Local software development firm HelpSystems announced Wednesday that it has acquired Cobalt Strike, a penetration-testing solution that enables companies to emulate the tactics of hackers to identify security weaknesses.
Cobalt Strike is a product developed by Strategic Cyber LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based company that creates software for penetration testers. After the acquisition, Cobalt will work alongside Core Security, a HelpSystems company.
"With the acquisition of Cobalt Strike, we can now provide testers with a greater arsenal to test their environments and validate their security practices," Core Security General Manager Brian Wenngatz said in a statment. "Thousands of security testers rely on the cutting-edge security capabilites of Cobalt Strike and we are thrilled to add such an excellent company."
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cobalt Strike creater Raphael Mudge will continue to provide strategic insight and "educate the market as a voice within Core Security," the company said.
"This is a big step for Cobalt Strike and its customers," Mudge said in a release. "I'm excited about the collaboration with Core Security, the resources available to innovate and the real security impacts we can achieve through continued leadership in the pen-testing market."
HelpSystems, owned by Palo Alto, Calif.-based equity investment firm HGGC, has now made a total of 18 acquisitions, according to Crunchbase. Most recently, the Eden Prairie-based tech company scooped up Clearswift, a UK-based cybersecurity company.
