Google To Acquire Reston Cybersecurity Firm In $5.4B Deal

RESTON, VA — Mandiant Inc., a Reston-based cybersecurity firm, will be acquired by Google in a deal valued at about $5.4 billion, the companies announced Tuesday.

When the acquisition is completed, publicly traded Mandiant will become part of Google’s cloud computing division. The acquisition of Mandiant highlights Google’s commitment to cybersecurity products, the companies said.

“There has never been a more critical time in cybersecurity. Since our founding, Mandiant’s mission has been to combat cyber attacks and protect our customers from the latest threats,” Mandiant CEO Kevin Mandia said in a statement Tuesday. “To that end, we are thrilled to be joining forces with Google Cloud.”

Founded in 2004, Mandiant has 2,300 employees, including 600 consultants and 300 intelligence analysts who work on security breaches. Its headquarters is at 11955 Freedom Drive in Reston.

Mandiant was part of the investigation into the December 2020 attack on SolarWinds, a U.S. information technology firm, and was contracted by Colonial Pipeline to help respond to the ransomware attack on the pipeline company in 2021, WTOP reported.

The Reston company also created a task force to track the ongoing crisis in Ukraine as Russia widens its attack on the country.

Google’s acquisition of Mandiant requires approval from Mandiant shareholders as well as federal regulators. The deal is expected to be completed later this year, the companies said.