Facebook Buys Web Security Firm PrivateCore

In what some are taking as yet another sign that Facebook is preparing to make a big e-commerce push, Facebook has announced it has acquired Palo Alto-based secure server tech company PrivateCore, a Palo Alto-based secure server technology company. Facebook plans to incorporate PrivateCore’s technology in its own server system..

“PrivateCore and Facebook share a vision of a more connected, secure world,” a Facebook spokesperson stated, reportsTechCrunch. “We plan to deploy PrivateCore’s groundbreaking technology into Facebook’s server stack to help further our mission to protect the people who use our service.”

Private core offers what is known as vCage, which allows PrivateCore to simultaneously validate remote servers and protect data-in-use. Any application in use on a commodity x86 servers is protectable with PrivateCore’s cloud-based security software.

Facebook’s head of security, Joe Sullivan, further noted that as Facebook has been pushing the rollout of HTTPS encryption by default, it needs its data centers secured more effectively.

“Their vCage technology protects servers from persistent malware, unauthorized physical access, and malicious hardware devices, making it safer to run any application in outsourced, hosted or cloud environments,” says Sullivan. “The team at PrivateCore is also made up of top-notch security veterans with a lot of experience.”

PrivateCore CEO Oded Horovitz will be moving with the company over to Facebook. No price for the acquisition was disclosed.