Darktrace's Mira Acquisition to Tackle the Encryption Gap

Encrypted network traffic is a formidable challenge when it comes to cybersecurity.

While encryption serves to protect data in transit, it introduces blind spots for security teams striving to monitor network activity and identify threats effectively.

Darktrace is addressing this predicament through its acquisition of network traffic specialist Mira Security.

The synergy of Mira Security's in-line decryption technologies with Darktrace's AI-powered analytics platform is expected to enhance visibility across enterprise network landscapes.

The acquisition is a continuation of the existing collaboration between Darktrace and Mira and is Darktrace's second acquisition this year, following the acquisition of cloud security expert Cado Security in January.

Under this acquisition, Mira Security's engineering workforce, based in South Africa and the United States, will integrate with Darktrace's research and development sector, bringing expertise in high-performance networking and hardware acceleration.

“The acquisition of Mira Security is another building block in our strategy to develop best-in-class cybersecurity solutions and keep our customers safe through continuous innovation,” says Phil Pearson, Chief Strategy Officer at Darktrace.

Mira Security, he describes, will contribute as “a valuable source of insight for our AI, helping us provide unparalleled detection and response capabilities at scale”.

Regulated industries drive encryption security demand

Industry sectors such as financial services, government agencies and critical infrastructure operators face specific demands to maintain network visibility while adhering to stringent encryption requirements.

These sectors cannot sacrifice security monitoring or data protection, thereby necessitating technologies that can deliver both effectively.

The collaborative infrastructure between Darktrace and Mira Security specifically addresses this market necessity.

The integrated platform means there's no need for organisations to compromise between encryption and visibility, ensuring these elements without degrading network performance or necessitating infrastructure modifications.

Darktrace’s network detection and response platform Darktrace / NETWORK is recognised as a leader in this field.

The company has earned the Leader title in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant for Network Detection and Response, maintains a 4.7 star rating on Gartner Peer Insights and received Leader designation in both the IDC MarketScape and KuppingerCole’s Leadership Compass for network detection and response.

Technology integration creates market opportunities

For Darktrace, Mira Security's technology enriches its ActiveAI Security Platform, which already merges network, cloud and email security under a unified management system.

The platform leverages machine learning to establish baseline behaviour patterns for individual environments, allowing the detection of anomalies that may indicate potential threats.

“The combination of Mira Security and Darktrace’s unique technology and brilliant R&D talent will create even more exciting possibilities for protecting complex network environments,” says Niel Viljoen, Founder and CEO of Mira Security.

Phil adds that bringing the Mira Security team into Darktrace means the company “will be able to accelerate innovation, deepen the capabilities of our market-leading Network product and unlock even greater security performance for our customers”.

This strategic move positions Darktrace to address emerging network security challenges as enterprise-level encryption usage continues to rise.

Conventional security solutions relying on packet inspection and content analysis struggle to handle encrypted traffic, leaving exploitable gaps for threat actors.

Darktrace, made up of over 2,400 employees and supporting nearly 10,000 customers worldwide, has achieved substantial growth since its founding in 2013.

The firm has filed more than 200 patent applications from its research centres in Cambridge and The Hague and was acquired by US private equity firm Thoma Bravo in 2024.

Niel concludes: “Together, Mira Security and Darktrace will be able to deliver new value for customers and partners.”