Krux
April 13, 2026
Cisco Eyes $350M Bet on AI Agent Security
Published: April 13, 2026 at 12:29 AM
Updated: April 13, 2026 at 12:29 AM
100-word summary
Cisco is in advanced talks to acquire Astrix Security, a Tel Aviv startup focused on AI agent security, for up to $350 million, according to media reports. The deal hasn't closed and neither company has commented publicly. Astrix just raised $45 million five months ago, valuing its total funding at around $85 million. Backers include Menlo Ventures and, notably, Anthropic itself, the AI lab now competing to secure the very agent systems it helped fund protection for. If completed, Cisco would fold Astrix into its Security Cloud. The play: as companies hand AI agents access to internal data and systems, someone needs to manage those machine identities before a chatbot...
What happened
Cisco is in advanced talks to acquire Astrix Security, a Tel Aviv startup focused on AI agent security, for up to $350 million, according to media reports. The deal hasn't closed and neither company has commented publicly. Astrix just raised $45 million five months ago, valuing its total funding at around $85 million. Backers include Menlo Ventures and, notably, Anthropic itself, the AI lab now competing to secure the very agent systems it helped fund protection for.
Why it matters
If completed, Cisco would fold Astrix into its Security Cloud. The play: as companies hand AI agents access to internal data and systems, someone needs to manage those machine identities before a chatbot accidentally exfiltrates your customer database.