Under threat: Cybersecurity startups fall on harder times

FILE PHOTO: Attendees look over displays from cyber security companies during the Black Hat information security conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo

SAN FRANCISCO: A wave of cyberattacks by criminals, spies and hacker activists should make these heady days for US cybersecurity startups. 

Instead, many in the crowded market are struggling to live up to their early promise. In some cases, the security products they developed have been overtaken by advances in cyber hacking, according to industry executives and venture capitalists. In others, larger competitors have come out with similar technology and locked down customers.