Ann Arbor, MI (April 10, 2024) – Upstream Security, a company that provides cloud-based cybersecurity solutions to protect connected vehicles and other IoT devices from cyberattacks, announced it received an investment from Cisco Investments, the venture capital arm of Cisco, fuels innovation by investing in early-stage companies shaping the future of networking, security, and IT. The proliferation of complex IoT devices in the Mobility, Automotive, and Transportation sectors introduces unprecedented operational efficiencies, data-driven services and solutions, and exceptional customer experience. However, advanced connectivity and software-defined components also open the door for large-scale cyber risks, threatening business availability and data integrity.
Upstream already protects millions of mobility connected vehicles and IoT devices worldwide, offering a cloud-based multi-layered approach to extended detection and response.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cisco Investments to our group of investors,” states Yoav Levy, Upstream Security Co-founder and CEO. “This investment provides a unique opportunity to deepen our impact on the IoT sector, and more specifically Mobility, Automotive and Transportation.”
This investment by Cisco Investments amplifies the need for purpose-built IoT cybersecurity solutions. These solutions will safeguard the mobility and IoT ecosystem across the entire development and production lifecycle.
“Cisco, together with our partners, is enabling automobile manufacturers across the globe. This enables them to provide mission-critical, secure connectivity as cars transform into data centers on wheels,” says Cisco Investments vice president, Aleem Rizvon. “With an expected 95% of new vehicles having embedded connectivity by the year 2030, we can also expect a rise in automotive cybersecurity threats. Investing in solutions to ensure the right safeguards for secure connectivity and operation are in place is critical. Instilling trust is crucial for widespread technology adoption, not solely in autos but across various IoT applications too.”
Disrupting the IoT Cybersecurity Landscape
Upstream’s cloud-based IoT XDR platform analyzes physical IoT assets and their ecosystem in real-time, holistically identifying and mitigating cyber risks. The Platform is agentless, requiring no installation of software or hardware. Moreover, this enables rapid deployment and comprehensive coverage of devices already in production.
The Platform ingests, parses, and normalizes vast amounts of connected vehicle data, IoT protocols, telematics, API transactions. It also handles other data streams from tens of millions of devices, endpoints, and application consumers. This data enables the creation of unique digital twins. These are near real-time representations of devices and endpoints, facilitating holistic and effective detection. The Platform detects known and unknown anomalies through monitoring devices, services, and asset behavior via proprietary ML-powered models.
Upstream provides a holistic suite of cybersecurity solutions and services to enable customers to proactively identify and remediate cyber threats. Coupled with a purpose-built vehicle security operation center (vSOC), dedicated for monitoring and investigating connected vehicles and IoT cyber threats. Utilizing Upstream’s Ocean AI, Generative AI-powered capabilities, accelerates the investigation remediation process.
“At Cisco, we are the leading provider of mobile IoT connectivity services. We have extensively explored the ecosystem to identify optimal partners to enrich our offerings. Upstream’s cybersecurity solution emerged as a standout choice due to its innovative architecture and technology maturity,” said Masum Mir, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Cisco’s Provider Mobility Business
