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CYREN Ltd.

cyrn · NASDAQ Technology
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Ticker cyrn
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Employees 201-500
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FY2018 Annual Report · CYREN Ltd.
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018

OR

TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from 

 to 

Commission file number: 000–26495

CYREN LTD. 
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Israel
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

10 Ha-Menofim St., 5th Floor
Herzliya, Israel
(Address of principal executive offices)

Not applicable
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

4672561
(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code 011–972–9–863–6888 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Title of Each Class
Ordinary Shares, par value ILS 0.15 per share

Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Nasdaq Capital Market 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.    Yes ☐ No ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing 
requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of 
Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the 
best of Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to 
this Form 10-K.  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an 
emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth 
company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer
Non-Accelerated filer

☐
☒

Accelerated filer
Smaller reporting company
Emerging growth company

☐
☒
☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by checkmark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new 
or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act)    Yes ☐ No ☒

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was approximately $73.7 million as of June 29, 2018.

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s ordinary shares (as of February 28, 2019): Ordinary Shares — 54,217,357.

Documents Incorporated By Reference 

None

Table of Contents 

PART I

ITEM 1.
ITEM 1A.
ITEM 1B.
ITEM 2.
ITEM 3.
ITEM 4.

BUSINESS
RISK FACTORS
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
PROPERTIES
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE

PART II

ITEM 5.

MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND 

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

ITEM 6.
ITEM 7.

SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF 

OPERATIONS

ITEM 7A.
ITEM 8.
ITEM 9.

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL 

ITEM 9A.

CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

DISCLOSURE

PART III

ITEM 10.
ITEM 11.
ITEM 12.

DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND 

RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS

ITEM 13.
ITEM 14.

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

PART IV

ITEM 15.
ITEM 16.

EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
FORM 10-K SUMMARY

SIGNATURES

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ITEM 1. BUSINESS 

Unless otherwise indicated, all references in this document to “Cyren”, “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are to Cyren Ltd., and its 

consolidated subsidiaries, namely Cyren Inc., Cyren Iceland hf, Cyren UK Ltd., and Cyren Gesellschaft mbH.

General 

Purpose built for the cloud, Cyren is an early pioneer and leading innovator of SaaS security solutions that protect businesses, their employees 

and customers from threats on the web, in email and on mobile devices. Our mission is to protect people and organizations from cyber threats when they 
use the internet.

Cyren’s cloud-first approach to security sets us apart from other vendors in the market. Cyren is an internet security company that is delivering 

security results that are disrupting legacy vendors and appliance-based solutions. Our security solutions are architected around the fundamental belief that 
internet security is a race against time – and the cloud best enables the speed, sophistication and advanced automation needed to detect and block threats 
as they emerge on the internet. As more and more businesses move their data and applications to the cloud, they need a security provider that is able to 
keep pace.

Today’s internet threats are faster and stealthier than ever. As cybercrime has become more sophisticated, every malware, phishing and 

ransomware variant is unique, making it more difficult to detect and block attacks. While organizations have traditionally protected their users with 
gateway security appliances at their network perimeter, more frequent and evasive attacks combined with a more distributed workforce are reducing the 
effectiveness of this approach. Traditional appliances lack the real-time threat intelligence and processing power to detect emerging threats, and the 
growth of mobile devices and an increasingly distributed workforce mean that more and more business is conducted outside of the traditional network 
perimeter. As a result, when new attacks appear in a matter of seconds, legacy appliances can leave companies vulnerable for hours, days or even weeks.

Cyren’s security cloud delivers faster detection and protection, with SaaS security solutions that inspect web and email traffic before it reaches a 

user’s browser or inbox – often identifying and blocking threats in just seconds. Our SaaS solutions are easy to deploy and manage, delivering critical 
security and faster innovation, for a low total cost of ownership. In May 2018, Cyren launched its most recent version Cyren Cloud Security (CCS 4.5) 
which added GDPR features to its single globally operated security as a service platform which consisted of Cyren Web Security (CWS), Cyren Email 
Security (CES), Cyren DNS security and Cloud Sandboxing. In April 2018, Cyren also announced that its Threat Intelligence Services and 
GlobalView™, security intelligence cloud would be integrated into the Microsoft Office 365 network in order to help combat malicious email, and 
complement Microsoft’s real-time detection of the latest email threats and potentially harmful URLs. In September 2018, Cyren launched its GoCloud 
Partner Program, a new global channel program that provides resellers, managed service providers, and distributors with the opportunity to partner with 
Cyren and add Cyren’s cloud security solutions to their portfolios.

Our Offerings

Cyren’s cloud security services are delivered via two security platforms:

● Cyren Cloud Security (CCS) – this SaaS security platform is designed for enterprise customers, and is sold either directly or through channel 
partners. Cyren Cloud Security (CCS) services currently include Web Security (CWS), Email Security (CES), DNS Security, and Cloud 
Sandboxing. Cyren expects to release two additional enterprise products on the CCS platform in 2019, which are further detailed below.

● Cyren Threat Intelligence Services (TIS) – this platform offers cloud-based cyber threat detection APIs, and SDKs to many of the world’s 

leading technology and security vendors. Cyren Threat Intelligence Services include Email Security, Web Security, Endpoint Security, and 
Advanced Threat Protection.

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These platforms are powered by Cyren GlobalView, Cyren’s global security cloud (see Figure 1 below) that identifies emerging threats in real 

time. GlobalView analyzes over 25 billion security transactions each day, using big data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced 
heuristics to rapidly detect and prevent sophisticated attacks. By inspecting internet traffic in the cloud, Cyren identifies and automatically blocks threats 
as they emerge on the internet, stopping threats in seconds before they reach users. Google, Microsoft and Check Point are just a few of the organizations 
that depend on Cyren to power their security infrastructure.

Figure 1: The Cyren GlobalView security cloud applies advanced detection engines against massive volumes of security transactions in real time to 
identify emerging cyber threats in seconds.

Cyren GlobalView

With massive volumes of enterprise and consumer traffic from more than 180 countries, GlobalView is able to see and analyze emerging threats 

on the internet within seconds. The key to GlobalView’s detections capabilities include:

(i)

(ii)

(iii)

Massive Security Data – Everyday, Cyren processes more than 25 billion security transactions generated by over 1.3 billion users 
worldwide to detect cyber threats as they emerge – including thousands of new, never-been-seen malicious IP addresses, phishing sites 
and URLs. As a result, Cyren is able to identify new and emerging threats in seconds.

Comprehensive Detection Technologies – Cyren’s proprietary detection engines leverage big data analytics, advanced heuristics, 
patented Recurrent Pattern Detection (RPD), behavioral sandboxing, and machine learning, all tied together in a single-pass streaming 
architecture that applies these detection techniques in parallel. Distributed, massively scalable, and fault tolerant, this approach delivers 
fully automated real-time threat identification with zero human intervention across web, DNS, email, and files.

Advanced Cyber Intelligence – Real-time, actionable cyber intelligence services are used by over 100 technology and security 
providers including Google, Microsoft and Check Point. The breadth and accuracy of our security cloud identifies and blocks more than 
300 million threats each day, and enables protection from malicious messages, hosts and websites, and instantly automates protection 
for all users.

2

Cyren Cloud Security:

Figure 2: Cyren Cloud Security is a 100% cloud-delivered SaaS security platform.

Cyren Cloud Security (CCS) offers enterprise customers a broad set of internet security services from a common integrated platform (see Figure 

2 above), referred to by some in the industry as a “secure internet gateway”. The services include Cyren Web Security (a SaaS secure web gateway), 
Cyren Email Security (a SaaS secure email gateway), Cyren DNS Security (a SaaS DNS web filtering solution), and Cyren Cloud Sandboxing (an 
advanced threat protection service integrated into Cyren Web Security and Cyren Email Security, and also available as a standalone service). These 
products are all available on the CCS platform, leveraging shared threat detection services, a common policy framework, integrated reporting, customer 
onboarding and license management. Each of these service offerings may be purchased separately, or as part of a bundled suite. All products are sold on a 
per-user SaaS subscription model, providing customers with a quick-to-deploy, easy-to-manage solution and a low total cost of ownership.

Cyren has also announced its intention to release two new enterprise-focused product offerings on the CCS platform in 2019:

Cyren Web Security (CWS) – provides enforcement of web policy and state-of-the-art threat protection for business users, with intrinsic SaaS 

simplicity: quick to deploy, easy to manage, comprehensive in coverage, and requiring just a subscription to start. Cyren Web Security offers multilayered 
proxy-based defense-in-depth, protecting organizations from a broad range of threats including ransomware, malicious URLs, phishing attacks, viruses, 
zero-day malware, botnets, and much more. 

3

Cyren Email Security (CES) – a comprehensive cloud-based secure email gateway that works well with both on premise and cloud-based 

business email, Cyren Email Security filters an organization’s inbound and outbound email to protect users from cyber threats and spam, and offers email 
archiving for easier eDiscovery and regulatory compliance. Inbound email security protects against malware, phishing, business email compromise, and 
more, with advanced threat protection from cloud sandboxing, malware outbreak protection and time-of-click analysis. Support for SPF (Sender Policy 
Framework) provides sender validation to prevent email spoofing, while policy-based encryption protects sensitive email communications. Outbound 
protections block botnet-infected devices from sending malware or spam from a customer’s domain.

Cyren DNS Security – keeps users safe from web-borne threats and blocks inappropriate content with a cloud service which is easy to deploy 

and simple to manage. Cyren DNS Security allows businesses to quickly and easily protect employees at headquarters, visitors in remote offices, 
customers at retail stores, or students on a campus. Featuring a simple policy-based set-up, businesses can block malicious phishing and botnet sites, stop 
people from accessing specific types of websites, enforce “safe search,” and ensure a positive web experience for users.

Cyren Sandboxing – an advanced layer of security that augments Cyren’s web and email security services, Cyren Sandboxing protects 
businesses against breaches and data loss from today’s most sophisticated and evasive threats. Cyren Sandboxing “detonates” suspicious files and URLs 
to determine if they are malicious, even threats that have never been seen before, including zero-day exploits, targeted attacks, and advanced persistent 
threats. Because these kinds of threats are increasingly “sandbox aware” as hackers use diverse strategies to evade detection by traditional sandboxing 
appliances, Cyren’s unique cloud sandbox array technology (see Figure 3 below) automatically detonates these malicious files and embedded URLs 
across multiple different sandboxes until they express their full set of behaviors.

Figure 3: Cyren’s patent-pending cloud sandbox array technology continues to detonate suspicious files until their full malicious behavior has been 
expressed.

Cyren Inbox Security (CIS) – This new enterprise anti-phishing service leverages the technology Cyren developed for Microsoft Office 365. 

Expected to be available during mid-2019, we anticipate it will offer a huge leap forward for enterprises who are struggling to deal with the ongoing 
problem of phishing attacks. Unlike existing email security solutions on the market, we expect Cyren Inbox Security will be able to proactively remediate 
and remove phishing emails after they have been delivered to a user’s mailbox, regardless of who the company is using as an email gateway for their 
primary level of protection.

4

Cyren Web Security for Windows Defender ATP – In January 2019, Cyren announced a partnership with Microsoft to integrate Cyren’s web 
security technology directly into the Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) platform. Microsoft currently bundles its Windows Defender 
endpoint security solution within Windows 10, as a free alternative to other antimalware solutions. However, the Windows Defender ATP platform is a 
premium paid service that is targeted at large enterprise customers, and Microsoft is developing an ecosystem of security vendors to deliver enhanced 
security solutions. Cyren was selected as Microsoft’s premiere partner to add web security technology into the Windows Defender ATP platform, and is 
working jointly with Microsoft to integrate Cyren’s web security technology directly into Windows Defender ATP. The new integrated offering will 
initially be made available as a private preview with a select set of enterprise customers during the first half of 2019, with the goal of reaching general 
availability for all Windows Defender ATP customers later in the year. This solution will complement Cyren’s existing web security offerings which 
include either a full proxy or DNS-only solution delivered through Cyren Cloud Security.

Threat Intelligence Services 

Used and trusted by many of the world’s leading technology, network and security vendors, Cyren Threat Intelligence Services empower 
technology companies with the real-time detection capabilities of our GlobalView threat intelligence network, backed by a dedicated technical and 
commercial support model. Our globally comprehensive and unique insights into current and emerging threats are provided as individual cyber 
intelligence services in four service categories:

Email Security – Our embedded email security includes a complete set of protection that can be deployed in a wide range of configurations. 
Suitable as a core security offering or as a complementary layer, the flexible engine easily integrates into existing platforms, minimizing costs, without 
affecting performance. Available services include:

● Anti-Spam Inbound Service

● Anti-Spam Outbound Service

● URL Filtering

● IP Reputation Service for Email

● Virus Outbreak Detection

● Antimalware

Web Security – Our comprehensive web security delivers real-time threat intelligence in various configurations for robust, integrated and 
automated threat detection that delivers a superior view of threats as they emerge. Our intelligence platform automatically investigates IPs, domains, hosts 
and files associated with suspect behaviors and maintains risk scores that enable rapid reclassification of entities based on associated activity. Available 
services include:

● Cyren Antimalware

● URL Filtering

● DNS Security

Endpoint Security – Cyren’s Endpoint Security detects malware on a variety of endpoints, including mobile devices and embedded operating 

system devices though a variety of capabilities, including:

● Antimalware for Mobile

5

● URL Filtering for Mobile

● Antimalware for Next-Gen Endpoint solutions

● Inbound and Outbound IoT Gateway protection

Advanced Threat Protection – As cybercrime becomes faster and more sophisticated, Cyren’s embedded Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) 

delivers superb intelligence and detection of the most advanced cyber threats. Ideal for a range of partners, including mobile device management (MDM) 
platforms, business app developers, security vendors, app stores, device manufacturers and mobile operators, ATP includes reliable and proven tools for 
combating mobile malware, ransomware and other web-borne threats, including: 

● Real-Time Phishing Intelligence

● Real-Time Malware Intelligence

● Real-Time IP Intelligence

● Cloud Threat Lookup

● Cloud Sandbox Array

● Real Time Phishing and Fraud Intelligence

Sales and Marketing

Cyren’s cloud security solutions are sold into two markets:

● Enterprise SaaS.

o

In this market segment, enterprise customers purchase our CCS web and email security solutions to protect their employees, data and IP.

● OEM/embedded security partners.

o

In this market segment, our partners integrate Cyren Threat Intelligence Services and cloud detection services into their infrastructure or 
security products to protect their customers and users.

