Check Point Inhales Snort

[Tami]

Check Point Inhales Snort
By David Utter

The Israeli-based Zone Alarm maker Check Point Technology has acquired Sourcefire, the distributor of the Snort intrusion detection system.

Check Point will pay $225 million for Sourcefire, which builds and distributes the open source version of Snort. Maryland-based Sourcefire also sells a commercial version of Snort with a more polished interface, reporting, and technical support.

Once the deal has been completed, Snort will continue to exist and be developed as an open source technology. "Check Point is committed to the Snort open source community and we look forward to growing the Snort solution and the Snort community in the future," Check Point said in a statement.

The deal should align the two company's visions for security. They see the purchase as one that will allow for better network security while providing a less complex method of managing that security.

"Sourcefire aligns perfectly with Check Point's approach to delivering intelligent security solutions in multiple layers throughout the network," Check Point noted in its release. The companies expect the deal to be completed in the first quarter of 2006.

Source: SecurityPro News