Sophos

Sophos Limited

Type| Private

Traded as

| Template:LSE was (2015–2020)
Industry| Computer software
Founded| 1985
Founder|

* Jan Hruska
* Peter Lammer

Headquarters| Abingdon, England

Key people

* Joe Levy
* (CEO)

Products| Security software
Services| Computer security
Revenue| $1 billion (2023)

Operating income

| US$109 million (2019)

Net income

| US$26.9 million (2019)
Owner| Thoma Bravo

Number of employees

| 4,400 (2022)
Subsidiaries| Secureworks
Website| {{{1}}}
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

Sophos Limited[4] is a British security software and hardware company. It develops and markets managed security services and cybersecurity software and hardware, such as managed detection and response, incident response and endpoint security software.[5][6] Sophos was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Thoma Bravo, an American private equity firm in March 2020.[7]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Acquisitions and partnerships
* 3 See also
* 4 References
* 5 External links

## History

Sophos was founded by Jan Hruska and Peter Lammer and began producing its first antivirus and encryption products in 1985.[8] During the late 1980s and into the 1990s, Sophos primarily developed and sold a range of security technologies in the UK, including encryption tools available for most users (private or business). In the late 1990s, Sophos concentrated its efforts on developing and selling antivirus technology and embarked on a program of international expansion.[9]

In 2010, the majority interest of Sophos was sold to Apax Partners.[10]

In 2011, Utimaco Safeware AG (acquired by Sophos in 2008) was accused of supplying data monitoring and tracking software to partners that have sold to governments such as Syria.[citation needed] Sophos issued a statement of apology and confirmed that they had suspended their relationship with the partners in question and launched an investigation.[11]

In June 2015, Sophos announced plans to raise US$100 million on the London Stock Exchange.[12] Sophos was floated on the FTSE in September 2015.[13]

On 14 October 2019, Sophos announced that Thoma Bravo, a US-based private equity firm, made an offer to acquire Sophos for US$7.40 per share, representing an enterprise value of approximately US$3.9 billion. The board of directors of Sophos stated their intention to recommend the offer to the company's shareholders unanimously.[14] On 2 March 2020, Sophos announced the completion of the acquisition.[15]

In February 2024, President Joe Levy was appointed acting CEO after Kris Hagerman resigned from the CEO position.[16][17] Mr. Levy was named the permanent CEO in May 2024.[18]

In October 2024, Sophos released a report about their Pacific Rim counter-offensive operation, detailing actions taken against China-based adversaries[19] along with additional information concerning this effort.[20] It was reported by Wired that the company had been targeted for years by hackers affiliated with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China and Sichuan Silence Information Technology, a company associated with China's Ministry of Public Security.[21][22] The attacks were attributed to Chinese advanced persistent threats such as APT41, APT31, and Volt Typhoon.[23] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asked for the public's help in identifying the attackers.[23]

## Acquisitions and partnerships

In 2003, Sophos acquired ActiveState, a Canadian software company that developed anti-spam software.[24] From September 2003 to February 2006, Sophos served as the parent company of ActiveState, a developer of programming tools for dynamic programming languages: in February 2006, ActiveState became an independent company when it was sold to Vancouver-based venture capitalist firm Pender Financial.[25]

In 2007, Sophos acquired ENDFORCE, a company based in Ohio, United States, which developed and sold security policy compliance and network access control (NAC) software.[26][27]

In July 2008, Sophos agreed to acquire Utimaco, a publicly-held company focused on encryption and other data security products, for over $340 million;[28] the acquisition closed for $314 million in September 2008.[29] In October 2013, Utimaco was divested via a management buyout involving investors PINOVA Capital and BIP Investment Partners.[30]

In May 2011, Sophos announced the acquisition of Astaro, a privately held provider of network security products, headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA and Karlsruhe, Germany.[31] At the time Astaro was the 4th largest UTM (Unified Threat Management) vendor and while the deal made sense at the time Forbes questioned its viability.[32] Sophos subsequently renamed the Astaro UTM to Sophos UTM.

In February 2014, Sophos announced that it had acquired Cyberoam Technologies, a provider of network security products.[33]

In December 2015, Sophos merged with Surfright, the company behind the malware scanner HitmanPro. They would later integrate HitmanPro Alert, an anti malicious program designed to detect malicious behavior and stop it into Sophos.[34]

In November 2016, Sophos acquired Barricade, a start-up with a behavior-based analytics engine.[35]

In February 2017, Sophos acquired Invincea, a software company that provides malware threat detection, prevention, and pre-breach forensic intelligence.[36][37][38]

In October 2024, Sophos agreed to acquire SecureWorks, a publicly-held company majority owned by Dell focused on Extended Detection and Response (XDR), for $859 million.[39] The acquisition was completed in February 2025,[40] and was closely followed by a layoff of 6% (or an estimated 400 people) from the combined workforce.[41]

