IBM to purchase cyber security firm Resilient Systems

Attendees gather next to the exhibit stall of IBM Security at the Cybertech 2016 conference in Tel Aviv, Israel January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

IBM Security plans to acquire private cyber security firm Resilient Systems, the computing giant said, as part of a move to expand its role in the incident response market. 

The sale comes amid a consolidation in the cyber sector and a decline in valuations of public and private cyber firms. Some investors believe the companies were overvalued after a host of headline-grabbing hacks against the US government and major corporations increased interest in the market.