Varonis Acquires Email Security Provider SlashNext to Enhance BEC Defenses

According to Yaki Faitelson, Varonis has acquired email security provider SlashNext to enhance BEC defenses and plans to integrate its advanced phishing protection into the Varonis Data Security Platform. The deal combines the two companies to provide protections for phishing and AI-generated attacks across email, SMS and chat services such as Slack, Teams, Zoom and WhatsApp.

SlashNext deploys predictive AI models and technologies like computer vision and natural language processing to identify and block phishing and social engineering attacks, with The Tolly Group citing 99% overall detection accuracy and a 100% detection rate for business email compromise and QR code attacks. Varonis’ CFO and COO Guy Melamed says SlashNext is a best-in-class offering and that the BEC protections will be integrated during the fourth quarter of this year.

Prior to the acquisition, Varonis had added basic email monitoring capabilities to its DSPM offering. The cash and stock deal is valued at up to $150 million, depending on how many SlashNext employees Varonis retains, with most of the 100 UK-based staff.