The innogy Innovation Hub, which identifies, funds, and mentors game-changing technologies and ideas, has closed a seed investment round in FirstPoint Mobile Guard (FirstPoint), global innovators in cellular Cybersecurity-as-a-Service. Financial terms were not disclosed.
FirstPoint’s network-level protection shields all cellular devices against hidden network vulnerabilities that stump security teams: IMSI catchers (fake base stations), malicious SMSs, location trackers, and other tactics that can steal sensitive communications and data.
This military-grade, proven Cybersecurity-as-a-Service detects, alerts, protects and deceives, without requiring user intervention to install or update anything. Organisations can also customise protection by defining and modifying policies per device, which cannot be achieved with other solutions.
FirstPoint’s solutions fill the cybersecurity gap faced by many security-sensitive organisations and individuals, including enterprises and global corporations looking to secure unprotected employee BYODs (Bring Your Own Device), business travelers requiring protection against surveillance and eavesdropping and governments and militaries safeguarding sensitive missions and other activities. As well as mobile devices, FirstPoint protects Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as connected cars, smart utilities and payment terminals, that are vulnerable to attack.
The funding provided by innogy Innovation Hub will enable FirstPoint to bring their products to market and expand in selected international markets and for additional use cases.
“According to the GSMA, there are more than nine billion cellular connections, including licensed cellular IoT, meaning there is an ongoing need to protect devices, ensuring that sensitive communications are not compromised,” said FirstPoint CEO and co-founder Prof. Dror Fixler, PhD. “Our definitive solution protects enterprise and security sensitive customers with a comprehensive management platform that safeguards devices by anonymising identities and misleading attackers. We developed FirstPoint with an eye toward providing the most comprehensive cybersecurity as a service available, while making it easy for both enterprises and employees to deploy, manage and use, without any user involvement. We update regularly against the latest network-level threats, ensuring protection 24/7.”
Dr Christof Kortz, Director Strategic Cyber Security Venturing at the innogy Innovation Hub, says: “In an increasingly decentralised and mobile enabled energy world, FirstPoint’s SaaS technology secures the reliable operation of a highly interlinked infrastructure with simple deployment. We are excited by the potential for their technology and look forward to supporting Dror and the team as they extend their cybersecurity-as-a-service to any future IoT application.”
The innogy Innovation Hub led the investment, joined by prominent private investors including previous round investors, the Stolero Group, Gideon Argov and an investment group that participated in Mobileye’s first funding round.
It has identified and blocked IMSI catchers, which trick cellular devices into choosing them as a cell tower. The catcher then gains access into devices, retrieves identities, eavesdrops and can perform an array of other malicious activities that compromise sensitive corporate and personal information. FirstPoint has identified and blocked IMSI catchers in 54 per cent of countries in an ongoing initiative.
FirstPoint’s mobile phone security solutions will become available in Q3 2019, in select locations, and will be offered in partnership with mobile network operators worldwide over the next quarters.
