Veracode Inc., a software security company based in Burlington, has acquired Marvin Mobile Security, a Berkeley, Calif., maker of software that tests the safety of smartphone and tablet apps. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.
Millions of workers bring their personal mobile devices into the workplace, raising concerns that they’ve downloaded software apps that could vandalize corporate networks or steal sensitive information. Even a benign app may transmit information that a company might want to keep secret, such as the location of a key executive or the contents of his address book.
“This is an acute source of pain” for computer security managers, said Veracode chief executive Bob Brennan.“They need to have a way to do a sanity check -- are they secure?”
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Marvin’s software resides inside a company’s network. When a worker’s mobile device is linked to the network, the security software takes an inventory of the apps on the device and detects the kind of information these apps collect. The software also detects known virus or malware programs. Companies can use the information to ensure risky apps are kept out of the workplace.
“It will allow a corporation to say, does this application do things we don’t want it to do, and does it have any bad stuff in it?” said Brennan.
Veracode had begun work on a similar product, said Brennan. But when Veracode learned that Marvin Mobile Security had already created such software, he decided that an acquisition made more sense.
To read Veracode’s press release, please click here.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.