Microsoft Corp, is considering a deal to buy cybersecurity firm Mandiant Inc., Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The talks may not result in an offer, according to the report.

Shares of Mandiant rose more than 18%, while those of Microsoft were up 1.1% in late afternoon trading.

Mandiant became a standalone entity again last year when FireEye Inc. -- which acquired the company in 2013 -- sold its products business and the FireEye name for $1.2 billion to a consortium led by private-equity firm Symphony Technology Group.

Mandiant, which has a market capitalization of about $3.6 billion, focuses on cyber-incident response and cybersecurity testing.

A deal to buy Mandiant would help Microsoft beef up its products that protect its clients from cybersecurity threats. The software giant bought two smaller cybersecurity companies in 2021 and said it would spend $20 billion on cybersecurity over the next five years.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Mandiant declined to comment.