Palo Alto, IBM and Red Hat Launch Shield‑and‑Fix Cybersecurity Collaboration
The partners will pair Palo Alto’s network virtual patching with Project Lightwell remediation to try to cut the time attackers have to exploit newly found software flaws.
Overview
- The three companies announced the collaboration on June 24, 2026, which integrates Palo Alto Networks’ Virtual Patching with IBM and Red Hat’s Project Lightwell to give a combined network shield and code-level fix workflow.
- Virtual patching will block exploit attempts at the network layer before software updates are applied while Project Lightwell validates and distributes fixes for open-source components and enterprise software.
- IBM Security Services will provide advisory and deployment support to help customers prioritize which vulnerabilities to protect and to test and roll out the combined protections in complex environments.
- The partners set a near-term goal of same-day network protections after a validated discovery but cautioned that some integrated features are forward-looking and not yet generally available.
- The collaboration targets open-source projects, commercial apps, operational technology systems and healthcare devices and aims to create secure cross-vendor channels for sharing vulnerability data to speed coordinated remediation.