# ZeroFox > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/ZeroFox > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/ZeroFox.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZeroFox > Source revision: 1348797994 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|External cybersecurity company based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States}} {{Infobox company | name = ZeroFox Holdings, Inc. | logo = ZeroFox_Company_Logo.png | type = [Private company](/source/Private_company) | traded_as = {{NASDAQ was|ZFOX}} | ISIN = US98955G1031 | founders = {{ubl|James C. Foster|Evan L. Blair}} | industry = {{ubl|[External Cybersecurity](/source/Cyber_Security)|Brand Protection}} | subsid = | homepage = {{URL |https://www.zerofox.com}} | foundation = {{Start date and age|2013}} | location = [Baltimore, Maryland](/source/Baltimore%2C_Maryland) | locations = 3 | owner = {{ubl|Haveli Investments|{{smaller|(2024–present)}}}} }} '''ZeroFox Holdings, Inc.''' is an American external [cybersecurity](/source/cyber_security) company based in [Baltimore](/source/Baltimore), [Maryland](/source/Maryland).{{cite news|url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/04/30/funding-daily-very-big-private-equity-and-very-small-microgadgets/|title=Funding Daily: Very big private equity and very small microgadgets|last1=Tweney|first1=Dylan|date=April 30, 2014|access-date=May 1, 2014|publisher=Venture Beat|archive-date=May 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502195230/http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/30/funding-daily-very-big-private-equity-and-very-small-microgadgets/|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.recode.net/2015/12/6/11621196/capital-gains-another-2-billion-crosses-into-ubers-event-horizon/|title=Capital Gains: Another $2 Billion Crosses Into Uber's Event Horizon, Peloton Raises Big Cash|last1=Kulwin|first1=Noah|date=Dec 8, 2015|access-date=Dec 6, 2015|publisher=ReCode|archive-date=May 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516054924/http://www.recode.net/2015/12/6/11621196/capital-gains-another-2-billion-crosses-into-ubers-event-horizon|url-status=dead}} It provides [cloud](/source/Cloud_computing)-based [software as a service](/source/software_as_a_service) (SaaS) for organizations to expose and disrupt [phishing](/source/phishing) and fraud campaigns, [botnet](/source/botnet) exposures, credential theft, [impersonations](/source/Impersonator), [data breach](/source/data_breach)es, and physical threats that target brands, domains, people, and assets. == History == ZeroFox was created in 2013 under the name Riskive, but changed to its current name months later. The company began as a startup in an 8,000 sq. ft. space inside Betamore - a startup incubator in Baltimore's [Federal Hill](/source/Federal_Hill%2C_Baltimore) neighborhood. In 2015, ZeroFox raised $27 million in Series B funding. By 2016, the company had outgrown its space and moved to an 18,000 sq. ft. space inside a former Pabst Brewing facility in South Baltimore.{{Cite web|url=https://www.southbmore.com/2016/01/21/south-baltimore-business-roudnup-3/|title = South Baltimore Business Roundup|website=Southbmore.com|date = 21 January 2016}} In 2017, ZeroFox raised $40 million in funding led by Redline Capital Management, a European venture firm, and Silver Lake Waterman, a fund that focuses on pre-IPO companies. Prior investors [New Enterprise Associates](/source/New_Enterprise_Associates), [Highland Capital Partners](/source/Highland_Capital_Partners) and Core Capital also contributed. The investment helped bring ZeroFox's total funding to $88 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.southbmore.com/2017/07/19/south-baltimore-business-roundup-138/|title=South Baltimore Business Roundup|website=Southbmore.com|date=19 July 2017}} ZeroFox partners with other software organizations such as IBM, Hootsuite, Splunk, ThreatQuotient, and others to visualize, analyze, and predict cyber security threats to respond quickly to reduce the impact of incidents.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zerofox.com/partners/|title=ZeroFox Global Partner Program|website=ZeroFox.com|access-date=21 November 2021}} ZeroFox partners with Google Cloud to warn users against phishing domains.{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Shweta |date=2023-04-11 |title=ZeroFox partners with Google Cloud to warn users against phishing domains |url=https://www.csoonline.com/article/3693016/zerofox-partners-with-google-cloud-to-warn-users-against-phishing-domains.html |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=CSO Online |language=en}} In 2020, ZeroFox closed a new $74 million round of financing led by Intel Capital. This funding round was one of the largest a Maryland cyber firm has landed in recent years. This brings ZeroFox's backing to $162 million to date.