PrivateCore's efforts to secure Facebook's data centers and roll out HTTPS encryption on the social networking site impressed the social network giant so much that it acquiring the two-year-old vendor.
Backed by venture capitalists, PrivateCore was started in 2012 by software engineers from Google and VMWare. The Palo Alto-based firm's vCage software hardens servers against malware, validates server data and fends off malicious hardware.
Facebook, which purchased PrivateCore for an undisclosed sum, plans to incorporate vCage into the social networking site's server stack shortly after the transition of the security company's resources is complete, according to PrivateCore CEO Oded Horovitz.
"Working together with Facebook, there is a huge opportunity to pursue our joint vision at scale with incredible impact," said Horovitz. "Over time, Facebook plans to deploy our technology into the Facebook stack to help protect the people who use Facebook. We know we will learn and grow as we continue developing our technology and making it stronger."
Joe Sullivan, Facebook's chief security officer, said he can't want for PrivateCore's staff and technology to fully make the move over to Facebook. Sullivan said he believed PrivateCore's technology will help Facebook continue to offer a secure and trusted service as the social network continues its mission to make the world more open and connected.
"I've seen how much people care about the security of data they entrust to services like Facebook," said Sullivan. "We finished implementing HTTPS encryption by default over a year ago, and have also been working to secure all data center traffic with additional protections. In that vein, I'm really excited that Facebook has entered into an agreement to acquire PrivateCore."
Going beyond HTTPS encryption that PrivateCore helped Facebook complete transition to in 2013, the security firm was said to offer several other security measures to help prevent user data from falling into the hands of intruders. By encrypting temporary data, one of vCage's core features, PrivateCore can help keep Facebook data out of the hands of the National Security Agency.
While Facebook has suffered from trust issues, the acquisition of PrivateCore will at least keep outsiders from harvesting data from the social networking site. PrivateCore and Facebook share the same vision of a securely connected world, according to Horovitz.
"What makes this development so exciting for us is that Facebook and PrivateCore have an aligned mission," said Horovitz. "Facebook has done more than any company to connect the world, and we want to use our secure server technology to help make the world's connections more secure."
