Thinkst's Canary: Meer's Cyber Triumph

Welcome reader to your CybersecurityHQ report

Haroon Meer, a South African hacker, has significantly impacted cybersecurity through his pioneering work. As the founder of Thinkst Applied Research, Meer has transformed network intrusion detection with the development of the Canary honeypot tool, making advanced security accessible and affordable for organizations worldwide.

A Journey to Revolutionizing Cybersecurity

Meer’s journey in cybersecurity began in the early 2000s. In 2001, he joined SensePost, a then-nascent South African cybersecurity firm, as Chief Technology Officer. During his nine-year tenure at SensePost, the company became one of South Africa's leading cybersecurity firms. Meer’s ambitions soon led him to establish Thinkst Applied Research, which focused on tackling challenging and intriguing cybersecurity problems.

In 2015, after a year of development, Thinkst launched Canary, a honeypot tool designed to address a critical issue in cybersecurity: the delayed detection of network breaches. Traditionally, organizations would spend millions on cybersecurity yet take months to realize they had been compromised. Canary was developed to fix this problem by providing an elegant and affordable solution that was easy to deploy and maintain. Meer emphasized that Canary could be set up within five minutes, even in complex networks, highlighting its user-friendly design.

One of Canary's key differentiators was its open-source nature, which allowed anyone to build their device. For corporate and enterprise customers who require simplicity and reliable support, Thinkst offers Canary appliances and a suite of supporting services. Priced at $7,500 annually, this subscription included five Canaries, a hosted console, a Canarytokens server, and ongoing support, maintenance, and upgrades.

Success Without Venture Capital

Thinkst's Canary became a resounding success. By May 2024, the company had achieved $19 million in annual recurring revenue without relying on venture capital. Meer attributed this success to a customer-centric approach focused on solving real problems. While not opposed to venture capital, Thinkst chose to bootstrap, believing that this approach allowed them to maintain control and focus on customer satisfaction.

Origins and Inspirations

Meer’s interest in cybersecurity was sparked at the University of Natal, where he worked as a student in various IT roles, eventually managing Unix systems and campus firewalls. His early exposure to network security and his natural curiosity led him to develop a scanner for the Unicode bug in 2001, which caught the attention of SensePost co-founder Roelof Temmingh. This encounter set Meer on his path to becoming a cybersecurity innovator.

His interest in honeypots stemmed from his experience in penetration testing, where he observed that many organizations were unaware of breaches until months after they occurred. This realization drove Meer to develop a honeypot solution that was both effective and easy to deploy, ultimately leading to the creation of Canary.

A Vision for the Future

Today, Thinkst continues to innovate under Meer’s leadership. The company is working on new releases and exploring ideas still in the early stages of development. ThinkstCon, an annual gathering in Cape Town, reflects the company’s commitment to continuous learning and improvement.

As a product manager, Meer remains deeply involved in the development and refinement of Canary, with a particular focus on user experience (UX). Despite the company's growth, Meer stays connected to customer feedback, occasionally diving into support tickets to ensure the product meets user needs.

Lessons Learned

Reflecting on his journey, Meer emphasizes three key lessons. First, focusing on and seeing a project through is crucial in the tech industry. Second, working with world-class talent is essential for unlocking potential and ambition. Finally, Meer underscores the importance of good people, noting that success in process and technology naturally follows with the right team.

Meer’s story is a testament to the impact that dedication, innovation, and a customer-focused approach can have in the cybersecurity industry.

Stay Safe, Stay Secure.

The CybersecurityHQ Team