Enterprise SaaS Market

Sales

Our sales and marketing programs are organized by geographic regions, including EMEA, North America, and Asia Pacific. We organize our 

sales force into teams that focus on large enterprises (3,000 employees and above), and mid-sized organizations (200 - 3,000 employees).

We sell through both direct and indirect channels, including value added resellers and managed service providers:

● Direct sales. We market and sell our solutions to enterprise customers directly through our field and inside sales teams, as well as indirectly 
through a co-selling model where our sales organization actively assists our network of distributors and resellers. Our sales personnel are 
primarily located in North America and EMEA.

6

● Reseller channel. We engage our value added resellers via a two-tier distribution model, where resellers purchase Cyren services through their 

distribution partner, as opposed to directly from us, and distributors provide sales support services such as technical support, education, training 
and financial services. Our reseller partners maintain relationships with their customers throughout the territories in which they operate, 
providing them with services and third-party solutions to help meet their evolving security requirements. As such, these partners act as a direct 
conduit through which we can connect with these prospective customers to offer our solutions. Our channel distribution partners include security 
and cloud-centric distributors such as Arrow Electronics, One Distribution, ALSO and Synnex.

● Managed service providers. Unlike many other security products on the market today, Cyren’s CCS platform is architected as an integrated 

platform offering multi-tenant cloud services and delegated administration. This enables our MSP partners to operate our services on behalf of 
multiple customers, allowing them to deliver turnkey internet security services to their customer bases. Our MSP distribution partners include 
security and cloud-centric distributors such as Daisy and Arrow Electronics.

Marketing

We have a number of marketing initiatives to build awareness about our solutions and encourage customer adoption of our solutions. Our 
marketing programs include a variety of digital marketing, advertising, conferences, events, white-papers, public relations activities and web-based 
seminar campaigns targeted at key decision makers within our prospective customers. We offer free online diagnostic tools to identify security gaps, free 
trials, and competitive evaluations to allow prospective customers to experience the quality of our solutions, to learn in detail about the features and 
functionality of our suite, and to quantify the potential benefits of our solutions.

In addition, we create integrated sales and marketing programs targeting specific market segments, including vertical markets and 
competitive/disruption campaigns. This target-market approach enables us to provide a higher level of service and understanding of our customers’
unique needs, including the industry-specific business and regulatory requirements in their industries, as well as specific pain points and limitations of 
their incumbent legacy appliance solutions.

OEM/Embedded Security Partner Market

Sales

We target two segments to primarily sell our Threat Intelligence Services within this embedded solutions market:

● Service providers. Organizations offering internet access or email services that need to protect their customers from internet threats. For these 

partners, we offer carrier-class email security, web security, and advanced threat protection services that can be integrated into their large-scale, 
high performance infrastructures. Cyren customers in this segment include Microsoft, Google and Deutsche Telekom.

● Security vendors. Network equipment and security vendors offering endpoint, gateway, and cloud-based solutions that need to augment their 
security capabilities, or integrate third party best-of-breed internet security capabilities into their products. For these partners, we offer cloud-
based APIs and SDKs for email security, web security, endpoint protection, and advanced threat protection that can be integrated into their on 
premise appliances or cloud solutions. Cyren customers in this segment include Check Point, Forcepoint, and Dell SonicWALL.

Our sales team for these segments are organized by geographic regions, including EMEA, North America, and Asia Pacific. The sales process 

for these segments entails consultative, technical business development engagements working with partner product management and engineering teams to 
architect and integrate our solutions into their products. Our install base of partners is comprised of roughly 100 OEM partners, many of whom consume 
multiple services and have been customers of Cyren for over 10 years.

7

Intellectual Property

We regard our patented and patent pending anti-spam and antivirus technology, copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade secrets and similar 
intellectual property as critical to our success, and rely on patent, trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality and/or license 
agreements with our employees, customers, partners and others to protect our proprietary rights.

In 2004, we purchased a United States patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 that relates to the Recurrent Pattern Detection (RPD) technology used 

in many of our security solutions. During 2006, we filed a provisional patent application in the United States relating to the prevention of spam in 
streaming systems or, in other words, unwanted conversational media sessions (i.e., voice and video related). This provisional application was converted 
to a formal patent application and that application was then divided into three applications. The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the 
original application as United States Patent No. 7,849,186. The three divisional patents were also subsequently granted as United States Patent No. 
7,991,919, United States Patent No. 8,190,737 and United States Patent No. 8,195,795, all of which have a term concurrent with US Patent No. 
7,849,186.  In 2016, we filed a provisional patent application in the United States relating to a multi-sandbox array that utilizes unique intellectual 
property we developed in support of our cyber threat protection capabilities. In February 2017, we converted this provisional application into patent 
applications for the multi-sandbox array in the United States, Europe and Israel which are currently in various stages of prosecution.  In July 2018 we 
filed a provisional patent application in the United States relating to phishing detection systems and methods we developed in support of our anti-phishing 
capabilities.  We may seek to patent certain additional software or other technology in the future.

We have trademarks for our company name “Cyren” and we are also maintaining our registered trademark for “Commtouch”, which is 

registered in the U.S., Canada, Israel, European Union and China. Through acquisition, we also acquired registered trademarks such as “FRISK”, “F-
PROT”, “eleven”, “Expurgate” and “Command Antimalware”. We may allow certain of these trademarks to lapse over time. Since at least September 
2003, we have claimed common law trademark rights in “RPD” and “Recurrent Pattern Detection”, as applicable to our messaging security solutions. We 
have also been claiming common law trademark rights in “Zero-Hour” in relation to our virus outbreak detection product (and more recently one of our 
web security products) and “GlobalView” in relation to our Internet Protocol, or IP, reputation and web security products, as well as our “cloud 
computing” network infrastructure.  

It may be possible for unauthorized third parties to copy or reverse engineer certain portions of our products or obtain and use information that 
we regard as proprietary. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the United 
States. There can be no assurance that our means of protecting our proprietary rights in the United States, Europe or elsewhere will be adequate or that 
competing companies will not independently develop similar technology.

Other parties may assert infringement claims against us. We may also be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time in the 

ordinary course of our business, including claims of alleged infringement by us and/or our customers of the trademarks and other intellectual property 
rights of third parties. Our customer agreements typically include indemnity provisions so we may be obligated to defend against third party intellectual 
property rights infringement claims on behalf of our customers. Such claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of significant 
financial and managerial resources.

Government Programs

Under the R&D Law, research and development programs approved by the Research Committee of the Israel Innovation Authority (respectively, 
the “Research Committee” and the “IIA”) are eligible for “Benefits” which include grants, loans, exemptions, discounts, guarantees and additional means 
of assistance, but with the exclusion of purchase of shares, provided under various tracks promulgated by the Council body (the “Tracks”). Most Tracks 
require the repayment of the Benefits in the form of the payment of royalties from the sale of the product developed in accordance with the published 
Track guidelines and subject to other restrictions. Once a project is approved, the IIA awards grants of up to 50% of the project’s expenditures in return 
for royalties, usually at the rate of 3% to 5% of sales of products developed with such grants. For projects approved after January 1, 1999, the amount of 
royalties payable was up to a dollar-linked amount equal to 100% of such grants plus interest at LIBOR. The Company’s total commitment for royalties 
payable with respect to future sales, based on IIA participations received, net of royalties paid or accrued, totaled $2,921 thousand as of December 31, 
2018.

8

The terms of these grants prohibit the manufacturing outside of Israel of the product developed in accordance with the program without the prior 

consent of the Research Committee. Such approval is generally subject to an increase in the total amount to be repaid to the IIA to between 120% and 
300% of the amount granted, depending on the extent of the manufacturing that is conducted outside of Israel.

The R&D Law, also provides that know-how from the research and development and any derivatives thereof, cannot be transferred or licensed to 

Israeli third parties without the approval of the Research Committee. The R&D Law stresses that it is not just transfer of know-how that was prohibited, 
but also transfer of any rights in such know-how. Approval of the transfer and/or license could be granted only if the Israeli transferee undertook to abide 
by all of the provisions of the R&D Law and regulations promulgated thereunder, including the restrictions on the transfer of know-how and the 
obligation to pay royalties, if applicable.

Assignment of the know-how from the research and development and any derivatives thereof, cannot be transferred or licensed to non-Israeli 
third parties without the approval of the Research Committee, which approval is generally contingent on payment of a significant penalty of up to six 
times the grant amount plus LIBOR and minus any royalties paid. Such restriction does not apply to exports from Israel of final products developed with 
such technologies. On May 7, 2017, the IIA published the Rules for Granting Authorization for Use of Know-How Outside of Israel (the “Licensing 
Rules”). The Licensing Rules enable the approval of out-licensing arrangements and other arrangements for granting of an authorization to an entity 
outside of Israel to use know-how developed under research and development programs funded by the IIA and any derivatives thereof. Subject to 
payment of a “License Fee” to the IIA, at a rate that will be determined by the IIA in accordance with the Licensing Rules, the IIA may now approve 
arrangements for the license of know-how outside of Israel. This allows companies that have received IIA support to commercialize know-how in a 
manner which was not previously available.

Government Regulation

Laws aimed at curtailing the spread of spam have been adopted by the United States federal government, i.e., the CAN-SPAM Act, and certain 

individual U.S. states, with the CAN-SPAM Act superseding some state laws or certain elements thereof. The Israel government has also adopted an 
amendment to the Communications Law, 1982, aimed at curtailing the spread of spam transmittal of commercial advertisements by email, fax, SMS or 
automated dialing systems without the consent of the recipient. The law sets punitive fines for advertisers of spam, who may also be subject to civil 
lawsuits and class actions. In addition, on June 21, 2017, the Israeli Privacy Protection Authority released a Directive that addresses direct mail and direct 
mail services, according to which the nature of the consent required for direct mail and direct mail services varies under the circumstances.

The propagation of email viruses, whether through email or websites, which are aimed at destroying or stealing third party data, is illegal under 

standard state and federal law outlawing theft, misappropriation, conversion, etc., without the need for special legislation prohibiting such activities on the 
internet. Despite the existence of these laws, sources for internet viruses continue to spread multi-variant viruses seemingly without much fear of 
recrimination. New laws providing for more stringent penalties could be adopted in various jurisdictions, but it is unclear what, if any, affect these would 
have on the antivirus industry in general and our solutions in particular.

On October 6, 2015, the European Court of Justice invalidated the U.S. - EU Safe Harbor framework and the Swiss data protection authorities 

later invalidated the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor framework. Subsequently, the U.S. and E.U. announced agreement on a new framework for transatlantic data 
flows entitled the EU-US Privacy Shield. We are currently certified under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework with the U.S. Department of 
Commerce. However, it is possible that Privacy Shield may be challenged in EU courts, so there is some uncertainty regarding its future validity and our 
ability to rely on it for EU to US data transfers. Additionally, the EU enacted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which took effect on May 
25, 2018 and carries with it significantly increased responsibilities and potential penalties for companies that process EU personal data. In connection 
with GDPR, we expect increased regulatory and customer attention surrounding data privacy in the EU. Furthermore, outside of the EU, we continue to 
see increased regulation of data privacy and security, including the adoption of more stringent subject matter specific state laws, national laws regulating 
the collection and use of data, and security and data breach obligations. We have invested heavily in data sovereignty features to ensure that Cyren 
customer data is handled in accordance with applicable law.  If one or more of the legal bases for transferring data from Europe to the United States is 
invalidated, if we are unable to transfer data between and among countries and regions in which we operate, or if we are restricted from sharing data 
among our products and services, it could affect the manner in which we provide our services. 

9

We will continue to monitor legal requirements and will follow additional legal requirements for customer data privacy as they evolve.

Segments

The Company conducts its business on the basis of one reportable segment. 

Research and Development

We invest substantial resources in research and development to enhance our products and services, build add-on functionality and improve our 

core technology. We believe that both hardware and software are critical to expanding our leadership in the security industry. Therefore, we invest 
heavily in our cloud infrastructure and our newer offerings such as CCS and CIS. Our engineering team has deep security expertise and works closely 
with customers to identify their current and future needs. In addition to our focus on hardware and software, our research and development team is 
focused on research into next-generation threats, which is required to respond to the rapidly changing threat landscape. We plan to continue to 
significantly invest in resources to conduct our research and development effort.

Customers 

As of December 31, 2018, we had customers of all sizes across a wide variety of industries. During the year ended December 31, 
2018, one customer accounted for approximately 17% of total revenue. No other individual customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue. 
During the year ended December 31, 2017, no customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue

Competitive Landscape

The markets in which Cyren competes are intensely competitive and rapidly changing. However, we believe there are few competitors that offer 

the complete package of anti-spam, antivirus, threat intelligence, email security and web security protections that Cyren provides.

The principal competitive factors in our industry include price, product functionality, product integration, platform coverage and ability to scale, 

worldwide sales infrastructure and global technical support. Some of our competitors have greater financial, technical, sales, marketing and other 
resources than we do, as well as greater name recognition and a larger installed customer base. Additionally, some of these competitors have research and 
development capabilities that may allow them to develop new or improved products that may compete with product lines and services we market and 
distribute, possibly at a lower cost. Our success will depend on our ability to adapt to these competing forces, to develop more advanced products more 
rapidly and less expensively than our competitors and/or to purchase new products by way of strategic acquisitions, and to educate potential OEM 
customers as to the benefits of using our products rather than developing their own products.

In the market for messaging security solutions, there are sophisticated offerings that compete with our solutions. Email defense security 
providers offering forms of Software-as-a-Service email gateways, multi-functional appliances and managed service solutions and which may be viewed 
as both competitors and potential customers to Cyren include Google, Symantec, McAfee, Cisco, Proofpoint, and Mimecast. Messaging security 
providers offering solutions on an OEM basis similar to Cyren’s business model, and which may be viewed as direct competitors, include Proofpoint (via 
the Cloudmark acquisition), Sophos, Mailshell and Vade Secure.

The market for real-time virus protection products is also constantly evolving, as those designing and proliferating viruses and other malware 

seek new vulnerabilities and distribution techniques, and also continue to leverage email distribution as a cost-effective medium for accurately targeting 
broad, numerous potential victims. Cyren’s real-time offering differs from traditional antivirus solutions by leveraging our global footprint and patented 
RPD technology to rapidly detect outbreaks, often hours or days before traditional antimalware solutions; it thereby offers a complementary solution to 
signature and heuristic-based antivirus engines. For this reason, our virus outbreak detection engine has been deployed by many security companies and 
service providers.

