Microsoft acquires IoT security provider ReFirm Labs

Microsoft announced this morning that it has acquired ReFirm Labs, a US-based provider of IoT security solutions, for an undisclosed amount. The company is known for developing new methods for detecting security flaws in IoT devices, and its Binwalk (formerly Centrifuge) platform has become a popular tool for extracting firmware.

Microsoft plans to use ReFirm Labs’ expertise to bolster its Azure Defender for IoT platform, which helps secure customers from the chip to the cloud at a time where attacks against cloud-connected devices are on the rise. In a recent survey of 1,000 security decision-makers commissioned by Microsoft, 83% of them had experienced some level of firmware security incident, but only 29% were allocating resources to address firmware security issues.

“ReFirm’s firmware analysis technology will advance Microsoft’s existing capabilities to help secure IoT and OT devices via Azure Defender for IoT which was recently enhanced with technology from our acquisition of CyberX. Together, we will provide device builders and customers the ability to both discover, protect, and assess device risk both at the firmware and network level and then patch devices with an easy-to-use cloud-based solution, explained David Weston, Director of Enterprise and OS Security at Microsoft.