AI-Based Cyber Defense Funding: Darktrace Raises $50 Million -

Artificial intelligence-based cybersecurity firm Darktrace has raised $50 million in a Series E funding round at a $1.65 billion valuation, according to a prepared statement. Darktrace intends to use the funding to drive international expansion and development.

Furthermore, Darktrace has grown its employee headcount by 60 percent in the last 12 months and has over 750 employees worldwide, the company said. It also has opened eight new offices, tripled the size of its Asian headquarters and expanded its British research and development center in the last year.

In addition to its Series E funding, Darktrace this month announced a new version of its Antigena AI-powered autonomous response technology.

The Antigena version 2 release includes a variety of new features, including:

Autonomous response for cloud, network and email attacks.

Email module that blocks threats at entry points.

Orchestration with various firewalls and switches.

Antigena today is used to identify cyber threats in over 7,000 networks, Darktrace said. It has been deployed by organizations in 105 countries.

A Closer Look at Antigena

Organizations can use Antigena to take action against in-progress cyberattacks, according to Darktrace. By doing so, organizations can limit damage and stop these attacks in real time.

Antigena responds to a cyberattack within 2 seconds of initial detection and blocks an average of seven cyber threats per minute, Darktrace indicated. It also helps security analysts save an average of 10 hours per week, resulting in increased productivity.

What Is Darktrace?

Darktrace offers products built on its Enterprise Immune System (EIS) technology, which provides organizations with AI-based cyber threat detection, response and remediation. The company today delivers many EIS-based cybersecurity products, including:

Darktrace Cloud: Offers real-time threat detection and visibility in Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and other cloud environments.

Darktrace Enterprise: Combines real-time threat detection, network visualization and advanced investigation capabilities into a single unified system.

Darktrace Industrial: Provides real-time visibility across industrial and enterprise networks.

Darktrace SaaS: Uses self-learning technology to identify developing threats and anomalous behavior in software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.

Darktrace also offers the Darktrace Partner Program for MSSPs, value-added resellers (VARs) and other technology resellers. This program enables Darktrace partners to deliver EIS-based offerings to organizations worldwide.