Lookout was founded by three IT security researchers that met at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. As students, they formed a consulting firm focused on cybersecurity called Flexilis in 2003. In 2004, they discovered a vulnerability in Nokia phones that allowed them to take control of the phones remotely through Bluetooth. The founders couldn't get Nokia to patch the vulnerability, so they scanned data from Nokia phones at the 2005 Academy Awards using a high-powered bluetooth device, as a publicity stunt. Exposing security vulnerabilities in the private phones of celebrities led to widespread media attention and Nokia soon fixed the problem. In 2007, Flexilis began developing a mobile security app and raised $5.5 million in venture capital. In 2009, Flexilis changed its name to Lookout. $11 million in venture capital funding was raised in 2010 followed by $40 million in 2011, $75 million in 2012, and $55 million in 2013. A series F funding round in 2014 raised another $150 million in funding. In 2014, co-founder John Hering stepped down as CEO and former Juniper Networks executive Jim Dolce was appointed to the position. In 2017, Lookout and Citizen Lab discovered a malicious app called Pegasus, made by the Israeli-firm NSO Group, which had iPhone and Android versions that posed as ordinary apps, then took control of the phone once downloaded. The following year, Lookout and the Electronic Frontier Foundation published a report exposing a series of similar hacking campaigns by the Lebanese government called Dark Caracal.
Products
Lookout develops and markets a security app for mobile phones also called Lookout. A free version includes antivirus and antimalware scans, and locator features. The free version comes pre-installed on Android devices sold by T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint. Paid versions add the ability to remotely lock and wipe the phone, backup photos, and other features. An enterprise version adds analytics, an admin console, and tools to detect malicious software on corporate networks. The first free version of Lookout was introduced in December 2009. The first paid version was introduced the following year. A "Safe Browsing" browser add-on was added in 2011. In 2012, Version 3 of Lookout overhauled the user interface and added Signal Flare, which documents the phone's location just before it runs out of battery. The following year, Lookout added a feature that secretly takes a photo when someone tries to unlock the phone unsuccessfully, in order to catch thieves. The first business version, which added features for IT administrators, was introduced in 2013. This was followed by the first enterprise version in June 2015.