10

In the market for antimalware solutions, there are vendors offering fairly effective solutions using various technologies based on signatures, 

emulation and heuristics. Cyren has a targeted OEM/service provider focus, plus an increasing focus on heuristics and zero day effectiveness. Most 
companies in this space provide endpoint products and in some cases make software development kits available on an OEM basis. Competitors to Cyren 
include Sophos, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, McAfee, Symantec and open source software such as ClamAV (now part of Cisco Talos Intelligence Group).  

In the market for web security solutions, there are advanced offerings that compete with our GlobalView URL filtering solution and CWS. Web 
security providers offering forms of software (secure web gateway), multi-functional appliances and managed service solutions and which may be viewed 
as both competitors and potential customers to Cyren include McAfee, ForcePoint, Symantec, Zscaler, Barracuda, and Cisco. Web security providers 
offering solutions on an OEM basis similar to Cyren’s business model, and which may be viewed as direct competitors, include Webroot (Carbonite), 
Netstar and zvelo.

We expect that the markets for internet security solutions will continue to become more consolidated, with companies increasing their presence 
in this market or entering ancillary markets by acquiring or forming strategic alliances with our competitors or business partners. 2018 saw a number of 
notable M&A transactions in the security sector, and industry analysts such as Momentum Cyber reported over 180 M&A deals totaling over $15 billion 
in transaction volume. See also disclosure under “Risk Factors—Business Risks— we face intense competition and could lose market share to our 
competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.”

Threat Landscape

The last 12 months period has possibly experienced the greatest amount of dramatic global incidents directly related to malware and cyber 
threats since the advent of the internet. From election hacks to global ransomware attacks, malware threats are at an all-time high. As long as these 
activities prove lucrative, we expect these incidents to get worse.

In this “cyber-war”, with respect specifically to malware, three battlefronts stand out: ransomware, hyper-evasive malware, and malware 

distribution via HTTPS.

Ransomware has become especially lucrative for cybercriminals. Massive scale ransomware attacks have spread extremely quickly around the 

globe targeting governments, corporations, and private citizens. With hyper-evasive malware, cybercriminals are using codes designed to specifically 
detect and evade conventional sandbox detection and analysis. With respect to encrypted HTTPS traffic from “secure” web sites, a 2017 Cyren study of 
traffic passing through the Cyren security cloud found that almost 40% of all malware being disseminated is utilizing HTTPS connections for distribution 
or communications, yet surveys show that many companies around the globe are not inspecting that traffic. 

It has become clear that cybercriminals know the weak points in standard corporate defenses, and are optimizing their attacks to leverage these 

security gaps in every possible way.

Today, no item or user connected to the internet is immune to attack. While many businesses are still studying what security measures might be 
necessary, cybercriminals are “all in”, creating dangerous new tools to target companies, governments, and private citizens. We need to be mindful that 
the world has changed, hyper-evasive malware and threat distribution via HTTPS are growing rapidly; mobile devices — both Android and Apple — are 
increasingly targets; and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, from refrigerators to televisions, are an inviting new vector for criminal purposes.

11

Cloud and Mobility

Businesses are going through a massive change in their IT strategies as they look to drive more business value, agility, and better customer 

experiences.

● Business internet traffic continues to increase every year – executives, employees, partners, contractors and customers are accustomed to 
transacting online. As a result, individuals are far more comfortable opening emails, clicking on links and providing sensitive data and 
information without questioning the authenticity of the applicable request. The simple organic growth in this usage of the internet is taxing 
existing legacy appliance solutions that have built-in capacity restrictions limiting their ability to scale.

● Data and applications are increasingly moving to the cloud – where we used to protect the servers, data and applications we ran in our data 

centers behind an appliance-based security perimeter, today these apps and data have moved outside of this security perimeter and into the cloud.

● More and more users are working remotely -- users have left the perimeter, and are working from home offices, airports, hotels, and coffee 

shops, accessing the internet without protection from our perimeter security appliances.

As organizations go through this transition, many are finding it increasingly difficult to protect their users, data and networks with traditional on-

premise security solutions.

● Buyers continue to move away from traditional on-premise solutions -- preference for service-based security solutions are growing, driven by 

innovations, increasing need for security beyond the perimeter, and lower total cost of ownership.

● Mature and legacy on premise deployments are reaching end of life -- and these are increasingly being replaced by SaaS alternatives.

● IT security staffing shortages – driving products with lower management overhead, as well as some outsourcing to key technology partners.

● Increasingly fast, sophisticated, expensive and high-profile attacks target organizations of all sizes – attacks are increasingly focused on small 

companies, less-regulated and less-security aware industries, dictating increased security investment.

● Compliance and regulatory mandates are creating increased concern among buyers, especially as the cost of failure becomes more painful. 

Continued, large-scale breaches — themselves a driver for security purchases — will bring about even more stringent levels of regulation.

● Heightened cybercrime activity among commercial enterprises and nation states – political and economic motivations are driving cyberattacks 

of both private enterprises and government entities.

● Automation is increasingly considered critical to accelerating detection and protection, and to countering IT talent shortages.

These reasons explain why Cyren’s vision for 100% cloud security is compelling to IT security teams looking to protect their businesses in 

today’s cloud-centric mobile-first world.  

12

Employees

As of December 31, 2018, we had 278 total employees and 248 full-time employees.

While employment-related issues occasionally arise in the normal course, we believe that, on the whole, relations with our employees are good.

None of our U.S. employees are covered by a collective bargaining agreement, rather they sign individual offer letters of employment that, along 

with relevant Company policies and an employee handbook, formalize employees’ relationship with our U.S. subsidiary. In Israel, certain provisions of 
the collective bargaining agreements between the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) and the Coordination Bureau of Economic 
Organizations (including the Industrialists’ Associations) are applicable to our employees in Israel by order of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and 
Industry, which extends such collective bargaining agreements to Israeli employers. These provisions primarily concern the length of the workweek, 
travel expended, and pension fund benefits for all employees. We generally provide our employees with benefits and working conditions above the 
required minimums.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated as a private company under the laws of the State of Israel on February 10, 1991 and our legal form is a company limited 

by shares. We became a public company on July 15, 1999 under the name Commtouch Software Ltd. In January 2014, we changed our legal name to 
Cyren Ltd. Our website is https://www.cyren.com.

 Effective January 1, 2019, we ceased to be a “foreign private issuer” as defined in Rule 3b-4 of the Exchange Act, and became subject to the 
rules and regulations under the Exchange Act applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. As a result, we are filing an Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning 
with the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018. Our annual reports for prior years were filed on Form 20-F.

On December 25, 2017, Warburg Pincus completed a special tender offer in which it purchased 16,991,212 ordinary shares of the Company and, 

therefore, became the owner of a total of 27,586,733 ordinary shares, which represents 51% of our ordinary shares outstanding as of February 28, 2019.

Our principal executive offices are located at 10 Ha-Menofim St., 5th Floor, Herzliya, Israel 4672561, where our telephone number is +972–9–

863–6888.

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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS 

Business Risks 

We have a history of losses and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability.

We have a history of incurring net losses, including net losses of $19.4 million and $15.6 million in 2018 and 2017, respectively. As a result, we 

had an accumulated deficit of $213.1 million as of December 31, 2018. Achieving profitability will require us to increase revenue, manage our cost 
structure, and avoid unanticipated liabilities. We have made and expect to continue to make significant expenditures to develop and expand our business 
and we do not expect to be profitable in the near term. Revenue growth may slow or revenue may decline for a number of possible reasons, including 
slowing demand for our solutions, increasing competition, a decrease in the growth of our overall market, or if we fail for any reason to continue to 
capitalize on growth opportunities. Any failure by us to obtain and sustain profitability, or to continue our revenue growth, could cause the price of our 
ordinary shares to decline significantly.

If the internet security market does not accept our cloud-based product offerings, our sales will not grow as quickly as anticipated, or at all, and our 
business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed.

We are seeking to exploit our cloud-based security platform, Cyren Cloud Security (“CCS”) to disrupt the internet security and the email security

markets and our historic business model. Our success will depend to a substantial extent on the willingness of enterprises, large and small, to increase 
their use of cloud computing services. The market for messaging security and compliance solutions delivered as a service in particular is at an early stage 
relative to on-premise solutions, and these applications may not achieve and sustain high levels of demand and market acceptance.

Historically, companies have used appliance-based security products, such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, or IPS, anti-virus, or AV, 

and web and messaging gateways, for their IT security. These enterprises may be hesitant to purchase our cloud-based security offering if they believe 
that signature-based products, or our competitors’ products, are more cost-effective, provide substantially the same functionality or otherwise provide a 
sufficient level of IT security. Many enterprises have invested substantial personnel and financial resources to integrate traditional enterprise software or 
hardware appliances for these applications into their businesses, and currently, most enterprises have not allocated a fixed portion of their budgets to 
protect against next-generation advanced cyber attacks. As a result, to expand our customer base, we need to convince potential customers to allocate a 
portion of their discretionary budgets to purchase our products and services. If we do not succeed in convincing customers that our offerings should be an 
integral part of their overall approach to IT security, our sales will not grow as quickly as anticipated, or at all, which would have an adverse impact on 
our business, results of operations and financial condition.

In addition, many enterprises may be reluctant or unwilling to use cloud computing services because they have concerns regarding the risks 

associated with its reliability and security, among other things, of this delivery model, or its ability to help them comply with applicable laws and 
regulations. If enterprises do not perceive the benefits of this delivery model, then the market for our services and our sales would not grow as quickly as 
we anticipate or at all and our business, results of operations and financial condition would be harmed. 

If the market does not continue to respond favorably to our traditional Threat Intelligence Service security solutions, including our Cyren embedded 
antispam services, embedded antivirus, embedded Uniform Resource Locator (URL) filtering services or our future services do not gain acceptance, 
we will fail to generate sufficient revenues.

Our success depends on the continued acceptance and use of our Threat Intelligence Service security solutions by current and new businesses, 

Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”), and service provider customers, plus the interest of such customers in our newest offerings. As the markets 
for messaging, antivirus and web security products continue to mature and consolidate, we are seeing increasing competitive pressures and demands for 
even higher quality products at lower prices. This increasing demand comes at a time when internet security threats are more varied and intensive, 
challenging top end solutions to keep their performance at an industry-acceptable level of accuracy. If our solutions do not continue to evolve to meet 
market demand, or newer products on the market prove more effective, our business could fail. Also, if growth in the markets for these solutions begins to 
slow, our business, results of operations and financial condition will suffer dramatically. 

14

If we are unable to effectively integrate future investments and acquisitions, our business operations and financial results will suffer.

Our success will depend, in part, on our ability to expand our service and product offerings and grow our business in response to changing 

technologies, customer demands and competitive pressures. In some circumstances, we may decide to do so through the acquisition of complementary 
businesses and technologies rather than through internal development, including, for example, our 2012 acquisitions of the antivirus business of the 
Icelandic company, Frisk Software International (“Frisk”) and the German internet security company eleven GmbH (“eleven”).

If we encounter further difficulties or unforeseen expenditures in integrating the business, technologies, products, personnel or operations of any 

company that we acquire, the revenue and operating results of the combined company could be adversely affected. The risks we face in connection with 
acquisitions include:

● disruption of our ongoing business, diversion of resources, increased expenses and distraction of our management from operating our business to 

addressing acquisition integration challenges;

● additional legal and regulatory compliance;

● cultural challenges associated with integrating employees from the acquired companies into our organization;

● inability to retain key employees from the acquired companies;

● inability to strengthen our competitive position, achieve our strategic goals, generate sufficient financial return to offset acquisition costs or 

realize the expected benefits of the acquisition;

● failure to identify significant problems or liabilities, including liabilities resulting from the acquired companies’ pre-acquisition failure to comply 

with applicable laws, during our pre-acquisition due diligence;

● difficulties related to our entry into geographic or business markets in which we have little or no prior experience or where competitors have 

stronger market positions;

● difficulties in, or inability to, successfully sell any acquired products or services;

● difficulties with the coordination of research and development, sales and marketing, accounting, human resources and other general and 

administrative systems;

● changes in relationships with strategic partners as a result of product acquisitions or strategic positioning resulting from the acquisitions;

● liability for activities of the acquired companies before the acquisition, including intellectual property infringement claims, violations of laws, 

commercial disputes, tax liabilities and litigation; and

● unanticipated write-offs or charges.

The occurrence of any of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and financial results.

15

We face intense competition and could lose market share to our competitors, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and 
results of operations.

The market for security products and services is intensely competitive and characterized by rapid changes in technology, customer requirements, 
industry standards and frequent new product introductions and improvements. We anticipate continued challenges from current competitors as well as by 
new entrants into the industry. If we are unable to anticipate or effectively react to these competitive challenges, our competitive position could weaken, 
and we could experience a decline in our revenue that could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Many of our existing competitors have, and some of our potential competitors could have, substantial competitive advantages such as:

● greater name recognition and larger customer bases;

● larger sales and marketing budgets and resources;

● broader distribution and established relationships with channel and distribution partners and customers;

● greater customer support resources;

● lower labor and research and development costs; and

● substantially greater financial, technical and other resources.

In addition, some of our larger competitors have substantially broader product offerings and may be able to leverage their relationships with 
distribution partners and customers based on other products or incorporate functionality into existing products to gain business in a manner that may 
discourage users from purchasing our products, subscriptions and services, including by selling at zero or negative margins, product bundling or offering 
closed technology platforms.

Potential customers may also prefer to purchase from their existing suppliers rather than a new supplier regardless of product performance or 

features. As a result, even if the features of our offerings are superior, customers may not purchase our services or products. In addition, innovative start-
up companies, and larger companies that are making significant investments in research and development, may invent similar or superior products and 
technologies that compete with our product and services. Our current and potential competitors may also establish cooperative relationships among 
themselves or with third parties that may further enhance their resources. If we are unable to compete successfully, or if competing successfully requires 
us to take costly actions in response to the actions of our competitors, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely 
affected.

Some of our competitors have acquired businesses that may allow them to offer more directly competitive and comprehensive solutions than 

they had previously offered. As a result of such acquisitions, our current or potential competitors might be able to adapt more quickly to new technologies 
and end user needs, devote greater resources to the promotion or sale of their products and services, initiate or withstand substantial price competition, 
take advantage of acquisitions or other opportunities more readily, or develop and expand their product and service offerings more quickly than we can. 
Due to various reasons, organizations may be more willing to incrementally add solutions to their existing security infrastructure from competitors than to 
replace it with our solutions. These competitive pressures in our market or our failure to compete effectively may result in price reductions, fewer orders, 
reduced revenue and gross margins, and loss of market share. Any failure to meet and address these factors could seriously harm our business and 
operating results.