{{cite web|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/news/2020/02/20/baltimores-zerofox-raises-one-of-marylands-largest.html|title=Baltimore's ZeroFox raises one of Maryland's largest funding rounds for cyber firms|website=Bizjournals.com|access-date=21 November 2021}} The company went public on August 4, 2022, through a $1.4B [SPAC](/source/special-purpose_acquisition_company) deal. In the deal, ZeroFox also acquired ID Experts Holdings, Inc. (“IDX”). The combined company was then called ZeroFox Holdings, Inc. and traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the [ticker symbol](/source/ticker_symbol) “ZFOX” for its common stock and “ZFOXW” for its publicly traded warrants.{{cite web |last1=Claman |first1=Liz |title=ZeroFox proactively attacks cyber threats from 'Main Street to Mars': CEO |url=https://video.foxbusiness.com/v/6310432923112#sp=show-clips |website=Fox Business|date=4 August 2022 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/portland/inno/stories/news/2022/08/04/zerofox-spac-idx-acquisition.html |title=ZeroFox goes public in a SPAC, completes acquisition of Portland's IDX |date=4 August 2022 |first=Malia |last=Spencer |work=[American City Business Journals](/source/American_City_Business_Journals)}}{{cite web |last1=Zurier |first1=Steve |title=IT security company ZeroFox goes public despite concerns over market conditions |url=https://www.scmagazine.com/news/cloud-security/it-security-company-zerofox-goes-public-despite-concerns-over-market-conditions |website=SC Media|date=4 August 2022 }} === Purchase === On February 6, 2024, ZeroFox announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Haveli Investments, a leading private equity firm focused on enterprise software and cybersecurity. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Haveli Investments would acquire ZeroFox in an all-cash transaction at an enterprise value of approximately $350 million.https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/02/06/2824352/0/en/ZeroFox-to-be-Acquired-by-Haveli.html On May 13, 2024, it was announced that Haveli Investments had completed the purchase of ZeroFox Holdings.{{Cite web|url=https://ir.zerofox.com/news-releases/news-release-details/haveli-investments-completes-acquisition-zerofox|title=Haveli Investments Completes Acquisition of ZeroFox|work=ZeroFox Holdings|date=2024-05-13|access-date=2024-05-29|language=en|archive-date=2024-05-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240529140839/https://ir.zerofox.com/news-releases/news-release-details/haveli-investments-completes-acquisition-zerofox|url-status=dead}} == Acquisitions == * In October 2020, ZeroFox acquired Cyveillance from LookingGlass in a move designed to merge Cyveillance's threat intelligence data cache and dark web intelligence capabilities with the ZeroFox Digital Risk Protection Platform.{{Cite web|last=Osborne|first=Charlie|title=ZeroFox acquires Cyveillance threat intelligence business from LookingGlass|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/zerofox-acquires-cyveillance-threat-intelligence-business-from-lookingglass/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=ZDNet|language=en}} * In July 2021, the company acquired Vigilante, a dark web threat intelligence company.{{Cite web|title=ZeroFox acquires dark web threat intelligence company Vigilante|url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/07/07/zerofox-acquires-dark-web-threat-intelligence-company-vigilante/|access-date=2022-01-29|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}} * In August 2022, the company acquired IDX, a breach response company.{{Cite web |title=ZeroFox Begins Trading on Nasdaq Under Symbol "ZFOX" |url=https://www.zerofox.com/press-release/zerofox-goes-public/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=ZeroFox |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Cybersecurity company ZeroFox acquires IDX, merges with L&F to create $1.4 billion entity |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/cybersecurity-company-zerofox-acquires-idx-merges-with-l-f-to-create-1-4-billion-entity/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=ZDNET |language=en}} * In April 2023, the company acquired LookingGlass Cyber Solutions, an external attack surface management and threat intelligence company.{{Cite web |title=ZeroFox Completes Acquisition of LookingGlass |url=https://www.zerofox.com/press-release/zerofox-acquires-lookingglass/ |access-date=2023-05-17 |website=ZeroFox |language=en-US}} * In November 2024, ZeroFox divested its IDX subsidiary to Kingswood Capital Management{{Cite web |last=Hennessy |first=Sean |date=2024-11-25 |title=Kingswood Capital Management Acquires IDX, a Leading Provider of Data Breach Response Services and Digital Privacy Protection |url=https://www.kingswood-capital.com/kingswood-capital-management-acquires-idx-a-leading-provider-of-data-breach-response-services-and-digital-privacy-protection/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=Kingswood Capital Management, L.P. |language=en-US}}. == Controversies == ===Freddie Gray protest surveillance=== The company faced criticism over its handling of the 2015 protests over the [death of Freddie Gray](/source/death_of_Freddie_Gray) when it singled out its [nonviolent](/source/nonviolence) organizers. ZeroFox labeled [DeRay McKesson](/source/DeRay_McKesson) and [Johnetta Elzie](/source/Johnetta_Elzie) as high physical threats to law enforcement despite not being suspected of any criminal activity.