Cisco buys Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funded ThreatGRID

Cisco Hardware Quotes Call Toll Free 877-549-2680 or 828-277-7272

Brad Reese speaks out
Learn more about Brad Reese...
Archive

Aironet

Competitive Lab Tests

Cisco buys Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) funded ThreatGRID

"Dov Yoran, co-founder and CEO of ThreatGRID, an antimalware analysis platform that recently received In-Q-Tel funding, said the investment firm required a certain influence on the product road map. The funding ensures that the intelligence community not only gets the technology, but gets a product that is more refined for their needs, he said.

Hummelstown, PA: Sat, 5/24/14 - 11:59pm View comments

Update 5/30/2014 - 1:26pm:

"The connections between Cisco's new acquisition and U.S. intelligence are more than financial, they are familial..."

Network World: Cisco purchase of CIA-funded company may fuel distrust abroad

Update 5/27/2014:

"A Chinese state media outlet has sharply criticized the American network equipment maker Cisco Systems, saying it is complicit with United States cyberspying. Cisco denied the accusations."

New York Times: China Pulls Cisco Into Dispute on Cyberspying

Network World's star reporter Jim Duffy wrote this week:

Cisco to acquire malware prevention company

Cisco's head of corporate business development, Hilton Romanski, wrote this week:

Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire ThreatGRID

ThreatGrid cofounder and CEO Dov Yoran wrote this week:

I sold my startup to Cisco. Here's why

And finally ThreatGRID cofounder and CTO Dean De Beer wrote this week:

A New Chapter for ThreatGRID

So what wasn't written this week about Cisco's acquisition of ThreatGRID?

Well, what wasn't written this week is that ThreatGRID was funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, at least according to the following obscure reference that appeared 1-year ago in CRN:

CIA Investment Arm Has Its Sights -- And Money -- Set On Security Startups

"A publicly funded investment arm of the CIA has injected millions into the security industry, making strategic investments in companies that put its development requests to the front of the line, often giving the government's needs the highest priority.

"Investments made by Arlington, Va.-based In-Q-Tel have influenced almost every area of information security, from identity management and data analytics to vulnerability management and malware analysis.

"Government procurement cycles and technology adoption are tremendously long and slow, and to get something on a proper schedule can be extremely costly, which eliminates companies with limited resources, Yoran said.

"In-Q-Tel helps you break that government veil of being an outsider looking in, Yoran said. It benefits the company with not only larger exposure to potential clients, but real clients that are actually going to buy."

The CIA's most recent financial statement for In-Q-Tel (IQT) specifically states:

"Briefly describe the organization's mission or most significant activities...

"In-Q-Tel identifies and partners with companies to help deliver solutions to the Central Intelligence Agency and the broader U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) to further their missions."

It was only last week that Cisco CEO John Chambers wrote President Barack Obama to brag:

"As a matter of policy and practice since our inception, Cisco does not work with any government, including the United States Government, to weaken our products. Trust with our customers is paramount, and we do everything we can to earn that trust every day."

In what can only be described as a "Dilbert Moment," a mere 6-days later Cisco announced it would acquire the CIA funded ThreatGRID.

The website of the CIA's investment arm, In-Q-Tel (IQT), specifically states:

"While CIA remains our primary partner, IQT has broadened its scope in recent years to support other agencies within the IC, such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (DHS S&T). This expansion has allowed our partners to benefit from technology developments that are jointly funded, reducing risk and fostering better inter-agency information sharing and operations."

Perhaps the following praise of In-Q-Tel by CIA Director David Petraeus in a speech 2-years ago will help further the "trust" among Cisco's customers that appears to be so paramount to Cisco CEO John Chambers:

"I have boundless confidence in what the partnership between the CIA, our Intelligence Community colleagues, In-Q-Tel, and our partner companies can accomplish in helping us meet our global intelligence missions.

"In any event, our partnership with In-Q-Tel is essential to helping identify and deliver groundbreaking technologies with mission-critical applications to the CIA and to our partner agencies.

"We don't necessarily ask you to be diabolical—you can leave that to us—but your creativity is vital. So, again, I truly appreciate the opportunity to be here with you today for this exchange of ideas, and I appreciate you all being here for the annual In-Q-Tel gathering."

Related documents:

CIA: Remarks by Director David H. Petraeus at In-Q-Tel CEO Summit

CIA's In-Q-Tel Financial Statement - 2011

CIA's In-Q-Tel Financial Statement - 2010

CIA's In-Q-Tel Financial Statement - 2009

New York Times: China Pulls Cisco Into Dispute on Cyberspying

CRN: CIA Investment Arm Has Its Sights -- And Money -- Set On Security Startups

Network World: Cisco to acquire malware prevention company

CNNMoney: I sold my startup to Cisco. Here's why

ThreatGrid: A New Chapter for ThreatGRID

Cisco: Cisco Announces Intent to Acquire ThreatGRID

Cisco CEO John Chambers sends letter to President Barack Obama seeking NSA reform