Also, many of our smaller competitors that specialize in providing protection from a single type of business security threat may deliver these 

specialized business security products to the market more quickly than we can or may introduce innovative new products or enhancements before we do. 
Conditions in our markets could change rapidly and significantly as a result of technological advancements. 

16

If we are unable to enhance our existing solutions and develop new solutions, our growth will be impeded.

Our ability to attract new customers and increase revenue from existing customers will depend in large part on our ability to enhance and 
improve our existing solutions and to introduce new solutions. The success of any enhancement or new solution depends on several factors, including the 
timely completion, introduction and market acceptance of the enhancement or solution. Any enhancement or solution we develop or acquire may not be 
introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner and may not achieve the broad market acceptance necessary to generate significant revenue. If we are 
unable to successfully develop or acquire new solutions or enhance our existing solutions to meet customer requirements, we may not grow as expected.

We cannot be certain that our development activities will be successful or that we will not incur delays or cost overruns. Furthermore, we may 
not have sufficient financial resources to identify and develop new technologies and bring enhancements or new solutions to market in a timely and cost-
effective manner. New technologies and enhancements could be delayed or cost more than we expect, and we cannot ensure that any of these solutions 
will be commercially successful if and when they are introduced. 

A loss of any of our large customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. 

In the year ended December 31, 2018, our three largest customers accounted for approximately 25% of our annual revenues. A significant 

reduction in revenue in the future from these major customers could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and 
cash flow. In addition, if one or more of our major customers were to develop its own competing technology or to experience economic difficulties, 
changes in purchasing policies or difficulties in fulfilling their obligations to us, our financial condition could be materially and adversely affected.

Adverse conditions in the national and global financial markets could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial 
condition.

Our financial performance depends, in part, on the state of the economy, which may deteriorate in the future. Challenging economic conditions 

worldwide have from time to time contributed, and may continue to contribute, to slowdowns in the information technology industry, resulting in reduced 
demand for our solutions as a result of continued constraints on IT-related capital spending by our customers and increased price competition for our 
solutions. 

If the economies of countries in which our customers and potential customers are located weaken, our customers may reduce or postpone their 

spending significantly. This could result in reductions in sales of our services and longer sales cycles, slower adoption of new technologies and increased 
price competition. In addition, weakness in the end user market could negatively affect the cash flow of our OEM and service provider partners, 
distributors and resellers who could, in turn, delay paying their obligations to us. This would increase our credit risk exposure and cause delays in our 
recognition of revenues on future sales to these customers. Specific economic trends, such as declines in the demand for PCs, servers, and other 
computing devices, or weakness in corporate information technology spending, could have a more direct impact on our business. Any of these events 
would likely harm our business, operating results and financial condition. 

If the perceived general level of advanced cyber attacks declines, demand for our solutions may decrease, our cost of doing business may increase and 
our business could be harmed.

Our business is substantially dependent on enterprises recognizing that advanced cyber attacks are pervasive and are not effectively prevented by 
legacy security solutions. High visibility attacks on prominent enterprises and governments have increased market awareness of the problem of advanced 
cyber attacks and help to provide an impetus for enterprises to devote resources to protecting against advanced cyber attacks, such as purchasing our 
services and products and broadly deploying our services and products within their organizations. If advanced cyber attacks were to decline, or enterprises 
perceived that the general level of advanced cyber attacks have declined, our ability to attract new customers and expand our offerings within existing 
customers could be materially and adversely affected and harm our business, results of operations and financial condition. 

In addition, various state legislatures have enacted laws aimed at regulating the distribution of unsolicited email. These and similar legal 

measures, both in the United States and worldwide, may have the effect of reducing the amount of unsolicited email and malicious software that is 
distributed and hence diminish the need for our internet security solutions. Any such developments would have an adverse impact on our revenues. 

17

We depend upon OEM partners, service providers and resellers to sell the majority of our products, and if our partners fail to perform, our ability to 
sell and distribute our products and services will be limited, and our operating results will be harmed.

We expect to continue to be dependent upon OEM partners and service providers for a significant portion of our revenues, which will be derived 

from sales of our messaging, antivirus and web security solutions. We also expect resellers to become important in the distribution of our newer cloud-
based internet security solutions. 

We anticipate that in the future we will derive a substantial portion of the sales of CCS through channel partners. In order to scale our channel 
program to support growth in our business, it is important that we help our partners enhance their ability to independently sell and deploy our solutions. 
We may be unable to successfully expand and improve the effectiveness of our channel sales program.

Our operating results and financial condition may be materially adversely affected if:

● anticipated orders or payments from these partners fail to materialize;

● our partners cease the promotion of our business or begin to promote additional solutions;

● our partners are acquired by larger companies who may have other relationships or technologies that lead to the displacement or termination of 

Cyren contracts;

● our partners do not live up to their contractual agreements or fail to pay for services rendered; or

● our partners’ businesses fail.

If we are unable to maintain our relationships with these channel partners, or otherwise develop and expand our indirect distribution channel, our 

business, results of operations, financial condition or cash flows could be adversely affected.

Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate, which could adversely affect our share price.

Our revenues and operating results could vary significantly from period to period as a result of a variety of factors, many of which are outside of 

our control. As a result, comparing our revenues and operating results on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful, and shareholders should not 
rely on our past results as an indication of our future performance. We may not be able to accurately predict our future revenues or results of operations. 
We base our current and future expense levels on our operating plans and sales forecasts, and our operating costs are relatively fixed in the short-term. As 
a result, we may not be able to reduce our costs sufficiently to compensate for an unexpected shortfall in revenues, and even a small shortfall in revenues 
could disproportionately and adversely affect financial results for that quarter. If our revenues or operating results fall below the expectations of investors 
or any securities analysts that cover our stock, our share price could decline substantially.

A number of factors, many of which are enumerated in this “Risk Factors” section, are likely to cause fluctuations in our operating results or 

cause our share price to decline. These factors include:

● our ability to successfully market both our traditional messaging, antivirus and web security solutions and our newer cloud-based internet 

security solutions in new markets, both domestic and international;

● our ability to successfully develop and market new, modified or upgraded solutions, as may be needed;

● the continued acceptance of our solutions by our current partners and customer base;

● our ability to expand our workforce with qualified personnel, as may be needed;

● unanticipated bugs or other problems affecting the delivery of our solutions to customers;

18

● the success of our partners’ sales efforts to their customer base;

● the solvency of our partners and their ability to allocate sufficient resources towards the marketing of our solutions;

● our partners’ ability to effectively integrate our solutions into their product offerings;

● the substantial decrease in information technology spending;

● the pricing of our solutions;

● our ability to timely collect fees owed by our customers and partners;

● a global slowdown;

● sudden, dramatic fluctuations in exchange rates of currencies covering the fees we collect from our foreign customers versus the currencies 
utilized in our business (namely, the Israeli Shekel (“ILS”), the U.S. Dollar (“USD”), the Euro (“EUR”) and the British Pound (“GBP”));

● our ability to add cost-effective space and equipment to our current data centers in a timely and effective manner to match the rate of growth in 

our business, plus our ability to build new, cost-effective data centers as worldwide demand for our products may require; and

● the effectiveness of our end user support, whether provided by our customers or directly by Cyren.

Our ability to continue to increase our revenues will depend on our ability to successfully execute our sales and business development plan.

The complexity of the underlying technological base of messaging, antivirus and web security solutions, and the current landscape of the 
markets, require highly trained sales and business development personnel to educate prospective distributors, resellers, OEM and service provider 
partners and customers regarding the use and benefits of our solutions. We continue to be substantially dependent on our sales force to obtain new 
customers and to drive additional use cases and adoption among our existing customers. We believe that there is significant competition for sales 
personnel with the skills and technical knowledge that we require. Our ability to achieve significant revenue growth will depend, in large part, on our 
success in recruiting, training and retaining sufficient numbers of sales personnel to support our growth. New hires require significant training and may 
take significant time before they achieve full productivity. Our recent hires and planned hires may not become productive as quickly as we expect, and we 
may be unable to hire or retain sufficient numbers of qualified individuals in the markets where we do business or plan to do business.

Our future success depends on our ability to sell additional solutions to our customers. This may require increasingly sophisticated and costly 

sales efforts and may not result in additional sales. In addition, the rate at which our customers purchase additional solutions depends on a number of 
factors, including the perceived need for additional solutions, growth in the number of end users, and general economic conditions. If our efforts to sell 
additional solutions to our customers are not successful, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations may suffer.

We rely on our management team and other key employees and will need additional personnel to grow our business, and the loss of one or more key 
employees or our inability to attract and retain qualified personnel could harm our business.

Our success is substantially dependent on our ability to attract, retain and motivate the members of our management team and other key 
employees throughout our organization. Competition for highly skilled personnel is intense in Israel, Germany, Iceland, the United Kingdom, Sunnyvale, 
Austin, and the Washington D.C. metro area, where we have offices and a need for highly skilled personnel. We may not be successful in attracting 
qualified personnel to fulfill our current or future needs. Our competitors may be successful in recruiting and hiring members of our management team or 
other key employees, and it may be difficult for us to find suitable replacements on a timely basis, on competitive terms, or at all. Also, to the extent we 
hire employees from mature public companies with significant financial resources, we may be subject to allegations that such employees have been 
improperly solicited, that they have divulged proprietary or other confidential information or that their former employers own such employees’ inventions 
or other work product.

19

In addition, we believe that it is important to establish and maintain a corporate culture that facilitates the maintenance and transfer of 

institutional knowledge within our organization and also fosters innovation, teamwork, a passion for customers and a focus on execution.

The loss of our software developers or senior operations personnel may also adversely affect the continued development and support of both our 

current messaging, antivirus and web security solutions and future solutions presently included in our roadmap for development, thereby causing our 
operating results to suffer and the value of your investment to decline.

We do not have employment agreements inclusive of set periods of employment with any of our key personnel. We cannot prevent them from 

leaving at any time. We do not maintain key-person life insurance policies, listing us as a beneficiary, on any of our employees. If one or more of our key 
employees resigns or otherwise ceases to provide us with their service, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations could be harmed.

We are currently undergoing a CEO transition, which could be disruptive to our business.

In February 2019, we announced that Mr. Lior Samuelson, our Chairman and CEO, would be stepping down as CEO. Because Mr. Samuelson is 

expected to remain CEO until his successor is found and to retain the Chairman role after a new CEO is found, we believe we are well positioned to 
achieve a smooth transition. However, a planned CEO change nevertheless has the potential to disrupt our operations for a number of reasons, including: 
diversion of efforts of our remaining executive management team towards managing the transition; deterioration of morale and potential departures 
among employees; and difficulty attracting new employees due to the impression of instability that the transition may create.

This transition also increases our dependency on the members of the senior executive team who are remaining with us. While such members 

have equity incentives to remain with the Company, as noted above, these individuals are not contractually obligated to remain employed by us and may 
leave at any time. Such a departure could be particularly disruptive in light of the CEO transition we are currently undergoing.

We also expect to incur costs related to the CEO transition, such as recruitment costs, equity awards and potential relocation payments, related to 

the hiring of the new CEO.

Our business and operating results could suffer if we do not successfully address potential risks inherent in doing business overseas.

We market and sell our products worldwide and have personnel in many parts of the world. In addition, we have sales offices and research and 
development facilities outside the United States and we conduct, and expect to continue to conduct, a significant amount of our business with companies 
that are located outside the United States, particularly in Europe, Israel and Asia. We also enter into strategic distributor and reseller relationships with 
companies in certain international markets where we do not have a local presence. If we are not able to maintain successful strategic distributor 
relationships internationally or recruit additional companies to enter into strategic distributor relationships, our future success in these international 
markets could be limited. Business practices and regulations in the international markets that we serve differ from those in the United States and Israel 
and periodically require us to include terms other than our standard terms in customer contracts. To the extent that we enter into customer contracts that 
include non-standard terms related to payment, warranties, or performance obligations, our operating results may be adversely impacted.

Additionally, our international sales and operations are subject to a number of risks, including the following:

● greater difficulty in enforcing contracts and accounts receivable collection and longer collection periods;

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● the uncertainty of protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;

● greater risk of changes in regulatory practices, tariffs, and tax laws and treaties;

● risks associated with trade restrictions and foreign legal requirements, including the importation, certification, and localization of our products 

required in foreign countries;

● the potential that our operations in Israel and the U.S. may limit the acceptability of our products to some foreign governments, and vice versa;

● greater risk of a failure of foreign employees, partners, distributors, and resellers to comply with both U.S. and foreign laws, including antitrust 

regulations, and any trade regulations ensuring fair trade practices;

● heightened risk of unfair or corrupt business practices in certain geographies and of improper or fraudulent sales arrangements that may impact 

financial results and result in restatements of, or irregularities in, financial statements;

● the potential for acts of terrorism, hostilities or war;

● increased expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining office space and equipment for our multinational operations;

● greater difficulty in recruiting local experienced personnel, and the costs and expenses associated with such activities;

● management communication and integration problems resulting from cultural and geographic dispersion;

● fluctuations in exchange rates between the U.S. Dollar, Shekel, Euro, Pound and other foreign currencies in markets where we do business; and

● general economic and political conditions and uncertainties in these foreign markets.

These factors and other factors could harm our ability to gain future international revenues and, consequently, materially impact our business, 

operating results, and financial condition. The expansion of our existing international operations and entry into additional international markets will 
require significant management attention and financial resources.

Changes in the tax treatment of companies engaged in internet commerce may adversely affect the commercial use of our services and our financial 
results.

Due to the global nature of the internet and the global reach of our network, it is possible that various states or countries might attempt to 

regulate our transmissions or levy sales, income, consumption, use or other taxes relating to our services or activities, or impose obligations on us to 
collect such taxes. Tax authorities in many jurisdictions are currently reviewing the appropriate treatment of companies engaged in internet commerce 
such as the provision of cloud computing services and other online services. The imposition of new or revised tax laws or regulations may subject us to 
additional sales, income, consumption, use or other taxes. We cannot predict the effect of current attempts to impose such taxes on commerce over the 
internet. New or revised taxes and, in particular, sales, use or consumption taxes, the Value Added Tax and similar taxes would likely increase the cost of 
doing business online. New taxes could also create significant increases in internal costs necessary to capture data, and collect and remit taxes. Any of 
these events could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

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The application of tax laws is subject to interpretation and if tax authorities challenge our methodologies or our analysis of our tax rates it could 
result in an increase to our worldwide effective tax rate and cause us to change the way we operate our business.

