Proofpoint has acquired AI security startup Acuvity, expanding its platform to address risks associated with enterprise use of generative AI and autonomous agents.
The deal adds AI-focused visibility, governance and runtime protection capabilities to Proofpoint’s existing portfolio, which centres on email security, data protection and compliance. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition reflects growing concern among enterprises over the security and governance implications of deploying AI copilots, autonomous agents and model-connected applications across business functions. While such tools promise productivity gains, they also introduce risks including sensitive data exposure, intellectual property leakage, regulatory non-compliance and AI-specific attack techniques such as prompt injection and model manipulation.
Acuvity develops controls designed to monitor and govern how employees and systems interact with external AI services, as well as to secure internally developed or deployed AI models. Its technology provides visibility across endpoints, browsers and AI infrastructure components, including locally installed AI tools and model integration environments.
Proofpoint said the integration will extend its focus on protecting people and data to include AI-driven workflows, positioning identity, data governance and AI oversight within a single platform.
Industry analysts have noted that as AI systems become embedded in daily workflows, security strategies must shift from protecting discrete applications to managing interactions between humans, data and automated agents. The consolidation of AI governance tools into broader cybersecurity platforms is emerging as a trend as vendors seek to provide centralised control for enterprise risk management.
Acuvity’s leadership team is expected to join Proofpoint as part of the transaction. The company said its AI security capabilities will be integrated into the Proofpoint platform while continuing to support existing customers.