[http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/cyberbizblog/2015/08/baltimores-zerofox-faces-backlash-over-riot-threat.html "Baltimore's ZeroFox faces backlash over riot threat report; CEO James Foster responds"]{{cite news|url=https://www.theroot.com/activist-deray-mckesson-s-social-media-has-been-monitor-1790860808|title=Activist DeRay Mckesson's Social Media Has Been Monitored by Department of Homeland Security: Report|publisher=The Root|date=August 15, 2015|access-date=May 7, 2018}}{{Cite web |title=Black Lives Matter organizers were labeled as "threat actors" by a cybersecurity firm |author=Brandon E. Patterson |work=Mother Jones |date=3 August 2015 |access-date=26 October 2022 |url= https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/08/zerofox-report-baltimore-black-lives-matter/}} ZeroFox was unsuccessful at differentiating between impersonating [troll](/source/Troll_(slang)) accounts and Elzie's actual social media presence.{{Cite web |last=Klippenstein |first=Ken |date=2023-07-06 |title=FBI Hired Social Media Surveillance Firm That Labeled Black Lives Matter Organizers "Threat Actors" |url=https://theintercept.com/2023/07/06/fbi-social-media-surveillance-zerofox/ |access-date=2023-07-06 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}} ===FBI contract and the January 6 Capitol Attack=== ZeroFox signed a $14 million [social media intelligence](/source/social_media_intelligence) contract with the FBI on Dec 30, 2020, taking over from [Dataminr](/source/Dataminr), which held the contract until Dec. 31, 2020. This transition period led to decreased visibility leading up to the [2021 United States Capitol attack](/source/January_6_United_States_Capitol_attack), and led agents to calling it an expletive sounding similar to ZeroFox.{{Cite news|author=Davis|first=Aaron C.|date=31 October 2021|title=Warnings of violence before Jan. 6 precipitated the Capitol riot|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2021/warnings-jan-6-insurrection/|access-date=31 October 2021|quote=But the end-of-the-year changeover limited the FBI’s understanding of what was happening online at a key juncture, just as extremists were mobilizing. FBI agents started using an alternative service known as ZeroFox that was unfamiliar to many in the bureau. The change came as a surprise, causing confusion about how to use the new system. Some agents and analysts felt the new service was a significant downgrade, particularly when it came to tracking things on Twitter. Within the FBI, some frustrated agents quickly started using a derisive nickname for ZeroFox — replacing the “Fox” with a similar-sounding expletive, to indicate how little use it seemed to have.31“It wasn’t that we were blind, it just turned out to be a bad time to have less visibility into what was happening online, because we were changing systems and a lot of people didn’t really know the new system,” said one person familiar with the matter.}}{{Cite web|author=Dilanian|first=Ken|date=8 March 2021|title=Why did the FBI miss the threats about Jan. 6 on social media?|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/fbi-official-told-congress-bureau-can-t-monitor-americans-social-n1259769|access-date=1 November 2021|work=NBC News|quote=Fact check: false. FBI agents have said in court records that they monitor public social media, and the bureau recently signed a $14 million contract with a "threat intelligence" company called ZeroFox "to proactively identify threats to the United States and its interests" on the internet. For years, the FBI has had a similar arrangement with DataMinr, which can flag social media postings of interest to its clients.}}{{cite web |title=FBI Social Media Alerting |url=https://sam.gov/opp/8005073a48684e46860c4522720acbba/view |website=Sam.gov}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == * {{Official website|https://www.zerofox.com/}} Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Category:Social media companies Category:Software companies based in Maryland Category:American companies established in 2013 Category:Software companies of the United States Category:Special-purpose acquisition companies Category:2024 mergers and acquisitions --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [ZeroFox](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZeroFox) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZeroFox?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.