The application of the tax laws of various jurisdictions to our international business activities is subject to interpretation and also depends on our 
ability to operate our business in a manner consistent with our corporate structure and intercompany arrangements. The tax authorities of the jurisdictions 
in which we operate may challenge our methodologies for valuing developed technology or intercompany arrangements, including our transfer pricing, or 
determine that the manner in which we operate our business does not achieve the expected tax consequences, which could increase our worldwide 
effective tax rate and adversely affect our financial position and results of operations.

A certain degree of judgment is required in evaluating our tax positions and determining our provision for income taxes. In the ordinary course 
of business, there are many transactions and calculations for which the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. For example, our effective tax rates could 
be adversely affected by earnings being lower than anticipated in countries where we have lower statutory rates and higher than anticipated in countries 
where we have higher statutory rates, by changes in foreign currency exchange rates or by changes in the relevant tax, accounting and other laws, 
regulations, principles and interpretations. As we operate in numerous taxing jurisdictions, the application of tax laws can be subject to diverging and 
sometimes conflicting interpretations by tax authorities of these jurisdictions. It is not uncommon for tax authorities in different countries to have 
conflicting views, for instance, with respect to, among other things, the manner in which the arm’s length standard is applied for transfer pricing purposes, 
or with respect to the valuation of intellectual property. In addition, tax laws are dynamic and subject to change as new laws are passed and new 
regulations or interpretations of the law are issued or applied. For example, the work being carried out by the OECD on base erosion and profit shifting as 
a response to increasing globalization of trade could result in changes in tax treaties or the introduction of new legislation that could impose an additional 
tax on businesses. As a result of changes to laws or interpretations, our tax positions could be challenged and our income tax expenses could increase in 
the future. 

For instance, if tax authorities in any of the countries in which we operate were to successfully challenge our transfer prices, they could require 

us to reallocate our income (or part of our income) to reflect transfer pricing adjustments, which could result in an increased tax liability to us. In addition, 
if the country from which the income was reallocated did not agree with the reallocation asserted by the first country, we could become subject to tax on 
the same income in both countries, resulting in double taxation. If tax authorities were to allocate income to a higher tax jurisdiction, subject our income 
to double taxation or assess interest and penalties, it could increase our tax liability, which could adversely affect our financial position and results of 
operations. 

We are subject to privacy and data protection laws and regulations in various jurisdictions, including the EU General Data Protection Regulation, as 
well as contractual privacy and data protection obligations, which may limit the use and adoption of, or require modification of, our products and 
services and could affect our marketing activities.  Our failure to comply with such laws, regulations or obligations could subject us to liability and 
could harm our reputation and business.

Our industry is highly regulated, and many federal, state and foreign government bodies and agencies have adopted, or are adopting, laws and 

regulations regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information. Some of our solutions process customer data which may contain the 
personal information of end users, and any failure to adequately address privacy concerns, or to otherwise comply with applicable privacy laws and 
regulations could result in liability, damage to our reputation, loss of sales, or further harm our business. Privacy concerns, whether or not valid, may 
inhibit market adoption of our solutions. The costs of compliance with such laws and regulations that apply to our customers’ business may in turn limit 
their use and adoption of our products and services and therefore reduce overall demand for them.

We are subject to the privacy and data protection laws and regulations adopted by Israel, Europe and the United States and potentially other 

jurisdictions. Where the local data protection and privacy laws of a jurisdiction apply, we may be required to register our operations in that jurisdiction or 
make changes to our business so that registered users’ data is only collected and processed in accordance with applicable local law. The proliferation of 
such laws within the jurisdictions in which we operate may result in conflicting and contradictory requirements, particularly in relation to evolving 
technologies such as cloud computing. Any failure to successfully navigate the changing regulatory landscape could result in legal liability or impairment 
to our reputation in the marketplace, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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In particular, the European Union has imposed greater obligations under their privacy and data protection laws.  For example, the European 

Union adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which took effect on May 25, 2018 and is wide ranging in scope. GDPR replaced, to a 
large extent, the data protection laws of each European Union member state and impose stringent requirements for data processors and controllers.  Such 
requirements include more fulsome disclosures about the processing of personal information, data retention limits and deletion requirements, mandatory 
notification in the case of a data breach and heightened standards regarding valid consent in some specific cases of data processing.  The GDPR also 
includes substantially higher penalties for failure to comply (a fine up to 20 million Euro or up to 4% of the annual worldwide turnover, whichever is 
greater, can be imposed). Given the breadth of the GDPR, compliance with its requirements is likely to continue to require significant expenditure of 
resources on an ongoing basis, and there can be no assurance that the measures we have taken for the purposes of compliance will be successful in 
preventing a breach of the GDPR. Given the potential fines, liabilities and damage to our reputation in the event of an actual or perceived breach of the 
GDPR, such a breach may have an adverse effect on our business and operations.

If any of our customers or prospective customers decide not to purchase our products or services because of regulatory uncertainty, our revenues 
could decline and our business could suffer. Any inability by us, or a third-party contractor, to adequately address privacy concerns, whether valid or not, 
or to comply with applicable privacy or data protection laws, regulations and privacy standards, could result in additional cost and liability to us, damage 
our reputation, inhibit sales of our solutions and harm our business.

We face uncertainty in the global geopolitical landscape that may impede the implementation of our strategy outside the United States.

In June 2016, the United Kingdom (the “U.K.”) held a referendum in which voters approved the country’s exit from the E.U., commonly referred

to as Brexit. The U.K. government has so far been unable to secure a parliamentary majority for the withdrawal agreement. Continued uncertainty, or a 
U.K. exit without any agreement on terms, would risk significant disruption to U.K./E.U. trade. The prospect of Brexit has already caused global stock 
market volatility and currency exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in strengthening of the U.S. dollar relative to other foreign currencies in which we 
conduct business. The U.K.’s final withdrawal, especially without any deal on terms, may bring global economic and legal uncertainty, including 
significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rates, which could negatively affect our revenues in the U.K. and Europe, and 
increasingly divergent laws, regulations and licensing requirements applicable to us as the United Kingdom determines which EU laws to replace or 
replicate. Any of these effects of Brexit, among others, could adversely affect our operations and financial results. Our EMEA sales team is largely based 
in Bracknell, U.K. and the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit could hamper our ability to sell our products to U.K. and E.U. customers.

Technology Risks 

We may not have the resources or skills required to adapt to the changing technological requirements and shifting preferences of our customers and 
their users.

The messaging, antimalware and web security industries are characterized by difficult technological challenges, sophisticated distributors of 

internet security threats, multiple-variant viruses, advanced persistent threats, unique phishing scams and constantly evolving malevolent software 
distribution practices and targets that could render our solutions and proprietary technology ineffective. Our success depends, in part, on our ability to 
continually enhance our existing messaging, antimalware and web security solutions and to develop new solutions, functions and technology that address 
the potential needs of prospective and current customers and their users.

Many of our end users operate in markets characterized by rapidly changing technologies and business plans, which require them to adapt to 

increasingly complex IT networks, incorporating a variety of hardware, software applications, operating systems and networking protocols. As their 
technologies and business plans grow more complex, we expect these customers to face new and increasingly sophisticated methods of attack. We face 
significant challenges in ensuring that our solutions effectively identify and respond to these advanced and evolving attacks without disrupting our 
customers’ network performance. As a result of the continued rapid innovations in the technology industry, including the rapid growth of smart phones, 
tablets and other devices and the trend of “bring your own device” in enterprises, we expect the networks of our end users to continue to change rapidly 
and become more complex. 

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We have identified and implemented a number of new products and enhancements to our platform that we believe are important to our continued 

success in the IT security market. Going forward, we may not be successful in developing and marketing, on a timely basis, such new products or 
enhancements or that our new products or enhancements will adequately address the changing needs of the marketplace. In addition, some of our new 
products and enhancements may require us to develop new architectures that involve complex, expensive and time-consuming research and development 
processes. Although the market expects rapid introduction of new products and enhancements to respond to new threats, the development of these 
products and enhancements is difficult and the timetable for commercial release and availability is uncertain, as there can be significant time lags between 
initial beta releases and the commercial availability of new products and enhancements. We may experience unanticipated delays in the availability of 
new products and enhancements to our platform and fail to meet customer expectations with respect to the timing of such availability. If we do not 
quickly respond to the rapidly changing and rigorous needs of our customers by developing, releasing and making available on a timely basis new 
products and enhancements to our services and products that can adequately respond to advanced threats and our customers’ needs, our competitive 
position and business prospects will be harmed. Furthermore, from time to time, we, or our competitors, may announce new products with capabilities or 
technologies that could have the potential to replace or shorten the life cycles of our existing services products. Announcements of new products could 
cause customers to defer purchasing our existing services or products.

Additionally, the process of developing new technology is expensive, complex and uncertain. The success of new products and enhancements 

depends on several factors, including appropriate component costs, timely completion and introduction, differentiation of new products and services from 
those of our competitors, and market acceptance. To maintain our competitive position, we must continue to commit significant resources to developing 
new products or services before knowing whether these investments will be cost-effective or achieve the intended results. We may not be able to 
successfully identify new product opportunities, develop and bring new products or services to market in a timely manner, or achieve market acceptance 
of our platform. Products and technologies developed by others may render our offerings obsolete or noncompetitive. If we expend significant resources 
on researching and developing products or services and such products and services are not successful, our business, financial position and results of 
operations may be adversely affected. We may not be able to use new technologies effectively or adapt to OEM, service provider, customer or end user 
requirements or emerging industry standards.  

Our solutions may be adversely affected by defects or denial of service attacks, which could cause our OEM and service provider partners, customers 
or end users to stop using our solutions.

Our messaging, antimalware and web security solutions are based in part upon new and complex software and highly advanced computer 

systems. Complex software and computer systems can contain defects, particularly when first introduced or when new versions are released, and are 
possible targets for denial of service attacks instigated by “hackers”. Although we conduct extensive testing and implement internet security processes, we
may not discover defects or vulnerabilities in our software or systems that affect our new or current solutions or enhancements until after they are 
delivered. Although we have not experienced any material defects or vulnerabilities to date in our messaging, antimalware and web security offerings, it 
is possible that, despite testing by us, defects or vulnerabilities may exist in the solutions we provide. These defects or vulnerabilities could cause or lead 
to interruptions for customers of our solutions, resulting in damage to our reputation, legal risks, loss of revenue, delays in market acceptance and 
diversion of our development resources, any of which could cause our business, financial condition and/or results of operations to suffer.

Real or perceived defects, errors or vulnerabilities in our services or the failure of our services to block malware or prevent a cyber-attack or security 
breach could harm our reputation and adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Because our products and services are complex, they have contained and may contain design or manufacturing defects or errors that are not 
detected until after their commercial release and deployment by our end users. For example, from time to time, certain of our end users have reported 
defects in our products related to performance, scalability and compatibility that were not detected before offering the service. Additionally, defects may 
cause our products or services to be vulnerable to security attacks, cause them to fail to help secure networks or temporarily interrupt end users’
networking traffic. Because the techniques used by computer hackers to access or sabotage networks change frequently and may not be recognized until 
launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate these techniques and provide a solution in time to protect our end users’ networks.

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Furthermore, as a well-known provider of internet security solutions, our networks, products, and services could be targeted by attacks 
specifically designed to disrupt our business and harm our reputation. In addition, our data centers, which are located in various locations worldwide, and 
networks may experience technical failures and downtime, may fail to distribute appropriate updates, or may fail to meet the increased requirements of a 
growing end user base, any of which could temporarily or permanently expose our end users’ networks, leaving their networks unprotected against the 
latest security threats.

Any real or perceived defects, errors or vulnerabilities in our services, or any other failure of our services to detect an advanced threat, could 

result in certain events, including:

● a loss of existing or potential customers or channel partners;

● delayed or lost revenue;

● a delay in attaining, or the failure to attain, market acceptance;

● the expenditure of significant financial and product development resources in efforts to analyze, correct, eliminate, or work around errors or 

defects, to address and eliminate vulnerabilities, or to identify and ramp up production with alternative third-party manufacturers;

● an increase in service level availability or warranty claims, or an increase in the cost of servicing such claims, either of which would adversely 

affect our gross margins;

● harm to our reputation or brand; and

● litigation, regulatory inquiries or investigations that may be costly to address and further harm our reputation.

Data thieves are sophisticated, often affiliated with organized crime and operate large scale and complex automated attacks. In addition, their 

techniques change frequently and generally are not recognized until launched against a target. If we fail to identify and respond to new and complex 
methods of attack and to update our services to detect or prevent such threats in time to protect our end users’ systems, our business and reputation will 
suffer.

An actual or perceived security breach or theft of the sensitive data of one of our end users, regardless of whether the breach is attributable to the 
failure of our products or services, could adversely affect the market’s perception of our security offerings. Despite our best efforts, there is no guarantee 
that our products and services will be free of flaws or vulnerabilities, and even if we discover these weaknesses we may not be able to correct them 
promptly, if at all. A breach of our systems could also result in the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information as well as information regarding 
our customers, end users and partners. Our end user customers may also misuse our products and services, which could result in a breach or theft of 
business data.

Our messaging, antimalware and web security solutions may be adversely affected if we are not able to receive a sufficient sampling of internet traffic 
or our data centers were to become unavailable.

Our messaging, antimalware and web security solutions are dependent, in part, on the ability of our data centers to analyze, in an automated 

fashion, live feeds of internet and web related traffic received through our services to customers and other contractual arrangements. If we were to suffer 
an unanticipated, substantial decrease in such traffic or our multiple data centers become unavailable for any significant period, the effectiveness of our 
technologies would drop, our product offerings would become less attractive to customers/potential customers and revenues could decline.

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False detection of applications, viruses, malware, spyware, vulnerability exploits, data patterns or URL categories could adversely affect our business.

Our classifications of application type, virus, malware, spyware, vulnerability exploits, data, or URL categories may falsely detect applications, 

content or threats that do not actually exist. This risk is heightened by the inclusion of a “heuristics” feature in our products, which attempts to identify 
applications and other threats not based on any known signatures but based on characteristics or anomalies which indicate that a particular item may be a 
threat. These “false positives”, while typical in our industry, may impair the perceived reliability of our products and may therefore adversely impact 
market acceptance of our services and products. If our services and products restrict important files or applications based on falsely identifying them as 
malware or some other item that should be restricted, this could adversely affect end users’ systems and cause material system failures. Any such false 
identification of important files or applications could result in damage to our reputation, negative publicity, loss of end users and sales, increased costs to 
remedy any problem, and costly litigation.

Our cloud-based SecaaS offerings are newer service offerings, so we may not see the customer traction in these offerings that we anticipate.

