Linux servers are getting a welcome security upgrade

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Cybersecurity firm Sophos has acquired Linux security vendor Capsule8 in a bid to extend its protection cover to Linux servers.

Capsule8 offers a threat detection platform for securing Linux production environments across bare-metal and virtualized servers, as well as containers, whether deployed on-premise or in the cloud.

Acquired for an unknown sum, Sophos intends to integrate Capsule8’s protection platform into its Adaptive Cybersecurity Ecosystem (ACE) platform. 

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“As more organizations shift to Linux servers, adversaries have noticed, and they are adapting and customizing their approaches to attack these systems. To stay protected, organizations must factor in a strong, but lightweight layer of Linux security that automatically integrates and shares intelligence with endpoint, network and other security layers and platforms within an estate,” said Sophos’ chief product officer, Dan Schiappa.

Securing Linux servers

Sophos leans on insights provided by its research arm SophosLabs, to suggest that adversaries are increasingly designing tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) to specifically target Linux systems, for all kinds of malicious activities from cryptomining to ransomware.

“Attackers today are incredibly aggressive and nimble as they adapt their TTPs to focus on the easiest, largest or fastest-growing opportunities,” reasons Schiappa. 

The combination will enable Sophos to offer a one-stop solution to help businesses protect their Windows and Linux infrastructure, enabling them to better optimize their resources.

He adds that besides ACE, Sophos will also integrate the Capsule8 security platform with the rest of Sophos’ security portfolio, including its extended detection and response (XDR) solutions, the Intercept X server protection tools, and Sophos managed threat response (MTR) and rapid response services.

Sophos expects to make the combined Sophos and Capsule8 products available to its easy access customers later in the year.

Mayank Sharma

With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’s TechRadar Pro’s expert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.

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