@Stake

@Stake was a computer security professional services company that made its mark in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Founded in 1999 by venture capital firm Battery Ventures and Ted Julian, the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based firm quickly assembled a core team of technology experts, including notable figures like Dan Geer as Chief Technical Officer.

The company's trajectory and talent pool were significantly amplified in January 2000 with the pivotal acquisition of L0pht Heavy Industries. L0pht was a renowned hacker collective and think tank, famous for its members testifying before the U.S. Congress in 1998 about the vulnerabilities of the internet. This merger brought aboard famed security experts from L0pht, such as Peiter "Mudge" Zatko, who became @Stake's Vice President of Research and Development, and Chris "Weld Pond" Wysopal. This fusion of corporate structure with the hacker community's deep technical expertise defined @Stake's market position.

Operating primarily as a consulting firm, @Stake provided high-end enterprise clients with security assessments that analyzed risks at the network, application, and content layers. The business model was not based on selling a singular "killer solution" but on delivering a process-oriented approach to security, helping clients understand their risk profiles to make informed decisions. In addition to consulting, the company commercialized several software tools, some of which originated from L0pht's portfolio, such as the password auditing tool L0phtCrack. It also ran the @Stake Academy for information security training. The firm expanded its global reach in July 2000 by acquiring Cerberus Information Security, a London-based company.

After establishing itself as a premier name in security consulting, @Stake was acquired by Symantec in October 2004. The acquisition integrated @Stake's team and its high-profile client roster into Symantec's global services organization, marking the end of an era for the independent security pioneer. Many of its influential alumni went on to found other successful cybersecurity companies, continuing the legacy of innovation that began at L0pht and was commercialized by @Stake.

Keywords: @Stake, L0pht Heavy Industries, cybersecurity consulting, information security, vulnerability assessment, security training, Dan Geer, Ted Julian, Peiter Mudge Zatko, Chris Wysopal, Symantec acquisition, professional services, network security, application security, L0phtCrack, hacker think tank, Cerberus Information Security, digital security, security-as-a-process, Battery Ventures, security research