Security-as-a-Service (“SecaaS”) is a model of cloud-based services offerings. In 2014, we released CWS, our cloud-based security service that 
provides end users with secure browsing from any device, anywhere. In March 2017, we launched CCS 4.0 which unified four fully cloud based internet 
security services on one platform including – CWS, CES, DNS security and cloud sandboxing. Subsequent releases have added new features such as our 
email archiving and GPDR capabilities, with two new CCS offerings planned for release during 2019. The solutions we are promoting and will promote 
to this market enable us to offer internet security solutions directly to our Enterprise customers or through our channel partners. Among other things, this 
cloud-based approach is intended to speed up the process of moving our solutions to market, and ease the integration burden for our customers.

In recent years, companies have begun to expect that key security software services, such as URL filtering, be provided through a SecaaS model. 

In order to provide CCS via a SecaaS deployment, we have made and will continue to make capital investments to implement this alternative business 
model, which could negatively affect our financial results. Even with these investments, the SecaaS business model for CCS may not be successful. 
Because of the newness of the technologies involved and the resulting learning curve required of all employees in the sale and support of the new 
offerings, we cannot be certain that we will convince potential customers of the benefits of these new offerings and sell them at the rate we anticipate. If 
we fall short of our expectations, and especially given the significant resources invested by us in bringing these new offerings to market, our financial 
results will suffer and the value of shareholder investments will decline. 

If we fail to develop or protect our Cyren brand name, our business may be harmed.

In January 2014, we announced the Company would change its name from Commtouch Software to Cyren. We adopted our new name as we 

completed our transformation into a leading provider of cloud-based information security solutions that are specially designed to be deployed or private 
labeled by customers and partners alike. Developing and maintaining awareness and integrity of our company and our new brand are important to 
achieving widespread acceptance of our existing and future offerings and are important elements in attracting new customers. The importance of brand 
recognition will increase as competition in our market further intensifies. Successful promotion of our brand will depend on the effectiveness of our 
marketing efforts and on our ability to provide reliable and useful solutions at competitive prices. We plan to continue investing substantial resources to 
promote our brand, both domestically and internationally, but there is no guarantee that our brand development strategies will enhance the recognition of 
our brand. Some of our existing and potential competitors have well-established brands with greater recognition than we have. If our efforts to promote 
and maintain our brand are not successful, our operating results and our ability to attract and retain customers may be adversely affected. In addition, even 
if our brand recognition and loyalty increases, this may not result in increased use of our solutions or higher revenue.

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Our use of open source technology could impose limitations on our ability to commercialize our solutions.

We use open source software in certain of our solutions, and although we monitor our use of open source software to avoid subjecting our 
solutions to conditions we do not intend, the terms of many open source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. or foreign courts. As a result, there is a 
risk that these licenses could be construed in a way that could impose unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to commercialize our 
solutions. From time to time, we may face claims from third parties claiming ownership of, or demanding release of, the open source software or 
derivative works that we have developed using such software or otherwise seeking to enforce the terms of the applicable open source license. In such an 
event, we could be required to seek licenses from third parties to continue offering our solutions, to make our proprietary code generally available in 
source code form, to re-engineer our solutions or to discontinue the sale of our solutions if re-engineering could not be accomplished on a timely basis, 
any of which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Investment Risks

The issuance of additional shares in connection with financings, acquisitions, investments, our stock incentive plans, conversion of our convertible 
notes or otherwise will dilute other shareholders. In addition, our failure in the future to raise additional capital or generate the significant capital 
necessary to expand our operations and invest in new services and products could reduce our ability to compete and could harm our business.

We intend to continue to make investments to support our business growth and may require additional funds to respond to business challenges, 

including the need to develop new features to enhance our services and products, improve our operating infrastructure or acquire complementary 
businesses and technologies. Accordingly, we may need to engage in equity or debt financings to secure additional funds. For example, in August 2015, 
we completed an underwritten public offering of 7,666,665 ordinary shares at a price to the public of $1.65 per share. In March 2017, we issued $6.3 
million aggregate principal amount of convertible notes. In November 2017 we issued approximately 10.6 million ordinary shares for $1.85 per share to 
WP XII Investments B.V., an entity controlled by funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus LLC (together “Warburg Pincus”). The subsequent tender offer 
by Warburg Pincus completed on December 24, 2017 resulted in the conversion of the convertible notes into shares and the accelerated vesting of 
employee options. On December 5, 2018, we issued $10 million aggregate principal amount of convertible notes to an existing minority investor in a 
private placement.

We evaluate financing opportunities from time to time, and our ability to obtain financing will depend, among other things, on our development 
efforts, business plans and operating performance and the condition of the capital markets at the time we seek financing. If we raise additional equity or 
convertible debt financing, our stockholders may experience significant dilution of their ownership interests and the per share value of our ordinary shares 
could decline. Furthermore, if we engage in debt financing, the holders of debt would have priority over the holders of our ordinary shares, and we may 
be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness or that otherwise restrict our ability to operate our business. We may 
also be required to take other actions that would otherwise be in the interests of the debt holders and force us to maintain specified liquidity or other 
ratios, any of which could harm our business, operating results, and financial condition. We may not be able to obtain additional financing on terms 
favorable to us, if at all. If we are unable to obtain adequate financing or financing on terms satisfactory to us when we require it, our ability to continue 
to support our business growth and to respond to business challenges could be significantly impaired, and our business may be adversely affected.

We are controlled by Warburg Pincus whose interest in our business may be different from yours.

Our controlling shareholder, Warburg Pincus, holds approximately 51% of our outstanding ordinary shares as of February 28, 2019, and has the 

right to nominate the number of directors proportional to its holdings of our outstanding shares. Currently, four directors nominated by Warburg Pincus 
serve on our Board. Warburg Pincus is able to exercise significant influence over many matters requiring the approval of our Board and/or shareholders, 
including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions. In addition, our other directors and our executive officers that are not 
related to Warburg Pincus (together known as “affiliated entities”), beneficially own, in the aggregate, approximately 7% of our outstanding ordinary 
shares as of February 28, 2019. If they vote together (especially if they were to exercise all vested options into shares entitled to voting rights in the 
Company), these shareholders will be able to exercise influence over matters requiring a special majority vote of our shareholders, including the 
compensation of directors and approval of certain significant corporate transactions. In this regard, we know of no shareholders or voting agreement 
between major shareholders or between such shareholders and directors or officers.

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In addition, conflicts of interest may arise as a consequence of the control by Warburg Pincus, including:

● conflicts between Warburg Pincus and our other shareholders whose interests may differ with respect to, among other things, our strategic 

direction or significant corporate transactions;

● conflicts related to corporate opportunities that could be pursued by us, on the one hand, or by Warburg Pincus, on the other hand; or

● conflicts related to existing or new contractual relationships between us, on the one hand, and Warburg Pincus, on the other hand.

Our ordinary shares often trade at different prices on Nasdaq and TASE.

Our ordinary shares are traded primarily on the Nasdaq Capital Market and also on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (“TASE”). Trading in our 
ordinary shares on these markets is made in different currencies (U.S. dollars on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and Israeli Shekels on the TASE), and at 
different times (resulting from different time zones, different trading days and different public holidays in the United States and Israel). Consequently, the 
trading prices of our ordinary shares on these two markets often differ. Any decrease in the trading price of our ordinary shares on one of these markets 
could cause a decrease in the trading price of our ordinary shares on the other market. On January 10, 2019, we announced that we are voluntarily 
delisting the company’s ordinary shares from trading on the TASE and we applied to the TASE to request that TASE initiate the delisting process. The 
delisting in Israel will not affect our continued listing on the Nasdaq in the United States and all ordinary shares now traded on the TASE may be 
transferred to the Nasdaq. The delisting of our ordinary shares from trading on the TASE is expected to be on or about April 10, 2019. During the interim 
period, there could be increased volatility in share trading.

U.S. holders of our shares could be subject to material adverse tax consequences if we are considered a “passive foreign investment company” for 
U.S. federal income tax purposes.

We do not believe that we are a passive foreign investment company, and we do not expect to become a passive foreign investment company. 
However, our status in any taxable year will depend on our assets, income and activities in each year, and because this is a factual determination made 
annually after the end of each taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be considered a passive foreign investment company for the current 
taxable year or any future taxable years. If we were a passive foreign investment company for any taxable year while a taxable U.S. holder held our 
shares, such U.S. holder could face adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences, including having gains realized on the sale of our ordinary shares 
classified as ordinary income, rather than as capital gain, the loss of the preferential rate applicable to dividends received on our ordinary shares by 
individuals who are U.S. holders, and having interest charges apply to distributions by us and the proceeds of share sales. 

U.S. persons who own 10% or more of our ordinary shares may be subject to adverse U.S. tax consequences under the U.S. controlled foreign 
corporation rules

If we or one of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are or become a controlled foreign corporation, or “CFCs,” “10% U.S. Shareholders” (as defined 

below) may be taxed on their pro rata share of certain of our earnings, even if those earnings are not distributed by us. A non-U.S. corporation is a “CFC”
if more than 50% of its shares (by vote or value) are owned by “10% U.S. Shareholders.” A U.S. person is a “10% U.S. Shareholder” if such person owns 
(directly, indirectly and/or constructively) 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares entitled to vote of such corporation or 
10% more of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of such corporation.

In general, if a U.S. person sells or exchanges stock in a foreign corporation and such person is a “10% U.S. Shareholder” at any time during the 

5-year period ending on the date of the sale or exchange when such foreign corporation was a CFC, any gain from such sale or exchange may be treated 
as a dividend to the extent of the corporation’s earnings and profits attributable to such shares that were accumulated during the period that the 
shareholder held the shares while the corporation was a CFC (with certain adjustments).

The CFC rules are complex. The foregoing is merely a summary of certain potential application of these rules. No assurances can be given that 

we or one of our non-U.S. subsidiaries are not or will not become a CFC, and certain changes to the CFC constructive ownership rules introduced by 
recent U.S. tax legislation could, under certain circumstances, cause us to be classified as a CFC. Each holder is urged to consult its tax advisor with 
respect to the possible application of the CFC rules.

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We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.

We have never declared or paid any dividends on our ordinary shares. We intend to retain any earnings to finance the operation and expansion of 

our business, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the future. As a result, you may only receive a return on your investment in our 
ordinary shares if the market price of our ordinary shares increases.

Intellectual Property Risks

If we fail to adequately protect our intellectual property rights or face a claim of intellectual property infringement by a third party, we could lose our 
intellectual property rights or be liable for significant damages.

We regard our patented and patent pending technology, copyrights, service marks, trademarks, trade secrets and similar intellectual property as 

critical to our success, and rely on patent, trademark and copyright law, trade secret protection and confidentiality or license agreements with our 
employees and customers to protect our proprietary rights. See Item 1. Business, Intellectual Property for information pertaining to our patent activities. 
We may seek to patent certain additional software or other technology in the future. Any such patent applications might not result in patents issued within 
the scope of the claims we seek, or at all.

Despite our precautions, unauthorized third parties may copy certain portions of our technology, reverse engineer or obtain and use information 

that we regard as proprietary or otherwise infringe or misappropriate our patent or our patent pending technology, trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks 
and similar proprietary rights. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as do the laws of the 
United States. Thus, our means of protecting our proprietary rights in the United States or abroad, as well as our financial resources, may not be adequate, 
and competitors may independently develop similar technology. Given the cost, effort, risks and downside of obtaining patent protection, including the 
requirement to ultimately disclose the invention to the public, we may not choose to seek patent protection for certain innovations. However, such patent 
protection could later prove to be important to our business. Even if issued, there can be no assurance that any patents will have the coverage originally 
sought or adequately protect our intellectual property, as the legal standards relating to the validity, enforceability and scope of protection of patent and 
other intellectual property rights are uncertain. Any patents that are issued may be invalidated or otherwise limited, or may lapse or may be abandoned, 
enabling other companies to better develop products that compete with our solutions, which could adversely affect our competitive business position, 
business prospects and financial condition.

We cannot be certain that our security solutions do not infringe issued patents in certain parts of the world. Therefore, other parties, whether in 
the United States or elsewhere, may assert infringement claims against us. We may also be subject to legal proceedings and claims from time to time in 
the ordinary course of our business, including claims of alleged infringement of copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights of third 
parties by ourselves and our customers. Our customer agreements typically include indemnity provisions, so we may be obligated to defend against third 
party intellectual property rights infringement claims on behalf of our customers. Such claims, even if not meritorious, could result in the expenditure of 
significant financial and managerial resources. We may not have the proper resources in order to adequately defend against such claims.

Risks Relating to Operations in Israel

Conditions in Israel may limit our ability to develop and sell our products, resulting in a decline in revenues.

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel. Our principal research and development facilities are located in Israel. Since the 

establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, a number of armed conflicts have taken place between Israel and its neighboring countries, as well as 
incidents of civil unrest, and a number of state and non-state actors have publicly committed to its destruction. Political, economic and military conditions 
in Israel could directly affect our operations. We could be adversely affected by any major hostilities involving Israel, including acts of terrorism or any 
other hostilities involving or threatening Israel, the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its trading partners, a significant increase in 
inflation or a significant downturn in the economic or financial condition of Israel. Any on-going or future violence between Israel and the Palestinians, 
armed conflicts, terrorist activities, tension along the Israeli borders or with other countries in the region, including Iran, or political instability in the 
region could disrupt international trading activities in Israel and may materially and negatively affect our business and could harm our results of 
operations. 

29

Certain countries, as well as certain companies and organizations, continue to participate in a boycott of Israeli firms, firms with large Israeli 

operations and others doing business with Israel and Israeli companies. In addition, such boycott, restrictive laws, policies or practices may change over 
time in unpredictable ways, and could, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our business in the future. Should the BDS 
Movement, the movement for boycotting, divesting and sanctioning Israel and Israeli institutions (including universities) and products become 
increasingly influential in the United States, Europe and around the world, this may also adversely affect our business and financial condition.

Some of our employees in Israel, including some of our executive officers, are obligated to perform annual military reserve duty in the Israel 

Defense Forces, depending on their age and position in the armed forces. Furthermore, they may be called to active reserve duty at any time under 
emergency circumstances for extended periods of time. Our operations could be disrupted by the absence, for a significant period, of one or more of our 
executive officers or key employees due to military service, and any significant disruption in our operations could harm our business.

Because a substantial portion of our revenues historically have been generated in U.S. dollars (USD) and the Euro (EUR), and a significant portion 
of our expenses have been incurred in Israeli Shekel (ILS), British Pound (GBP) and Icelandic Krona (ISK), our results of operations may be 
adversely affected by currency fluctuations.

