McAfee snaps up MX Logic to boost security services

McAfee on Thursday announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire e-mail and Web security vendor MX Logic for about $140 million in cash.

Dave DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee, said the buyout is intended to buttress the position of McAfee in the area of security as a service, adding it "brings world-class e-mail and Web defense, including archiving and business continuity services, extending our proven expertise in providing cloud-based services to our customers."

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By coincidence, McAfee and MX Logic both published periodic threat reports this week each detailing how spam has hit all-time highs.

The acquisition, McAfee's third this year, is expected to close in the third quarter.

Earlier this year, McAfee bought Solidcore Systems for its whitelisting technology and Endeavor Security, a privately-held maker of IPS/IDS technology.