Identity security giant Okta is set to acquire Spera Security, an identity security platform founded in 2022 by Dor Fledel and Ariel Kadyshevitch. The move is part of Okta’s ongoing effort to improve its identity threat detection and security posture management capabilities. Headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel, Spera Security will enrich Okta’s customer base with enhanced insights and cutting-edge technology to rapidly detect, identify, and address risks related to identity security posture management.
In addition to expanding the Okta offering, the integration also equips Okta clients to detect threats and remediate configuration errors within their Identity Provider (IDP) as well as other infrastructure and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications like AWS, GCP, GitHub, and Salesforce. It will enhance clients’ ability to identify and break down identity silos across their technology stack, for example to non-MFA administrators or partially offboard users.
Okta recognizes identity breaches as the predominant threat vector facing organizations today, with 86% of these breaches primarily caused by phishing attacks and other credential abuse. This includes social engineering attacks, cpal credentials, and exploits. This risk factor is significantly increased by the sheer volume and complexity of accounts in cloud applications and services. Unmanaged identities that are not overseen by a central identity provider, unboarded users, and unfederated service accounts serve as potential targets for today’s threat actors. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that IT and security teams have oversight and rapid response capabilities for all corporate accounts and resources.
According to Gartner’s research, implementing identity threat detection and response (ITDR) is key to identity security. By 2026, it is predicted that 90% of organizations will use an embedded ITDR strategy, a significant jump from the current 5-20% today. Okta’s acquisition of Spera Security continues to strengthen its commitment to secure identity product offerings, which also aligns with its mission to enable anyone to use any technology in a secure manner.
Okta previously added significant features to Okta FastPass, its password-free and phishing-resistant authenticator. In addition, the company introduced identity threat protection with Okta AI and introduced Okta Privileged Access to Oktane. The latest acquisition underscores Okta’s initiative to provide controlled access to core business systems, applications, and data, support businesses in complying with regulatory requirements, and streamline security operations.
With this acquisition, Okta looks set to make a significant leap in the identity security sector, providing clients with a more robust framework for managing identity-based threats. Their Identity Threat Protection (ITP) integrates different parts of the technology stack and offers a newer kind of security paradigm. This enables seamless integration and real-time post-authentication risk assessment. In a significant transformational shift, ITP is positioned as a connecting layer across the technology stack, detecting unusual events such as changes in IP address or device context, and helping organizations effectively neutralize identity-related threats. This bold move by Okta is sure to be closely watched by privacy enthusiasts and businesses alike in this fast-paced digital world.
