15 Cool IoT Security Startups That Are Keeping Connected Devices Safe

Startups For IoT Security

Security is the big buzzword for the Internet of Things as more devices become connected to networks – and subsequently IoT users grapple with more security vulnerabilities.

While a significant concern for customers, IoT security also presents a huge opportunity for the technology industry. According to market research firm IDC, worldwide IoT security spending will skyrocket to $547.2 million in 2018, up from $348.3 million in 2016.

Dozens of startups are popping up with new security solutions for IoT applications – both on the consumer and enterprise side, but also for new vertical markets such as manufacturing and health care. Following are 15 of the coolest IoT security startups.

Argus Cyber Security

As more vendors begin to ramp up their investments around connected vehicles, Israel-based Argus focuses primarily on automotive cybersecurity. Argus has built out modular and multilayered security solutions for connected cars, including in-vehicle network protection solutions and protection for brakes, door control units and advanced driver assistance systems.

Argus also offers threat analysis, risk assessment, vulnerability analysis and code review services for manufacturers.

The company, founded in 2013, most recently raised $26 million in Series B funding, led by companies including Magna International, Allianz Digital Corporate Ventures and the SBI Group.

Bastille

Bastille says that it is the first cybersecurity company to detect and mitigate threats from the Internet of Things – which the company dubs "the Internet of Radios" – in the enterprise.

Led by CEO Chris Risley, the Atlanta-based startup's technology uses sensors and software to scan an enterprise's environment, identifying and providing visibility into every connected device on premise using airborne emission detection. The company most recently landed $9 million in venture capital funding in August.

Bayshore Networks

Bayshore Networks wants to focus on one area of IoT that is becoming a larger concern for customers and the channel – industrial security.

The company touts cloud-based software, the Bayshore IT/OT Gateway, to protect industrial enterprises against internet-based attacks. This product provides IT departments with critical visibility into operational technology infrastructure, networks, applications, machines and employees.

The company, founded in 2012, last year said it has raised $6.6 million in Series A funding from Trident Capital Cybersecurity and existing angel investors.

Claroty

Startup Claroty's motto is "clarity for your OT networks" – the company offers protection for granular operational technology network elements in industrial workplaces. The Israeli company enables engineers and operators to protect their OT networks through its platform, which includes monitoring, alerting and management for factory floors. Claroty's team is comprised of dozens of researchers, engineers, industrial control and cybersecurity experts and is led by pioneers in OT and IT cybersecurity.

Contrast Security

Contrast Security is another IoT startup focusing on the industrial space. This company, founded in 2011, writes application security for industrial markets. Contrast Security also offers interactive application security testing with better visibility of code and running applications, and enables customers to automatically weave attack defenses into apps without having to recode.

Contrast has built out a channel program for partners who want to deliver end-to-end application security solutions.

CyberX

Framingham, Mass.-based CyberX is an industrial cybersecurity company, working with customers in the energy, water, manufacturing, transportation and chemical industries.

CyberX's flagship offering is its XSense platform, which is comprised of a dashboard for managing alerts so that customers have greater control of their industrial operations. The platform helps customers use machine learning and modeling to detect attacks in real time and reduce operation downtime.

The company, founded in 2012, most recently secured $9 million in Series A funding in August, led by Flint Capital.

Device Authority

Device Authority, founded in 2008, offers an IoT security solution for the automotive, health-care and industrial vertical markets. The company's Unique KeyScaler technology ensures customer devices are secure through automated device provisioning, credential management and policy-driven data encryption.

Device Authority last year secured $3 million in funding led by Tern PLC and Alsop Louie Partners. According to the company, it will use the funds to expand its sales and marketing teams, as well as build out its go-to-market channel partnerships.

GreatHorn

Founded in 2015, GreatHorn builds on a foundation of machine learning to automate threat detection and response in cloud communication systems.

Through machine learning, GreatHorn's platform protects customers with cloud collaboration tools – like Slack and Office 365 – from phishing and other security attacks. The GreatHorn Threat Platform, which features email and threat APIs, is designed for integration with any cloud communication platform, according to the company.

Indegy

Israel-based startup Indegy said it has developed the first cybersecurity platform that protects industrial control systems used in critical infrastructures and manufacturing industries. This platform gives customers visibility into the control-plane engineering processes performed in operational technology networks – so operators can monitor all controllers on networks and protect against cyberattacks.

In July, the company landed $12 million in Series A funding led by Vertex Ventures Israel. Indegy said it will use the funds to scale its sales and marketing operations in North America, Europe and Asia.

Karamba Security

Karamba Security is another startup that looks to secure automated vehicles as the hype around connected cars deepens.

Founded in 2015, the Israel-based company promotes security for autonomous platforms by focusing on the externally connected electronic control unit (ECU) in cars. The company's autonomous security solution works by sealing connected cars' ECUs according to factory settings to prevent intrusions and attacks.

NexDefense

NexDefense, founded in 2012, is another security startup focusing on securing the vulnerabilities in industrial equipment. This company's products help operators discover communication channels in their operational technology systems without disrupting operations, build and manage a baseline of known devices, visualize control system network activity, and – most importantly – locate and evaluate abnormal events on their networks.

Most recently, the company hired former Cisco executive Matt Morris as vice president of product and strategy.

PFP Cybersecurity

PFP Cybersecurity, founded in 2010, combines artificial intelligence and analog power analysis to create security solutions. The company has an array of IoT security products, including the pMon 751, an IoT monitor that tracks power or EMI signals from devices and systems. The company also offers its P3Scan cloud-based analytics platform. This platform, which can be either cloud-based or on-premise, provides customers with a dashboard, device management, continuous monitoring, and automatic remediation for IoT devices.

Rubicon

Rubicon has built a secure IoT system for customers, including secure authentication to authorize device policies, digital fingerprints for every device, and real-time security for any target device.

The San Francisco-based startup's platform targets vertical markets such as the industrial space, medical, automotive, smart buildings and secure payments.

Most recently, Rubison partnered with Beyond Semiconductor to deliver security and identity for IoT and data center ecosystems.

Tempered Networks

Seattle-based Tempered Networks' flagship security product cloaks its customers' critical systems and high-value end­points in IoT.

Tempered Networks says its offering for securing IoT de­vices also enables network segmentation to reduce an organization's attack surface and simplify its infrastructure.

The company says it is 100 percent partner-driven, and in September it launched a new partner program targeted at network security and automation-focused partners. Most re­cently, Tempered Networks locked down $10 million in fund­ing in August.

ThetaRay

Founded in 2013, ThetaRay offers a security platform that detects unknown operational threats for industrial customers' critical assets. ThetaRay's solutions help engineers monitor their Industrial IoT networks, including power plants, generation, transmission and distribution networks, oil and gas facilities, and critical manufacturing sites.

In addition to rapid threat mitigation, ThetaRay's platform offers dashboards as visualization tools, detection of operational threats and automated end-to-end detection in real time.