PhishLabs

About PhishLabs

PhishLabs, now a key component of Fortra's cybersecurity portfolio, was established in 2008 by John LaCour in Charleston, South Carolina. LaCour, leveraging his extensive background in information security, which included roles at companies like RedSeal Systems and Check Point Software, founded the company to combat the escalating threat of phishing attacks that he observed were overwhelming traditional security measures. His journey began with a focus on providing specialized protection against digital risks, a niche that has since grown into a significant market segment.

The company operates in the digital risk protection market, offering a suite of services designed to safeguard enterprises from external threats. PhishLabs delivers its services through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, where clients subscribe to its platform for ongoing protection. This model generates recurring revenue by providing continuous monitoring and mitigation services. Its clientele primarily consists of large enterprises, including many in the Fortune 500 and the financial services sector, which are high-value targets for cybercriminals. A significant milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by HelpSystems (now Fortra) in October 2021, a move that integrated PhishLabs' specialized threat intelligence and mitigation capabilities into Fortra's broader cybersecurity platform.

The core of PhishLabs' offering is its Digital Risk Protection platform, which combines human intelligence with technology to provide comprehensive threat detection and response. This platform protects against a variety of external threats, including brand impersonation, account takeover, data leakage, and social media threats. A key service is Suspicious Email Analysis, which helps organizations investigate and respond to employee-reported emails, effectively turning employees into a part of the security apparatus. The platform works by continuously monitoring the digital landscape—spanning the surface, deep, and dark web—for threats targeting a client's brand, employees, and customers. Once a threat is identified and verified by their expert analysts, PhishLabs takes action to neutralize it, offering a managed service that handles the entire mitigation process from detection to takedown.