Report: Facebook Wants to Acquire a Cybersecurity Firm

Facebook has acquired messaging apps, VR firms, even a search platform for GIFs. But after a rough 2018, which included the Cambridge Analytica scandal and, more recently, the breach of approximately 30 million accounts, it's turning its M&A inquiries toward cyber-security firms.

As The Information reports, citing four people familiar with the matter, Facebook has "approached several security firms" to discuss a deal. The site's sources did not disclose which firms the social network is eyeing, but one suggested a deal might be inked by year's end.

An internal team at Facebook has been on the hunt for companies that are open to an acquisition, The Information says. On its wish list are firms that would merge well with existing Facebook systems and tech that would better protect Facebook user accounts.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In 2014, Facebook bought PrivateCore, a Palo Alto-based startup that developed software used to validate and secure server data.

That obviously wasn't enough to stop the scraping of data that was ultimately provided to Cambridge Analytica; Facebook said this year that up to 87 million accounts were affected by that issue. It prompted the social network to conduct a far-reaching audit of apps that have access to Facebook data; several have since been banned for mishandling information.

More recently, hackers exploited three software vulnerabilities in the company's code involving the "View As" feature, which lets you see what your profile looks like to the public or a specific individual. Up to 30 million users were ensnared in that scandal.

All this comes as Facebook jumps into smart displays with its Portal devices.

This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.