Varonis has announced plans to acquire SlashNext, an AI-native email security vendor that specializes in phishing and social engineering detection.
Founded in 2017 by Atif Mushtaq, one of the main architects behind FireEye’s malware detection technology, SlashNext uses AI to defend organizations from multi-channel phishing attacks.
The solution will be integrated into Varonis’ Data Security Platform to enable advanced protection against AI-generated threats sent via email, SMS, and messaging services such as WhatsApp, Slack, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams.
By combining the two offerings, Varonis said it is aiming to deliver a comprehensive platform capable of thwarting threats long before their data is impacted.
Terms of the transaction were not disclosed in the company’s announcement but reports suggest the deal could total up to $150 million.
Commenting on the agreement, Varonis co-founder and CEO Yaki Faitelson described the acquisition as a “natural evolution” of the company’s platform, with the move set to “significantly expand” its total addressable market.
“By connecting the dots between email, identity, and data we will dramatically increase the value of our MDDR service and help customers stop threats in their inbox, where many data breaches begin,” he said.
Varonis eyes email security gains
SlashNext leverages predictive AI models that use techniques such as computer vision, natural language processing, and virtual browsers to protect users against attacks across communication and collaboration platforms.
The technology identifies characteristics in tone and style to reveal the intent and motive of the attacker before training itself on the core threat as well as possible variations that it self-generates.
In an independent test of cloud security vendors conducted by The Tolly Group back in 2024, SlashNext was found to demonstrate the highest overall detection accuracy (99%) when compared with its market competitors, and scored a perfect 100% detection rate for business email compromise (BEC) and QR code attacks.
“At SlashNext, we built a fast, automated solution to stop advanced threats across communication channels,” commented Atif Mushtaq, SlashNext’s founder and CPO.
“I’m excited to join the Varonis team on their mission to protect the world’s data, giving customers end-to-end protection from the first point of attack to the last."
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