CipherTrust

CipherTrust was an anti-spam and email-security software company headquartered in Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, with offices in multiple locations around the world. The company was cofounded by Jay Chaudhry and Lawrence Hughes, both of whom had previously been associated with SecureIT. Its products addressed the growing problem of unsolicited commercial email, malicious or compromised Internet hosts, data leakage through business communications, and security risks associated with electronic messaging. The company's best-known product was IronMail, a gateway appliance designed to protect organizational email traffic. IronMail combined email-security functions with controls intended to prevent sensitive information from leaving an organization through email-related or Web-based transfer channels, including HTTP and FTP transfers initiated through email applications. CipherTrust later expanded its messaging-security portfolio with IronIM, a product aimed at securing instant messaging communications. A central part of CipherTrust's technology portfolio was TrustedSource, a reputation system that assigned reputation information to Internet identities and digital content. The system could be used to evaluate IP addresses, URLs, domains, and email or Web content. CipherTrust also monitored zombie computers, which were an important source of spam and could be used in distributed malicious activity. TrustedSource became integrated into the company's broader product offering and was identified as a significant factor in CipherTrust's strategic value to a larger security vendor. CipherTrust also had visibility in the technical and policy discussions surrounding spam. Its chief technology officer, Paul Judge, chaired the Anti-Spam Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force, according to the company's Wikipedia record. This placed the company in the ecosystem of vendors, researchers, and standards-oriented groups attempting to improve the identification and control of unsolicited email. In August 2006, Secure Computing Corporation acquired CipherTrust's shares for approximately US$273.6 million. CipherTrust subsequently operated as part of Secure Computing, while its previously distinctive technologies continued to be offered by the acquiring company. Secure Computing was acquired by McAfee in 2008. As a result of these transactions, CipherTrust ceased to exist as an independent company, although technologies associated with its products and TrustedSource reputation capabilities continued within successor security portfolios.

CipherTrust emerged as a specialist security company focused on the operational problems created by spam, unsafe electronic messaging, and compromised Internet infrastructure. It was cofounded by Jay Chaudhry and Lawrence Hughes, who had previously worked with SecureIT. The company established its headquarters in Alpharetta, Georgia, and operated with offices around the world. Its principal commercial offering was IronMail, a gateway appliance for protecting organizational email environments. The product was designed to block or manage unwanted email and to help prevent information leakage through communications-related transfers, including HTTP and FTP activity associated with email applications. CipherTrust extended this product direction with IronIM, which addressed security for instant messaging. CipherTrust's technology strategy also relied on reputation intelligence. The company developed TrustedSource, a system that produced reputation scores for Internet identities and content categories such as IP addresses, URLs, domains, and email or Web content. The system helped security products distinguish trustworthy sources from sources associated with spam or other undesirable activity. CipherTrust additionally tracked zombie computers, which were described as a major source of spam. TrustedSource was incorporated across the company's products and became one of the principal reasons the business attracted acquisition interest. The company participated in the wider anti-spam research community. Paul Judge, its chief technology officer, chaired the Anti-Spam Research Group of the Internet Research Task Force, linking CipherTrust's commercial work with broader technical research into spam detection and mitigation. In August 2006, Secure Computing Corporation bought CipherTrust's shares for approximately US$273.6 million. Following the transaction, CipherTrust was no longer an independent company, although Secure Computing continued to offer technologies that had previously been associated with CipherTrust. Secure Computing was later acquired by McAfee in 2008. These transactions ended CipherTrust's independent corporate history while carrying elements of its technology into successor security businesses.

• 2008

  Secure Computing was acquired by McAfee

  [1]CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org

  McAfee acquired Secure Computing, indirectly bringing CipherTrust's former technology portfolio into McAfee.

• 2006

  Acquisition by Secure Computing

  [1]CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org

  Secure Computing acquired CipherTrust's shares for approximately US$273.6 million.

• CipherTrust was established

  [1]CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org

  Jay Chaudhry and Lawrence Hughes cofounded CipherTrust after previously working with SecureIT.

• IronMail became the principal product

  [1]CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org

  CipherTrust developed IronMail as a gateway appliance for anti-spam, email protection, and communications-related data-loss controls.

• TrustedSource was developed

  [1]CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org

  CipherTrust created TrustedSource to provide reputation scores for Internet identities and email or Web content.

CipherTrust positioned itself as a specialist provider of anti-spam, secure-messaging, and Internet-reputation technology for organizations seeking to protect communications and reduce unwanted or malicious traffic.

• Email-security gateway appliance

  IronMail

  IronMail was CipherTrust's principal product. It operated as a gateway appliance for protecting organizational email traffic and addressing spam and related communications risks. The product also included controls intended to prevent information leakage through HTTP or FTP transfers associated with email applications, making it broader than a basic spam-filtering tool.

• Instant-messaging security

  IronIM

  IronIM was CipherTrust's product for securing instant messaging. It represented the company's expansion from email protection into another real-time business-communications channel, applying CipherTrust's security focus to instant-messaging traffic and organizational messaging controls.

• Internet reputation system

  TrustedSource

  TrustedSource was a reputation system developed by CipherTrust to assess Internet identities and digital content. It provided reputation information for IP addresses, URLs, domains, and email or Web content. CipherTrust integrated the system into its products, and its reputation-data capabilities became a major part of the company's strategic value during the Secure Computing acquisition.

• 2008

  CipherTrust technology moved into McAfee through Secure ComputingM&A

  Background

  CipherTrust had already become part of Secure Computing after the 2006 acquisition.

  Action taken

  McAfee acquired Secure Computing Corporation.

  Aftermath

  CipherTrust no longer existed as an independent company, and elements of its technology became associated with McAfee's successor security portfolio.

  Source

• 2006

  CipherTrust accepted acquisition by Secure ComputingM&A

  Background

  CipherTrust had developed a portfolio centered on anti-spam, secure messaging, and Internet-reputation technology, including TrustedSource.

  Action taken

  Secure Computing acquired CipherTrust's shares in August 2006 for approximately US$273.6 million.

  Aftermath

  CipherTrust became part of Secure Computing, while its previously exclusive technologies continued to be offered by the acquiring company.

  Acquisition consideration. US$273.6 million (August 2006)

  Source

1. 1CipherTrusten.wikipedia.org