Microsoft hopes to beef
up its security capabilities with the acquisition of Komoku,
a developer of rootkit detection products, announced on Thursday.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Microsoft plans to add Komoku's technology into its Forefront and Windows Live
OneCare products. Forefront
is Microsoft's suite of enterprise security software that includes malware protection
for PCs, security tools for Exchange and SharePoint servers, and gateways that
secure remote access to corporate data.
OneCare
is a package of security software for PC users that scans for viruses and spyware,
backs up files and helps with network management.
Komoku, a Maryland company founded in 2004, develops products that detect rootkits,
malicious software that can take control of a computer in a way that often evades
detection by other antimalware software. The company has served organizations
with high security requirements, such as the Department of Homeland Security,
the Department of Defense and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
As part of the deal, Microsoft will hire William A. Arbaugh, the president
and CTO of Komoku, who is also an associate professor of computer science at
the University of Maryland. He spent many years working at the National Security
Agency where he did research in information security and networking.
Microsoft's statement said that the majority of Komoku's staff will join Microsoft's
Access and Security Division. Komoku's simple Web
site calls the company a small business and lists three workers, including
Arbaugh.
Microsoft doesn't plan to keep the Komoku name or product line. The deal was
completed on Wednesday.
