Tenable, an American cybersecurity firm, is acquiring Apex Security, an Israeli cyber security startup backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, for over US$105 million.

Sources indicate that this deal will enhance Tenable’s exposure management platform with AI capabilities.

Apex Security, founded in 2023 by Matan Derman and Tomer Avni, provides organizations with visibility into their AI activities.

Its system enforces security policies, detects violations, and mitigates AI-related threats, including data leaks and malicious attacks.

This acquisition represents Tenable’s sixth purchase in Israel, following previous acquisitions of Indegy, Cymptom, Ermetic, Eureka, and Vulcan.

Founded in 2002, Tenable is known for its flagship vulnerability scanner, Nessus, and is headquartered in Columbia, Maryland.

🔗 Source: Calcalist

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Tenable’s strategic AI pivot follows broader industry recognition

Tenable’s acquisition of Apex Security comes after the company has already established credibility in AI security, winning the AI-Powered Vulnerability Management category at the 2025 Cybersecurity Excellence Awards1.

This acquisition is part of a structured AI strategy that began earlier, with Tenable recently enhancing its flagship platform with AI-driven capabilities through their ExposureAI™ technology that analyzes data to identify toxic risk combinations2.

The company’s recent Cloud AI Risk Report highlighted how rapid adoption of open-source AI tools is creating security gaps, with 72% of organizations integrating AI into at least one business function by early 20243.

This strategic shift reflects Tenable’s recognition that AI represents both a critical new threat vector and a competitive differentiator in the cybersecurity market, where the company needs to maintain relevance against alternatives like Rapid7 and Qualys4.

2️⃣ Israel emerges as Tenable’s innovation acquisition hub

The Apex acquisition represents Tenable’s sixth Israeli startup purchase, establishing a clear pattern of using Israeli cybersecurity talent to expand its technological capabilities.

Tenable has now invested over $650 million acquiring Israeli companies, with previous acquisitions including Indegy ($78M), Cymptom ($23M), Ermetic ($265M), Eureka ($29.6M), and Vulcan ($150M)5.