| Bitdefender | |
| Type: | Private |
| Industry: | Computer software |
| Products: | Cybersecurity software |
| Services: | Computer security |
| Founder: | Florin Talpeș |
| Location: | Bucharest, RomaniaSanta Clara, California |
| Area Served: | Worldwide |
| Key People: | Florin Talpeș (CEO) |
| Revenue: | €296 million (2022) |
| Num Employees: | 1,800+ (2023) |
Bitdefender is a multinational cybersecurity technology company dual-headquartered in Bucharest, Romania and Santa Clara, California,[1] with offices in the United States, Europe, Australia and the Middle East.[2]
The company was founded in 2001 by the current CEO and main shareholder, Florin Talpeș. Bitdefender develops and delivers cybersecurity products and services, including endpoint protection, cloud and managed security, antivirus software, and security for the Internet of things. Bitdefender products are distributed through partners in over 150 countries[3] and the US market is estimated to generate more than 40% of its revenues. As of 2023, the company employed more than 1,800 people worldwide.
Bitdefender software was originally developed by SOFTWIN, a company founded in 1990 in post-communist Romania. It was originally sold as AVX (Antivirus Expert) from 1996 until 2001, when the Bitdefender subsidiary was created, and AVX was rebranded under the Bitdefender name.[4]
In 2007, Bitdefender became a separate business entity with external capital entry, with Axxess Capital Investment Fund as a key shareholder.
From 2004 to 2015, the company expanded with offices in the United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Middle East.[5]
In 2017, the company acquired French partner Profil Technology.[6] British fund Virtuvian Partners would then buy a 30% stake in the company, putting its valuation over $600 million.[7]
In 2018, Bitdefender opened a new subsidiary in Australia, through acquisition of assets from SMS eTech.[8] That year, the company also acquired behavioral and network security analysis company RedSocks.
Bitdefender opened its own Security Operations Center in San Antonio, Texas in 2019. Bitdefender signed a multi-year partnership deal with Scuderia Ferrari on September 28, 2022.[9] [10]
In April 2024, Bitdefender announced the launch of Bitdefender Voyager Ventures, a corporate venture capital unit.[11]
Bitdefender's original product was sold as Antivirus Expert until 2001, when it was rebranded under the Bitdefender name.
Since 2011, Bitdefender has expanded to include consumer and enterprise security products, and in 2021, an extended detection and response (XDR) platform.[12] Like most security suites, Bitdefender’s consumer services are managed through an online portal, called Bitdefender Central.[13]
In December 2023, Bitdefender launched Scamio, a free AI-powered scam detector.[14] [15] Bitdefender and NinjaOne announced a partnership in May 2024 to integrate their security software into a single product suite.[16]
Bitdefender joined the No More Ransom initiative in 2016, releasing free decryption tools for victims of ransom attacks to decrypt their devices without having to pay to do so.[17] [18] In 2018, Bitdefender joined the Cybersecurity Tech Accord,[19] [20] . In 2019, Bitdefender provided operational support to Europol's European Cybercrime Centre, helping shut down the Sipulimarket and Silkktie darknet markets.[21]
Bitdefender’s 2020 research into the Interplanetary Storm botnet proxy network was provided to law enforcement ahead of the FBI dismantling the network in November 2023.[22]
In May 2024, Bitdefender was a supporting partner for Europol’s Operation Endgame, which Europol called the largest operation ever against bots. It led to the takedown of over 100 servers, and four arrests worldwide.[23] [24]
On March 20, 2010, computers running Bitdefender under 64-bit versions of Windows were affected by a malfunctioning update that classified every executable program as well as DLL files as infected. These files were all marked as 'Trojan.FakeAlert.5' and were moved into quarantine. This action led to software and systems malfunctions that affected users globally.[25] Bitdefender representatives announced the removal of the faulty update and a workaround for the users affected,[26] except for those using the 2008 version.[27]
In 2020, hacker group DarkSide switched their main encryption ransomware product over to an "affiliate" model wherein other attackers could download and use their software in exchange for a portion of the profits. However, they introduced a bug in the process where affiliate hackers would all use the same private RSA key - meaning that a decryption package for a single target who paid the ransom would work on any target that had the ransomware installed. Security researchers noticed and were quietly already helping victims of the software, but with no public notice, making it so that the attackers would only see an inexplicable decrease in ransom payments that could be written off as chance.
Months later, Bitdefender publicly released a decryptor of their own development and issued a blog post describing the flaw, a move criticized in the MIT Technology Review. The article wrote that Bitdefender's program was flawed and could "damage" files decrypted with it. Second, the blog post tipped off DarkSide as to the nature of the flaw, leading to the group sarcastically thanking Bitdefender and patching the bug.
Security researchers studying the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack in May 2021 criticized Bitdefender for using the bug as a brief burst of publicity, though they acknowledged that DarkSide would’ve eventually noticed and fixed the issue.[28] Bitdefender defended their actions, saying they only wished to notify as many organizations as possible,[29] triggering a discussion among cybersecurity professionals about the pros and cons of publicly disclosing such vulnerabilities in malware.[30]