Microsoft Is Said to Pursue Deal for Cybersecurity Firm Mandiant

Microsoft Corp. is considering making a bid for cybersecurity-research and incident response company Mandiant Inc., according to a person familiar with the discussions, a deal that would bolster efforts to protect customers from hacks and breaches.

The deliberations may not result in an offer, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. Mandiant and Microsoft declined to comment.

Adding Mandiant, with a market value of about $3.7 billion, would build up Microsoft’s arsenal of products for protecting clients and responding to cybersecurity threats. The software giant bought two smaller cybersecurity companies last year, and ...