As part of further strengthening its IoT security offerings, Microsoft has acquired ReFirm Labs for an undisclosed amount. Microsoft officials announced the deal on June 2, saying that the acquisition of ReFirm will “enhance chip-to-cloud protection” capabilities that Microsoft offers on the IoT front.
The addition of ReFirm Labs to Microsoft will bring both world-class expertise in firmware security and the Centrifuge firmware platform to enhance the company’s ability to analyze and help protect firmware backed by the power and speed of cloud.
ReFirm are the authors of the well-respected Binwalk open-source software, which has been used to analyze thousands of device types for firmware security issues, uncovering unpatched common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs), insecure secrets, and a multitude of other security problems in plugin IoT devices and embedded firmware.
(The ReFirm team introduced Binwalk Open Source in 2010 and founded Refirm Labs in 2017.) Its tagline for Binwalk Enterprise is “Find the holes in your device security before attackers do.” Microsoft is touting ReFirm as enabling it to better provide firmware analysis and security on intelligent edge devices, ranging from servers to IoT.
Microsoft already offers Azure Defender for IoT and recently acquired CyberX to help bolster IoT security. Microsoft officials said last June that CyberX’s technology would provide a complement to other Microsoft Azure IoT services, as well as products like Azure Sentinel in a way that will help identify threats that may span converged IT and operational technology (OT) networks.
ReFirm Labs will help to proactively address what is already becoming the next big attack surface, firmware. Together, will continue to provide innovation and value to Microsoft customers by helping them discover, monitor, and update all of their network-connected devices.
The technology and expertise that ReFirm brings will be an incredible addition to Microsoft and help Microsoft continue to deliver on its commitment to protecting from the chip to the cloud.