We have generated a substantial portion of our revenues in USD and EUR, and incurred a substantial portion of our expenses, principally salaries
and related personnel expenses, office rent and other outside services, in currencies other than USD. Those expenses incurred in Israel are denominated in 
Shekels, those incurred in the United Kingdom are denominated in GBP and those incurred in Iceland are denominated in ISK. We anticipate that a 
significant portion of our expenses will continue to be denominated in these currencies. As a result, we are exposed to risk to the extent that the value of 
the USD depreciates against the ILS, GBP and ISK or to the extent that the value of the USD appreciates against the EUR. In those events, the USD cost 
of Cyren’s operations will increase and the USD value of Cyren’s revenues will decrease, respectively, and the Company’s USD measured results of 
operations will be adversely affected. During 2018, the USD value of operating costs denominated in ILS, GBP and ISK decreased due to the 
appreciation of the USD vs. all such currencies, and the USD value of revenues denominated in EUR decreased due to the appreciation of the USD vs the 
EUR. During 2017, the USD value of operating costs denominated in ILS, GBP and ISK increased due to the depreciation of the USD vs. all such 
currencies, and the USD value of revenues denominated in EUR increased due to the depreciation of the USD vs the EUR.

We cannot predict the trend for future years. Our operations also could be adversely affected if we are unable to guard against currency 

fluctuations in the future. To date, we have not engaged in any significant hedging transactions. In the future, we may enter into currency hedging 
transactions to decrease the risk of financial exposure from fluctuations in the exchange rate of the dollar against the ILS. Foreign currency fluctuations, 
and our attempts to mitigate the risks caused by such fluctuations, could have a material and adverse effect on our results of operations and financial 
condition.  

The government programs and benefits which we previously received require us to meet several conditions and may be terminated or reduced in the 
future.

We received grants from the Government of Israel through a program with the Israel Innovation Authority, or the IIA (formerly known as the 
Office of the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry, or OCS), pursuant to the Israeli Law for the Encouragement of Industrial 
Research and Development, 1984, and related regulations (the “R&D Law”), to finance a significant portion of our research and development 
expenditures in Israel. In 2018 and 2017, we received $228 thousand and $718 thousand, respectively.

30

In order to meet specified conditions in connection with grants and programs of the IIA, we have made representations to the Israel government 

about our Israeli operations. One of the grants requires a minimum commitment of three years and we are required to share information with other 
companies and academics. From time to time, the conduct of our Israeli operations has deviated from our forecasts. If we fail to meet the conditions of the 
grants, including the maintenance of a material presence in Israel, or if there is any material deviation from the representations made by us to the Israeli 
government, we could be required to refund the grants previously received (together with an adjustment based on the Israeli consumer price index and an 
interest factor) and would likely be ineligible to receive IIA grants in the future.

In addition, the terms of our IIA grants and programs prohibit the manufacture outside of Israel of the product developed in accordance with the 
program without the prior consent of the Research Committee. Such approval is generally subject to an increase in the total amount to be repaid to the IIA 
to between 120% and 300% of the amount granted, depending on the extent of the manufacturing that is conducted outside of Israel. In addition, the R&D 
Law provides that know-how from the research and development and any derivatives thereof, cannot be transferred or licensed to Israeli third parties 
without the approval of the Research Committee. The R&D Law stresses that it is not just transfer of know-how that is prohibited, but also transfer of any 
rights in such know-how. Approval of the transfer and/or license may be granted only if the Israeli transferee undertakes to abide by all of the provisions 
of the R&D Law and regulations promulgated thereunder, including the restrictions on the transfer of know-how and the obligation to pay royalties, if 
applicable.

You may have difficulties enforcing a U.S. judgment against us and our executive officers and directors or asserting U.S. securities laws claims in 
Israel. 

Cyren Ltd. is organized under the laws of Israel, and we maintain significant operations in Israel. In addition, a significant portion of our assets 

are located outside the United States. Service of process upon our non-U.S. resident directors and enforcement of judgments obtained in the United States 
against them and Cyren Ltd. may be difficult to obtain within the United States. It may be difficult to enforce civil causes of actions under U.S. securities 
law in original actions instituted in Israel. Israeli courts may refuse to hear a claim based on a violation of U.S. securities laws because Israel is not the 
most appropriate forum in which to bring such a claim. In addition, even if an Israeli court agrees to hear a claim, it may determine that Israeli law and not
U.S. law is applicable to the claim. If U.S. law is found to be applicable, the substance of the applicable U.S. law must be proved as a fact, which can be a 
time-consuming and costly process. Certain matters of procedure will also be governed by Israeli law. Furthermore, there is little binding case law in 
Israel addressing these matters.

Israeli courts might not enforce judgments rendered outside Israel which may make it difficult to collect on judgments rendered against us. 

Subject to certain time limitations, an Israeli court may declare a foreign civil judgment enforceable only if it finds that (a) the judgment was rendered by 
a court which was, according to the laws of the state of the court, competent to render the judgment; (b) the judgment may no longer be appealed; (c) the 
obligation imposed by the judgment is enforceable according to the rules relating to the enforceability of judgments in Israel and the substance of the 
judgment is not contrary to public policy; and (d) the judgment is executory in the state in which it was given.

Even if these conditions are satisfied, an Israeli court will not enforce a foreign judgment if it was given in a state whose laws do not provide for 

the enforcement of judgments of Israeli courts (subject to exceptional cases) or if its enforcement is likely to prejudice the sovereignty or security of the 
State of Israel. An Israeli court also will not declare a foreign judgment enforceable if (i) the judgment was obtained by fraud; (ii) there is a finding of 
lack of due process; (iii) the judgment was rendered by a court not competent to render it according to the laws of private international law in Israel; (iv) 
the judgment is at variance with another judgment that was given in the same matter between the same parties and that is still valid; or (v) at the time the 
action was brought in the foreign court, a suit in the same matter and between the same parties was pending before a court or tribunal in Israel.  

In addition, if a foreign judgment is enforced by an Israeli court, it generally will be payable in ILS, which can then be converted into foreign 

currency at the rate of exchange of such foreign currency on the date of payment. Pending collection, the amount of the judgment of an Israeli court stated 
in ILS (without any linkage to a foreign currency) ordinarily will be linked to the Israeli consumer price index plus interest at the annual statutory rate 
prevailing at such time. Judgment creditors bear the risk of unfavorable exchange rates.

31

Provisions of Israeli law may delay, prevent or make difficult an acquisition of Cyren Ltd., which could prevent a change of control and therefore 
depress the price of our shares.

Israeli corporate law regulates mergers and acquisitions of shares through tender offers, requires special approvals for transactions involving 

officers, directors or significant shareholders and regulates other matters that may be relevant to these types of transactions. Furthermore, Israeli tax 
considerations may make potential transactions unappealing to us or to our shareholders whose country of residence does not have a tax treaty with Israel 
exempting such shareholders from Israeli tax. For example, Israeli tax law does not recognize tax-free share exchanges to the same extent as U.S. tax law. 
With respect to mergers, Israeli tax law allows for tax deferral in certain circumstances but makes the deferral contingent on the fulfillment of a number of
conditions, including a holding period of two years from the date of the transaction during which sales and dispositions of shares of the participating 
companies are subject to certain restrictions. Moreover, with respect to certain share swap transactions, the tax deferral is limited in time, and when such 
time expires, the tax becomes payable even if no disposition of the shares has occurred. These and other similar provisions could delay, prevent or impede 
an acquisition of our company or our merger with another company, even if such an acquisition or merger would be beneficial to us or to our 
shareholders.

Your rights and responsibilities as a shareholder will be governed by Israeli law which differs in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of 
shareholders of U.S. companies.

We are incorporated under Israeli law. The rights and responsibilities of the holders of our ordinary shares are governed by our Articles of 

Association and Israeli law. These rights and responsibilities differ in some respects from the rights and responsibilities of shareholders in typical U.S.-
based corporations. In particular, a shareholder of an Israeli company has a duty to act in good faith toward the company and other shareholders and to 
refrain from abusing its power in the company, including, among other things, in voting at the general meeting of shareholders on matters such as 
amendments to a company’s articles of association, increases in a company’s authorized share capital, mergers and acquisitions and interested party 
transactions requiring shareholder approval. In addition, a controlling shareholder, a shareholder who knows that it possesses the power to determine the 
outcome of a shareholder vote or to appoint or prevent the appointment of a director or executive officer in the company has a duty of fairness toward the 
company. There is limited case law available to assist us in understanding the implications of these provisions that govern shareholders’ actions. These 
provisions may be interpreted to impose additional obligations and liabilities on holders of our ordinary shares that are not typically imposed on 
shareholders of U.S. corporations.

We have lost our foreign private issuer status, which will result in significant additional costs and expenses.

We have lost our foreign private issuer status, which will result in significant additional costs and expenses. Until January 1, 2019, we were a 

“foreign private issuer,” as such term is defined in Rule 405 under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). As such, we were 
exempt from certain provisions applicable to U.S. domestic public companies including:

● the rules under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, requiring the filing with the SEC of quarterly reports on 

Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K;

● the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the 

Exchange Act;

● the provisions of Regulation FD aimed at preventing issuers from making selective disclosures of material information; and

● the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and establishing insider 

liability for profits realized from any “short-swing” trading transaction (a purchase and sale, or sale and purchase, of the issuer’s equity securities 
within less than six months).

32

On January 1, 2019, as a result of losing our foreign private issuer status, we became a “U.S. domestic issuer”. The regulatory and compliance costs 

to us under U.S. securities laws as a U.S. domestic issuer are significantly higher than the costs we previously incurred as a foreign private issuer. In 
addition to having to make the above described filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are more detailed than forms typically 
filed by a foreign private issuer, we lost our ability to rely upon exemptions from certain corporate governance. We were also required to make certain 
changes to our corporate governance practices and update certain of our policies to comply with requirements applicable to U.S. domestic issuers. We 
expect that compliance with these additional requirements will result in significant legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities 
more time consuming and costly. In addition, we expect that our management and other personnel will need to divert attention from operational and other 
business matters to devote substantial time to these requirements.

We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and may rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance 
requirements.

Warburg Pincus controls a majority of our ordinary shares. As a result, we are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the Nasdaq Listing 
Rules. Under these rules, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another 
company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, including, without limitation (i) 
the requirement that a majority of the board of directors consist of independent directors, (ii) the requirement that the compensation of our officers be 
determined or recommended to our board of directors by a compensation committee that is comprised solely of independent directors, and (iii) the 
requirement that director nominees be selected or recommended to the board of directors by a majority of independent directors or a nominating 
committee comprised solely of independent directors. At present, five out of ten directors on our board are independent. In the future, we could 
potentially seek to rely on additional exemptions afforded to a “controlled company,” and in such case, you would not have the same protections afforded 
to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES

Our principal executive office in Herzliya, Israel, is approximately 18,342 square feet and houses research and development, sales, marketing, 

support and administrative personnel. The lease for our Herzliya office expires in April 30, 2023, with a five year extension option.

We lease additional offices in the United States and Europe. Our U.S. subsidiary Cyren Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Virginia in an office of 

approximately 4,707 square feet and it houses executive management, finance, HR and administrative personnel; its office in Sunnyvale, California 
(approximately 2,497 square feet), is staffed by operations, sales and marketing personnel; and its office in Austin, TX (approximately 9,128 square feet) 
which houses sales, marketing and support personnel. A portion of our leased office space in the United States has been sub-leased. Our subsidiary Cyren 
Iceland hf is located in Hafnarfjordur, Iceland in an office of approximately 7,136 square feet, which houses antivirus research and development and 
operations and some administrative personnel. Our subsidiary Cyren GmbH is based in Berlin, Germany, in an office of approximately 10,333 square 
feet, which houses research and development, operations, sales, marketing and administrative personnel. Our subsidiary Cyren UK Ltd. is based in 
Bracknell, UK in an office of approximately 3,180 square feet, which houses sales and marketing personnel.

33

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS 

In conjunction with the 2012 acquisition of eleven, the Company entered into an earn-out agreement with the former shareholders that would pay 

additional consideration based on the revenue performance for the years ending 2012-2015. Subsequently in 2014 the Company had a legal dispute 
regarding the amount and timing of the earn-out payments and had entered into arbitral proceedings with the former shareholders of eleven. On March 9, 
2017, the Company received the arbitral judgement. Pursuant to the judgement, the earn-out consideration balance was increased to reflect additional 
legal expenses and interest expenses covering the period up to December 31, 2016. During 2017 and 2018, the Company continued to accrue interest on 
the unpaid earn-out consideration balance. Such interest is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations under financial expenses, net. In May 
2018, the Company made a partial payment of the earn-out consideration to five of the six former shareholders, in an amount of $604 thousand. The earn-
out consideration balance presented on the Company’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 reflects the complete remaining liability relating to the 
earn-out, including accrued interest. Subsequent to the reporting period, in February 2019, the parties agreed to resolve all pending claims, and on 
February 28, 2019 the Company paid approximately $2.7 million to settle the earn-out consideration in full. For additional information, please refer to 
Note 7c(i) of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

In June 2017, zvelo, Inc. (“zvelo”) filed a Statement of Claim in the Tel Aviv District Court. The Company and zvelo had been parties to an 

agreement for the receipt of certain URL categorization and filtering services. In September 2015, the Company terminated the agreement, effective as of 
December 31, 2015. zvelo claims that the Company continues to make use of zvelo’s data post termination in breach of the agreement, infringing on 
zvelo’s rights and commercial secrets, and being unjustly enriched. zvelo is claiming damages of ILS 11,000,000 and an order for the Company to cease 
from utilizing such data. The Company filed a statement of defense in November 2017, and, in accordance with the court’s recommendation, the parties 
have engaged in a mediation process. In September 2018 and January 2019, zvelo filed lawsuits against two of the Company’s customers in the District 
Court for the District of Colorado in the United States alleging trade secret misappropriation and is seeking injunctive relief and monetary damages in an 
amount to be determined and the Company has agreed to indemnify both clients against these claims. As such, the Company has taken over the 
representation in these lawsuits. At this early stage, the Company is unable to make any estimations as to the outcome of these litigations.

We may, from time to time, be party to litigation and subject to claims that arise in the ordinary course of business. In addition, third parties may, 

from time to time, assert claims against us in the form of letters and other communications. We currently believe that these ordinary course matters will 
not have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows; however, the results of litigation 
and claims are inherently unpredictable. Regardless of the outcome, litigation can have an adverse impact on us because of defense and settlement costs, 
diversion of management resources and other factors.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE 

Not Applicable.