In 2025, Sophos entered into a partnership with the French cybersecurity provider IMS Networks to integrate the Sophos Taegis XDR platform into IMS Networks' security operations centre (SOC).[42] Under the agreement, IMS Networks operates a detection and incident response service on a 24/7 basis from France, using the cloud-native Taegis platform, which originated from Sophos's acquisition of SecureWorks.[42]

## See also

* Antivirus software
* Comparison of antivirus software

## References

1. ↑ "Annual Report 2019". Sophos. https://polaris.brighterir.com/public/sophos/news/rns/story/xe918jr.
2. ↑ Novinson, Michael (2023-01-18). "Sophos to Lay Off 10% of Workers Amid Shift to MDR Services". Bank Info Sedcurity. https://www.bankinfosecurity.com/sophos-to-lay-off-10-workers-amid-shift-to-mdr-services-a-20961. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
3. ↑ "Sophos is (officially!) a Great Place to Work". 8 June 2021. https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/06/08/sophos-is-officially-a-great-place-to-work/.
4. ↑ "Sophos Limited overview - Find and update company information - Gov.uk" (in en). 1987-02-04. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/02096520.
5. ↑ Fairfield, C. J. (March 4, 2024). "Sophos Exec: Here's How MSPs Can Drive Revenue With Our Products". https://www.crn.com/events/here-s-how-msps-can-drive-revenue-with-sophos-products.
6. ↑ Miletic, Barbara (2023-04-27). "Sophos erweitert seinen globalen MDR-Service" (in de). https://www.it-business.de/sophos-erweitert-seinen-globalen-mdr-service-a-0b85cd3c2ace182aeba467ceff8ea7b8/?cflt=rdt.
7. ↑ Miller, Ron (2020-03-02). "Thoma Bravo completes $3.9B Sophos acquisition" (in en-US). https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/02/thoma-bravo-completes-3-9b-sophos-acquisition/.
8. ↑ Cluley, Graham (4 November 2010). "Sophos: the early years". https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2010/11/04/sophos-early-years/.
9. ↑ "Exterminator Tools". Windows IT Pro. 15 November 1999. http://windowsitpro.com/security/exterminator-tools.
10. ↑ Hoffman, Stefanie. "Sophos To Sell Majority Stake To Apax Partners | CRN". https://www.crn.com/news/security/224700673/sophos-to-sell-majority-stake-to-apax-partners.
11. ↑ "The Bureau Investigates article". http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/12/01/british-software-helped-syrian-regime-crush-dissidents.
12. ↑ Simmons, Jana (3 June 2015). "Sophos Plans $100 Million London IPO". Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sophos-plans-100-million-london-ipo-1433329925.
13. ↑ "Sophos joins the UK's top public companies in the FTSE 250". 23 September 2015. https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2015/09/23/sophos-joins-the-uks-top-public-companies-in-the-ftse-250.
14. ↑ "Sophos founders exit before Thoma Bravo sale". Global Capital. 5 December 2019. https://www.globalcapital.com/article/b1jb6zb934797l/sophos-founders-exit-before-thoma-bravo-sale.
15. ↑ "Sophos opens new chapter with take-private acquisition". 2 March 2020. https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2020/03/02/sophos-opens-new-chapter-with-take-private-acquisition/amp/.
16. ↑ Alspach, Kyle. "5 Things To Know About The Sophos CEO Transition". https://www.crn.com/news/security/2024/5-things-to-know-about-the-sophos-ceo-transition.
17. ↑ Alspach, Kyle (2024-02-15). "Sophos CEO Kris Hagerman Steps Down, Acting CEO Named". https://www.crn.com/news/security/2024/sophos-ceo-kris-hagerman-steps-down-acting-ceo-named.
18. ↑ Alspach, Kyle (2024-05-20). "Sophos Names Joe Levy As Permanent CEO, Hires New CFO". https://www.crn.com/news/security/2024/sophos-names-joe-levy-as-permanent-ceo-hires-new-cfo.
19. ↑ McKerchar, Ross (2024-10-31). "Pacific Rim: Inside the Counter-Offensive—The TTPs Used to Neutralize China-Based Threats". Sophos. https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2024/10/31/pacific-rim-neutralizing-china-based-threat/. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
20. ↑ "Sophos' Pacific Rim: Defense Against Nation-State Adversaries" (in en). Sophos. https://www.sophos.com/en-us/content/pacific-rim.
21. ↑ Greenberg, Andy (2024-10-31). "Inside a Firewall Vendor's 5-Year War with the Chinese Hackers Hijacking Its Devices". Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/sophos-chengdu-china-five-year-hacker-war/. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
22. ↑ "Facebook uncovers Chinese network behind fake expert" (in en-GB). BBC News. 2021-12-02. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-59456548.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Arghire, Ionut (November 4, 2024). "FBI Seeking Information on Chinese Hackers Targeting Sophos Firewalls". Security Week. https://www.securityweek.com/fbi-seeking-information-on-chinese-hackers-targeting-sophos-firewalls/.
