Defense.Net

Defense.Net was a cybersecurity firm specializing in advanced mitigation services against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The company was established in December 2012 by Barrett Lyon, a notable figure in the cybersecurity space who had previously founded Prolexic Technologies, the first managed service for DDoS defense. Lyon's deep expertise in tracking and mitigating cyber threats shaped the company's direction from its inception.

The business catered to organizations with internet-facing infrastructures, such as large enterprises and e-commerce websites, that required robust protection from sophisticated and high-volume DDoS attacks. Defense.Net's business model was centered on providing a cloud-based security service. Its core product, DDoS Frontline, operated on a high-capacity network designed to filter and neutralize malicious traffic in real-time before it could impact a client's services. This was achieved by intercepting all incoming traffic, analyzing it, and routing it through various mitigation systems tailored to specific attack vectors. A key feature was the 'AttackView' portal, which offered clients real-time data and post-attack analysis of security incidents.

In August 2013, the company emerged from stealth mode, securing $9.5 million in a Series A funding round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. This capital injection enabled the firm to scale its infrastructure and expand its team of DDoS experts. After just under two years of operation, Defense.Net was acquired by F5 Networks in May 2014 for an undisclosed amount, reported to be between $50 and $100 million. The acquisition was a strategic move by F5 to integrate Defense.Net's cloud-based mitigation capabilities with its own on-premise DDoS protection solutions, creating a comprehensive hybrid offering for customers. The technology later became part of the F5 Silverline service portfolio.

Keywords: DDoS mitigation, network security, cloud security services, cybersecurity, Barrett Lyon, F5 Networks acquisition, DDoS protection, Prolexic, web infrastructure protection, DDoS Frontline, AttackView, data center security, application security, Bessemer Venture Partners, hybrid DDoS solution, volumetric attack defense, cyber threat intelligence, internet security, network traffic analysis, cloud scrubbing