McAfee to acquire ScanAlert

McAfee announced plans on Tuesday to acquire ScanAlert in deal worth approximately $51 million in cash.

And what is McAfee looking to get for its money? For starters, it'll snap up ScanAlert's Hacker Safe Web site security certification service, bolster its own SiteAdvisor security-rating system, and become the keeper of ScanAlert's proverbial "good housekeeping" seal for sites seeking to reassure customers that they are conducting safe online transactions.

The acquisition, expected to close in the first quarter, calls for integrating ScanAlert's e-commerce security certification service into McAfee's SiteAdvisor system. McAfee last year acquired SiteAdvisor, which informs users about the safety of their returned search results, estimating the likelihood that a site could potentially infect their computer with spyware, spam, or a browser attack.

ScanAlert issues a Hacker Safe certification to Web sites that have undergone its scanning service for vulnerabilities, as well as demonstrating that they have been fixed. The sites also need to undergo daily scans by ScanAlert, in order to maintain their Hacker Safe stamp of approval.

The Hacker Safe certification will be visible through SiteAdvisor, once the acquisition is completed, and the technologies are integrated.

Security fears have resulted in consumers delaying their online-shopping decisions and transactions by more than half a day, according to ScanAlert's own research.

Those concerns are nothing new. Two years ago, a fourth of online shoppers reduced their purchases, as fear over identity theft soared, according to a report by RSA Security.

E-commerce site operators, as a result, have been particularly interested in trying various techniques to boost the security of their sites.

As part of the McAfee deal, ScanAlert may see its overall acquisition price jump by another $24 million, should it hit certain performance targets.

The company has 8,000 customers, who represent more than 75,000 Web sites. Those customers include Toshiba, Warner Bros., and the American Red Cross.

[rgrsz]

Oh well there goes the neighborhood

It never fails. A big company buys a little company and things start falling apart. I for one have been traumatized by these transitions too many times and have always gotten the short end of the stick. I am not waiting around this time. I am looking for an alternative. ScanAlert was OK ? but now that they will be part of a security company not known for innovation or even terribly good security technology ? I better find an alternative. They are not the only game in town.

[tanyashake]

rgrsz - another solution!

I am sorry to hear that you were not delighted by ScanAlert's services, since you are exploring alternatives I invite you to try ControlScan. Award winning vulnerability scanning, Trust Seals, superior customer service, marketing, LiveChat, and EVSSL are just some of the things that make ControlScan a leading edge e-commerce security company. Please visit controlscan.com for more information or reply back and I can get you started with a trial of our services so you can experience the ControlScan difference.

[Adam Grade]

Comodo for SSL yes and a whole lot more

Hey -- On my jewelry site I use Comodo for ssl and PCI. They were easy, fast and really a better deal than ScanAlert. I needed something fast because my busiest season is holiday and I needed this PCI thing quick. I don't know ControlScan and I'm sure they are great -- but for my money -Comodo really delivered.