Aperio Systems Announces $4.5M Strategic Investment for Next Generation Cybersecurity Intrusion Protection System to Secure Critical Infrastructure

PRESS RELEASE

Haifa, Israel, February 7, 2018 - Aperio Systems, the company providing the last line of defense for securing critical infrastructure, today announced a strategic investment from Energias de Portugal (EDP), one of Europe’s largest utilities. EDP was joined in the round of financing by Data Point Capital, a venture fund with deep cybersecurity expertise from Siemens, expansion stage venture firm Jump Capital with strong Enterprise Infrastructure focus, and Scopus Ventures, a venture fund investing in category-defining companies. The $4.5 Million in seed funding will support Aperio Systems’ global growth and the introduction of its next-generation Intrusion Protection System (IPS for SCADA).

Following highly successful beta programs across sites in EMEA, Aperio Systems has moved to the installation phase at some of the world’s largest utilities. EDP’s investment follows a successful pilot program with Aperio Systems to protect thermal generation assets.

“Aperio Systems impressed us as truly innovative during a successful pilot in which the system was rigorously tested and showed its ability to prevent sophisticated attacks,” said Luís Manuel, Executive Board Member at EDP Inovação.  

Headline-making cyberattacks have demonstrated that attackers are able to penetrate critical systems. Once attackers breach a system, the only way to cause severe and long-lasting damage is to blind operators by falsifying operational sensor data. Aperio Systems’ proprietary Intrusion Protection System based on Data Forgery Protection™ (DFP) technology detects artificial manipulations of industrial process data. From the rate of gas flow at a petroleum refinery, to the temperature and spin rates of turbines in a power plant, or the chlorine level of water supply networks, Aperio Systems delivers the last line of defense in protecting critical assets against insider and external threats.

“The utility sector is embracing the digital world at an incredible speed — with devices including smart meters, smart home devices, and smartphones — making us ever more dependent on sensors to run and secure our most critical systems from malicious attacks and damage,” said EDP’s Manuel. “By protecting critical assets – be they isolated systems or IoT connected to physical systems – Aperio Systems offers resilience along with peace of mind. As a customer, and now investor, EDP is proud to partner with Aperio Systems to accelerate its growth globally.”

Data Point Capital, a Boston-based venture capital fund affiliated with Leonardo DiCaprio, has an impressive leadership team that includes Managing Partner Mike Majors, known for his previous role at Siemens Venture Capital where he was founder and head of the $100 million early-stage Industry of the Future Fund and one of the most active global investors in cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. Scopus Ventures is an LA-based firm with a team that collectively holds more than 80 years of operating and investing experience in enterprise technologies. Jump Capital is an early and growth stage firm that focuses on data-driven, enterprise software companies across a breadth of industries.

“There is a global need to protect every critical control system from internal and external cyber threats and malicious actors,” said Bahram Nour-Omid, Managing Partner, Scopus Ventures. “Aperio Systems’ founders are exceptional technologists and visionaries, whose AI based approach, requiring no new hardware, provides exceptional protection for critical infrastructure against potentially catastrophic attacks.”

EDP, Data Point Capital, Jump Capital and Scopus Ventures join a consortium of private investors, including prominent cybersecurity veterans Doron Bergerbest-Eilon, Liran Tancman, and Shlomi Boutnaru.

“We are thrilled by EDP’s vote of confidence and are excited by the possibilities offered through the investments from EDP, Data Point Capital and Scopus Ventures, which allow us to expand Aperio Systems’ presence globally to secure critical infrastructure and ensure data quality,” said Michael Shalyt, CEO Aperio Systems. "This past year has demonstrated without a doubt that physical assets are the true targets of attacks against critical infrastructure. You don't target nuclear plant engineers to steal credit cards. Securing critical infrastructure has tangible financial, social, and even life-or-death implications. We are heartened to see the heavy industries are gaining awareness of the threats and taking them seriously."

Since emerging from stealth in November 2016 Aperio Systems has garnered a stream of awards and accolades, including:

·  Gartner Cool Vendor in Digitalization Through Industrie 4.0

·  Most Innovative Energy Startup - Free Electrons

·  Hot Company in ICS/SCADA - Cyber Defense Magazine InfoSec Award

·  CyberTech 2017 Startup Challenge Winner

·  Global utility Enel’s Cybersecurity Hackathon Winner

·  Government Security News award winner, 2016

·  ASTORS Homeland Security Award. Platinum Award Winner, Best Cyber Critical Infrastructure Solution.

About Aperio Systems 

Aperio Systems secures critical infrastructure systems against internal and external cybersecurity threats by ensuring ironclad operational data integrity.  Integrating into existing SCADA and industrial control solutions, its Data Forgery Protection™ (DFP) technology reveals the true state of ICS systems in the face of malicious manipulation.  Providing a last line of defense against sophisticated cyberattacks, Aperio Systems dramatically lowers the risk of shutdowns and service outages – delivering operational continuity and maximum system resilience.  More information at http://www.aperio-systems.com.