Accenture has made a strategic investment, through Accenture Ventures, in Prevailion, a next-generation cyber intelligence company that provides clients with expansive visibility into malware across their organization and supply chains with early detection of advanced threats through adversary counterintelligence.

The investment will enhance Accenture's ability to provide clients with advanced indications and warnings of cyber threats through actionable evidence of malware that has potentially compromised their systems and third-party ecosystems, which are increasingly prime targets for cybercriminal and espionage actors. Accenture's Cyber Investigations & Forensic Response team saw an almost 200% increase in third-party and supply chain intrusions during 2020 - with no signs of letting up in 2021.

"Prevailion's innovative approach in exposing emerging adversaries, especially when paired with our best-in-class cyber intelligence team, will enable our clients to face the next generation of threats with confidence," said Josh Ray, who leads Accenture Security's cyber defense practice globally. "Prevailion's multi-industry reach will enhance our cyber insurance services, including those geared toward mergers and acquisitions, and enable our team to proactively detect and mitigate threats targeting our clients."

Prevailion transforms the way organizations approach risk mitigation and business decision-making through its Compromise Intelligence solutions that go beyond traditional indicators of compromise to deliver hard evidence of compromise, which comprises a collection of forensic data that points to a confirmed malicious attack on a commercial, industrial or government network. The solution gives clients a full view of actual threats to their organizations and those of their ecosystem partners early in the overall attack chain.

"This investment from Accenture is exciting and supports our mission to deliver tailored intelligence that empowers risk-based decisions on a global scale," said Karim Hijaz, Prevailion's founder and CEO. "Accenture's reputation and top-tier client base will enable us to make a greater impact on securing the corporate world from devastating cyberattacks."

Prevailion is now a part of Accenture Ventures' Project Spotlight, an engagement and investment program that connects emerging technology software startups with the Global 2000 to fill strategic innovation gaps. Project Spotlight offers extensive access to Accenture's domain expertise and its enterprise clients, helping startups harness human creativity and deliver on the promise of their technology.

"Accenture Ventures' investment in Prevailion aligns with our commitment to identify emerging technologies that can meet our clients' business needs and address their priorities," said Tom Lounibos, managing director of Accenture Ventures. "Armed with compromise intelligence from Prevailion, we can proactively provide clients with global evidence of active breaches and emerging risks to their supply chains, enabling them to make smarter decisions and mitigate high-priority security risks preemptively."

Accenture's backing of Prevailion follows several other investments that Accenture has made in cybersecurity and intelligence companies, including Quantexa, Team 8, Endgame and Claroty.