Oracle is to buy fraud prevention software specialist Bharosa for an undisclosed sum.
The purchase of the company that specialises in developing software that combats identity theft and fraud will add its Tracker and Authenticator software to Oracle's existing web single sign-on and web-based authorisation products.
Bharosa's fraud detection and multi-factor online authentication security products boast more than 25 million users and Oracle said that adding this functionality to its existing products will provide the "next-generation of access management" to customers.
"We plan to continue rapidly expanding our security business to provide our customers with the most comprehensive, leading information protection solutions available," said Hasan Rizvi, vice president of Identity Management and Security Products at Oracle.
Rivzi said in an open letter to customers that online fraud has increased, causing users to lose confidence in web-based services and leading to a significant impact on businesses.
"Driven by specific regulatory mandates such as FFIEC, PCI and HIPAA, organisations are under pressure to proactively detect and prevent fraud and provide more granular reporting of their progress toward protecting the privacy of consumers," said Rivzi.
The transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in August 2007.
