networks and data from unauthorized access, damage or theft. It involves keeping private and sensitive information — everything from passwords to consumers’ personal information, to private company financial details and intellectual property — safe from hackers, bots, viruses and other threats. 

Overall, cybersecurity practices aim to create a secure digital environment by proactively identifying and addressing vulnerabilities, monitoring for potential threats, and responding swiftly to mitigate risks. 

What are some specific cybersecurity tools and strategies?

Cybersecurity approaches constantly evolve to respond to new types of threats, but broadly include:

  • Network security: Implementing firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and other mechanisms to protect networks from unauthorized access and malicious activities.
  • Application security: Ensuring that software applications are designed, developed and maintained with security in mind to prevent vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
  • Data protection: Encrypting sensitive data, establishing access controls, and implementing secure backup and recovery procedures to safeguard information.
  • Identity and access management: Employing authentication and authorization mechanisms to verify users’ identities and control their access to systems and data.
  • Incident response: Developing plans and processes to detect, respond to and recover from security incidents effectively to minimize potential damages.
  • Security awareness and training: Educating users about best practices, potential risks, and how to recognize and respond to security threats.
  • Vulnerability management: Regularly scanning systems for vulnerabilities, applying security patches, and keeping software and hardware up to date.
  • Security auditing and compliance: Conducting regular audits and assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of security controls and ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards.

 

What are the biggest cybersecurity companies?

The largest companies that offer cybersecurity services include, among others:

  • Palo Alto Networks — specializes in network security and offers firewall and intrusion prevention systems.
  • Fortinet — known for network security appliances and provides firewall, VPN, antivirus, intrusion prevention and endpoint security services.
  • CrowdStrike — a company known for its endpoint protection platform, which includes antivirus, threat intelligence and incident response technology.
  • CloudFlare — with technology that aims to help websites load faster and stay safe from online threats through services such as DDoS protection, web application firewalls and SSL/TLS encryption.
  • Cisco Systems — offers network security, cloud security and endpoint protection technologies.
  • Zscaler — provides cloud-based security services including secure web gateways, firewall as a service and data loss prevention.
  • McAfee — offers a suite of cybersecurity services including antivirus software, network security, data protection and threat intelligence.
  • Okta — operates an identity and access management platform that helps organizations manage and control user authentication, authorization and access to applications. 
  • Check Point Software Technologies — offers cybersecurity products including firewalls, network security appliances, endpoint security and threat intelligence services. 
  • Trend Micro — specializes in endpoint security, cloud security and network defense services.

What are examples of cybersecurity unicorn startups?

Cybersecurity companies on The Crunchbase Unicorn Board as of mid-2023 include:

  • Wiz — offers an automated cloud security platform to help businesses identify and remediate security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations within their cloud infrastructure.
  • Tanium — provider of endpoint security and management services for organizations.
  • Lacework — specializes in automated threat detection, compliance monitoring and anomaly detection for cloud computing environments.
  • Fireblocks — offers a digital asset custody and transfer platform designed to help organizations safeguard and manage digital assets including cryptocurrencies.
  • Netskope — makes tools to monitor and safeguard against threats to cloud services, applications and data.
  • Snyke — a platform that helps software developers identify and fix vulnerabilities in open-source code and containers.
  • 1Password — provides a password manager and digital vault for consumers and businesses to securely store, generate and manage their passwords and other sensitive information.
  • OneTrust — a privacy management platform for organizations to manage and demonstrate compliance with data privacy regulations, conduct assessments and implement data governance practices.
  • Coalition — provides risk management, insurance and incident response services for businesses to protect against cyber threats and recover from cyber incidents.
  • SonarSource — provides tools for code analysis and inspection to help software developers spot and fix vulnerabilities in computing code.

What are the biggest cybersecurity trends?

The biggest cybersecurity trends in 2022 and 2023 include technologies focused on identity and authentication, data and privacy, governance, network security, and innovations around securing financial services and cryptocurrencies. 

Expect more emphasis to be placed on security’s role in protecting data and proprietary information used in AI modeling.

How much venture funding has gone to cybersecurity?

Venture capital in cybersecurity hit a record high in 2021 — like it did in many industries — but last year saw it come back down to Earth. Funding to cybersecurity startups dropped by a third in 2022, according to Crunchbase data

While 2021 saw a record $22.8 billion roll into startups in the cybersecurity sector, that number fell to $15.3 billion last year. Still, the 2022 venture total represents a 68% increase from 2020 — which until 2021 was the high-water mark for venture funding in the industry.

What is the state of the cybersecurity jobs market?

The cybersecurity jobs market is robust. As cyber threats have proliferated, so have jobs in the cybersecurity industry.

In the private sector, that includes roles at cybersecurity startups and public companies; governments around the world have also staffed up their cyber defense units to combat cyber crime and national security threats. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the job market for information security analysts will grow 35% between 2021 and 2031, with about 19,500 new job openings in the sector added each year — a much faster growth rate than the overall job market. Information security analysts in the U.S. earn on average $102,600 per year, according to the BLS.

Where can I read cybersecurity industry news?

All of Crunchbase News’ cybersecurity articles are added to this page as we report them.