24. ↑ "Sophos acquires anti-spam specialist ActiveState". https://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2003/09/pr_uk_20030924activestate.aspx.
25. ↑ "ActiveState Acquired by Employees and Pender Financial Group; Company Renews Focus on Tools and Solutions for Dynamic Languages". Business Wire. 22 February 2006. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060222005860/en/ActiveState-Acquired-Employees-Pender-Financial-Group-Company.
26. ↑ "Sophos buys Endforce for network access control". Network World. 11 January 2007. http://www.networkworld.com/article/2302799/lan-wan/sophos-buys-endforce-for-network-access-control.html.
27. ↑ Wauters, Robin. "Sophos beefs up on online security, acquires Dutch security software firm SurfRight for $31.8 million". http://tech.eu/brief/sophos-surfright/.
28. ↑ "Sophos makes move to buy Utimaco". 2008-07-28. https://www.virusbulletin.com/blog/2008/07/sophos-makes-move-buy-utimaco/. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
29. ↑ McMillan, Robert (2008-09-30). "Sophos concludes $314 million Utimaco buy". https://www.networkworld.com/article/802300/lan-wan-sophos-concludes-314-million-utimaco-buy.html. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
30. ↑ "PINOVA Capital and BIP Investment Partners acquire Utimaco Safeware AG in a buyout transaction". 2013-10-16. https://www.corporatenews.lu/en/archives-shortcut/archives/article?article_id=669&author=BIP+Investment+Partners. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
31. ↑ "Sophos Acquires Astaro to Meet Demand for Complete, Layered Security Protection". https://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2011/05/sophos-acquires-astaro.aspx.
32. ↑ Stiennon, Richard. "Sophos + Astaro: Good companies, bad deal" (in en). https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardstiennon/2011/05/06/sophos-astaro-good-companies-bad-deal/.
33. ↑ "Sophos Acquires Cyberoam to Boost Layered Defense Portfolio". Infosecurity Magazine. 12 February 2014. http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/sophos-acquires-cyberoam-to-boost/.
34. ↑ Aldershoff, Jan Willem (14 December 2015). "Company behind anti-malware software HitmanPro sold to Sophos for €30 million". MYCE. http://www.myce.com/news/company-behind-anti-malware-software-hitmanpro-sold-to-sophos-for-e30-million-78087/.
35. ↑ "Sophos acquires Irish cybersecurity start-up Barricade" (in en). The Irish Times. https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/sophos-acquires-irish-cybersecurity-start-up-barricade-1.2851925.
36. ↑ "Sophos Adds Advanced Machine Learning to Its Next-Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio with Acquisition of Invincea". Sophos. 2017-02-08. https://www.sophos.com/en-us/press-office/press-releases/2017/02/sophos-adds-advanced-machine-learning-to-its-next-generation-endpoint-protection-portfolio.aspx.
37. ↑ "Sophos grows anti-malware ensemble with Invincea". Sophos. 2017-02-08. https://blogs.sophos.com/2017/02/08/sophos-grows-anti-malware-ensemble-with-invincea/. "One may ask, if you already have great next-generation technology, why do you need Invincea’s technology?...Think of Invincea as the superhero that takes our ensemble to the next level – the entity that adds neural network-based machine learning to the team."
38. ↑ "Sophos to Acquire Invincea to Add Industry Leading Machine Learning to its Next Generation Endpoint Protection Portfolio". Invincea. 2017-02-08. https://www.invincea.com/2017/02/sophos-to-acquire-invincea-to-add-industry-leading-machine-learning-to-its-next-generation-endpoint-protection-portfolio/.
39. ↑ Warminsky, Joe (2024-10-21). "Sophos to acquire Secureworks for $859 million". https://therecord.media/sophos-to-acquire-secureworks-859-million. Retrieved 2024-10-21.
40. ↑ Alspach, Kyle (February 3, 2025). "Sophos Closes $859M Acquisition Of XDR Specialist Secureworks". CRN. https://www.crn.com/news/security/2025/sophos-closes-859-million-acquisition-of-xdr-specialist-secureworks.
41. ↑ Burt, Jeffrey (2025-02-13). "Sophos Sheds 6% of Employees After Closing Secureworks Deal". https://securityboulevard.com/2025/02/sophos-sheds-6-of-employees-after-closing-secureworks-deal/. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Huet, Benoît (2025-06-27). "IMS Networks intègre Sophos Taegis dans son SOC". https://www.distributique.com/actualites/lire-ims-networks-integre-sophos-taegis-dans-son-soc-36371.html.

## External links

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