34

PART II 

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF 
EQUITY SECURITIES 

Market for our Ordinary Shares

Our ordinary shares trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the Tel Aviv Stock Market (“TASE”) under the symbol “CYRN”. We announced 

that we are voluntarily delisting the company’s ordinary shares from trading on the TASE and the delisting of our ordinary shares from trading on the 
TASE will take place at least 90 days after the date of this announcement and the publication thereof in Israeli newspapers which is expected to be on or 
about April 10, 2019. As of March 15, 2019, there were 33 record holders of our ordinary shares.

Dividends 

If the Company decides to distribute a cash dividend, Israeli residents who are individuals are generally subject to Israeli income tax at a rate of 

either 25% or 30%, if the recipient of such dividend is a “substantial shareholder” at the time of distribution or at any time during the preceding 12-month 
period, unless the cash dividend is paid out of income that has been tax exempt due to an “approved enterprise” status under the Law for the 
Encouragement of Capital Investments, 5719-1959, in which case the amount of cash dividend will be subject to corporate tax at the rate then in effect 
under Israeli law. In addition, Israeli resident corporations are generally exempt from Israeli corporate tax for dividends paid on our ordinary shares. 
Pursuant to the Convention Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Israel with Respect to Taxes on Income, as 
amended (the “U.S.-Israel Tax Treaty”), the maximum tax on dividends paid to a holder of our ordinary shares who qualifies as a resident of the United 
States within the meaning of the U.S.-Israel Tax Treaty is 25% or 15% in case of dividends paid out of the profits of an “approved enterprise”, subject to 
certain conditions. Furthermore, dividends not generated by an “approved enterprise” paid to a U.S. corporation holding at least 10% of our issued voting 
power during the part of the tax year which precedes the date of payment of the dividend and during the whole of its prior tax year (if any), are generally 
taxed at a rate of 12.5%, subject to certain conditions. The Company has never declared or paid cash dividends on its ordinary shares. However, the 
Company has not adopted a policy not to pay cash dividends and therefore may declare a dividend in the future. The Company’s current plans are to 
retain future earnings primarily to finance the development of its business and for other corporate purposes.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

See “Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” for disclosure regarding our 

equity compensation plans.

Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities

On December 5, 2018, the Company issued an aggregate $10.0 million principal amount of convertible notes in a private placement (the “2018 

Notes”) to affiliates of an existing minority institutional shareholder. The issuance of the 2018 Notes was made to one purchaser who is an accredited 
investor in reliance upon the exemption from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 of Regulation D promulgated 
thereunder. The issuance of the 2018 Notes to the other purchaser was made in reliance upon the exemption from registration under Regulation S of the 
Securities Act because the notes were sold to a non-U.S. person, pursuant to an offshore transaction and did not involve any directed selling efforts in the 
United States. The 2018 Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Cyren and carry a 5.75% interest rate, payable semi-annually in (i) 50% cash 
and (ii) 50% cash or ordinary shares at Cyren’s election. The notes have a 3-year term and mature in December 2021, unless converted in accordance with 
their terms prior to maturity. The notes have a conversion price of $3.90 per share, which may be subject to adjustment using a weighted average ratchet 
mechanism based on the size and price of future capital raises and the total shares outstanding. In addition, the notes would be subject to immediate 
conversion upon any change in control in the Company.

Repurchases of our Equity Securities

Not applicable.

ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA

Not applicable.

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the information 

contained in our consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto. The following discussion and analysis includes forward-looking statements that 
involve certain risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those described in Item 1A. Risk Factors. Our actual results may differ materially 
from those discussed below. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A. Risk Factors. 

Overview 

Purpose built for the cloud, Cyren is an early pioneer and leading innovator of SaaS security solutions that protect businesses and their 
employees and customers from threats on the web, in email and on mobile devices. Our mission is to protect people and organizations from cyber threats 
when they use the internet.

Cyren’s cloud-first approach to security sets us apart from other vendors in the market. Cyren is an internet security company that is delivering 

security results that are disrupting legacy vendors and appliance-based solutions. Our security solutions are architected around the fundamental belief that 
internet security is a race against time – and the cloud best enables the speed, sophistication and advanced automation needed to detect and block threats 
as they emerge on the internet.

Cyren’s security cloud delivers faster detection and protection, with SaaS security solutions that inspect web and email traffic before it reaches a 

user’s browser or inbox – often identifying and blocking threats in just seconds. Our SaaS solutions are easy to deploy and manage, delivering critical 
security and faster innovation, for a low total cost of ownership.

Cyren’s cloud security services are sold into two markets:

● Cyren Cloud Security (CCS) – this SaaS security platform is designed for enterprise customers, and is sold either directly or through channel 
partners. Cyren Cloud Security (CCS) services currently include Web Security (CWS), Email Security (CES), DNS Security, and Cloud 
Sandboxing. Each of these service offerings may be purchased separately, or as part of a bundled suite. All products are sold on a per-user SaaS 
subscription model, providing customers with a quick-to-deploy, easy-to-manage solution and a low total cost of ownership. We market and sell 
our solutions worldwide both directly through our sales teams and indirectly through our Partner Program where our sales organization actively 
assists our network of distributors and resellers.

● Cyren Threat Intelligence Services (TIS) – this platform offers cloud-based cyber threat detection APIs, and SDKs to many of the world’s 

leading technology and security vendors. Cyren Threat Intelligence Services include Email Security, Web Security, Endpoint Security, and 
Advanced Threat Protection. These solutions are sold directly to OEMs, embedded security vendors, and service providers that integrate Cyren 
Threat Intelligence Services and cloud detection services into their infrastructure or security products to protect their customers and users.

Key Opportunities and Challenges

Threat Landscape

Over the last twelve months, possibly the greatest magnitude of significant incidents directly related to malware and cyber threats have occurred 
since the advent of the internet. From election hacks to global ransomware attacks and cyber breaches, malware threats are at an all-time high. Today, no 
item or user connected to the internet is immune to attack. While many businesses are still exploring effective security measures, cybercriminals are “all 
in”, creating dangerous new tools to target companies, governments, and private citizens. We need to be mindful that the world has changed; hyper-
evasive malware and threat distribution via HTTPS are growing rapidly, mobile devices are increasingly targets, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices, 
from refrigerators to televisions, are an inviting new vector for criminal attacks.

36

Cloud and Mobility

Businesses are going through a massive change in their IT strategies as they look to drive more business value, agility, and better customer 

experiences, while cloud and mobility are becoming increasingly important, as evidenced by the following trends:

● Business internet traffic continues to increase every year;

● Data and applications are increasingly moving to the cloud;

● More and more users are working remotely;

● Buyers continue to move away from traditional on-premise solutions;

● Mature and legacy on premise deployments are reaching end of life and are increasingly being replaced by cloud and SaaS alternatives;

● IT security staffing shortages;

● Increasingly fast, sophisticated, expensive and high-profile attacks target organizations of all sizes;

● Compliance and regulatory mandates;

● Heightened cybercrime activity among commercial enterprises and nation states;

● Automation is increasingly considered critical to accelerating detection and protection;

● The need to simplify operations through vendor consolidation.

These are some of the reasons why we believe Cyren’s vision for 100% cloud security is compelling to IT security teams looking to protect their 

businesses in today’s cloud-centric mobile-first world.  

Investments in Operations, Research and Development and Sales and Marketing

Our cost of revenues, research and development expenses, and sales and marketing expenses are all significant contributing factors to our 
operating losses. Nonetheless, we expect to increase our investments in all three areas in order to grow our revenues. Over time, we expect that our 
utilization of our cloud infrastructure will increase and provide the opportunity for improved gross margins. Our investments in research and development 
are required in order to enhance and improve our solutions. In the future, we expect to lower the rate of R&D investment as a percentage of revenue, and 
we will be able to drive more revenue from existing solutions rather than by adding new solutions. The return on our sales and marketing investment is 
tied to attracting new customers and enhancing our business with existing customers, thereby lowering the overall sales and marketing costs as a percent 
of revenues. Finally, we continue to increase our headcount to support the growth of the business, but we expect reducing the historical rate of headcount 
growth will be key in improving our gross and operating margins over time.

Growing Our Enterprise SaaS Business

Although all of our services are subscription services, our Enterprise Security-as-a-Service offerings on the CCS platform are typically invoiced 

up front for an annual contract amount, or the full multi-year contract amount, at the start of the term. As a result, this business is expected to provide a 
larger immediate contribution to cash flow and better return on investment. As this enterprise business grows as a portion of our overall revenues, we 
expect to increase deferred revenue and our operating results and cash flow to improve, which will make us less reliant on other sources of capital in the 
future.

Components of our Operating Results 

Revenue

We derive revenues from the sale of real-time cloud-based services for each of Cyren’s email security, web security, antimalware and advanced 

threat protection offerings.

We sell all of our solutions as subscription services, either through OEMs and service providers, which are considered Cyren customers, or as 

complete security services directly, or indirectly via our partners, to enterprises.

37

Cost of Revenue

Personnel costs, which consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses and stock-based compensation for employees that operate our network and provide 

support services to our customers, as well as data center costs, are the most significant components of our cost of revenues. Other costs include third party 
contractors, royalties for use of third party technologies, amortization of intangibles and depreciation of data center equipment. We expect these costs to 
continue to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to invest in enhancing our cloud infrastructure and our support services.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses. Personnel costs, 
which consist of salaries, benefits, bonuses, and stock-based compensation, are the most significant component of our operating expenses. Operating 
expenses also include allocated overhead costs for facilities, IT and depreciation. We expect operating expenses to increase in absolute dollars as we 
continue to grow.

Research and Development. Research and development expense consists primarily of personnel costs, outsourced engineering and threat analysis 

services. We believe these investments are crucial for our ability to continue to enhance the functionality of our services, as well as to develop and 
introduce new services to the market. We expect research and development expenses to continue increasing in absolute dollars as we continue to invest in 
our service offerings. Development costs related to internal use technology that supports our security services are capitalized on the balance sheet, while 
other development costs are expensed as they are incurred.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses primarily include personnel costs, sales commissions, marketing activities, and travel 

associated with sales and marketing. We market and sell our services worldwide through our sales organization and distribution channels. We capitalize 
sales commissions paid to internal sales personnel and amortize these expenses over an estimated period of benefit that reflects the expected future 
revenue streams. We expect our sales and marketing expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to enhance our sales and 
marketing teams to support our further growth. Our sales personnel are typically not immediately productive, and therefore the increase in expenses we 
incur when adding personnel is not immediately accompanied by increased revenue and in some cases may not result in increased revenue if these new 
sales personnel are unsuccessful in becoming productive.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel costs, audit fees, legal expenses, recruiting 

expenses and other general operating costs. We expect our general and administrative expenses to continue to grow in absolute dollars as we continue our 
operational growth.

Other Income (Expense), net

Other income (expense), net consists primarily of capital gain or loss from the sale of assets.

Financial Expenses, net

Financial expenses, net consist mainly of foreign exchange gains and losses, interest expense on our outstanding debt and interest income earned 

on our cash and cash equivalents. In 2017 these expenses also included the accretion of discount and the change in fair value associated with convertible 
notes and their embedded conversion feature.

Tax Benefit

Our tax benefit is derived primarily from income taxes in foreign jurisdictions in which we conduct business. We estimate income taxes in each 
of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This process involves determining income tax expense together with calculating the deferred income tax expense 
related to temporary differences resulting from the differing treatment of items for tax and accounting purposes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are 
measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. These temporary 
differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included net as applicable within our balance sheets. For most of our recent years, we 
have incurred operating losses in Israel and the U.S., where we have recorded a full valuation allowance against our deferred tax assets in those 
jurisdictions.

38

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth financial data for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 (in thousands):

Revenues
Cost of revenues
Gross profit
Operating expenses:

Research and development, net
Sales and marketing
General and administrative
Total operating expenses

Operating loss

Other income (expense), net
Financial expense, net

Loss before taxes on income
Tax benefit

Loss

Year ended December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

35,900
14,540
21,360

16,116
16,202
8,343
40,661
(19,301)
(11)
(255)

(19,567)
153

30,799
11,899
18,900

9,825
15,551
7,286
32,662
(13,762)
452
(2,380)

(15,690)
42

$

(19,414) $

(15,648)

Comparison of Years Ended December 31, 2018 and 2017

Revenues. 2018 revenues of $35.9 million increased by $5.1 million from $30.8 million in 2017, which represents a 17% year-over-year 

increase. The increase was mainly driven by a contract expansion with our largest customer which accounted for an additional $4.3 million in revenues 
during 2018 compared to 2017 as well as the addition of approximately 230 new customers in the Enterprise business, ranging in size from a few hundred 
seats to our largest enterprise account which now stands at over 100,000 seats. This increase was offset by several terminations of partner contracts in the 
Threat Intelligence business, mostly due to customers who were unwilling or unable to absorb price increases upon renewal, or which were ending the life 
of their product offerings which utilized our services. The overall trend in both our Enterprise and Threat Intelligence business lines is positive as we 
continue to offer additional products and services to our partners while disengaging from partners that have a different product focus or that are 
principally driven by price.

Cost of Revenues. Cost of revenues for 2018 totaling $14.5 million increased by $2.6 million from $11.9 million in 2017, which represents a 

22% increase year-over-year. The increase is mainly due to our continued investment in enhancing our network and customer support capabilities through 
increased outside services expenses and increased payroll and related expenses. Headcount associated with cost of revenues increased from 34 to 42 
employees during 2018. Payroll and related expenses increased by $1.2 million, and outside services and datacenter costs increased by $0.8 million 
during 2018 compared to 2017. These increases are required as a foundation for the continued growth in the Enterprise line of business. In addition, we 
also incurred an increase in amortization of capitalized development expenses of $0.5 million compared to 2017, as a result of capitalized projects which 
were released to customers. This increase had an accounting impact of reducing the gross margin in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Research and Development, Net. Research and development expenses for 2018 in the amount of $16.1 million increased by $6.3 million 
compared to $9.8 million in 2017, which represents a 64% annual increase. The increase is mainly due to an approximate $3.1 million increase in payroll 
and related expenses and $1.2 million increase in outside services and outsourced engineering expenses associated with our increased investment in R&D, 
as well as an increase of $1.6 million due to a reduction in the capitalization of development expenses during 2018 in comparison to 2017. R&D 
headcount during 2018 increased from 110 to 140 employees.

39

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses for 2018 totaling $16.2 million increased by $0.6 million, compared to $15.6 million in 

2017. The increase is mainly due to a $0.3 million increase in payroll and related expenses and a $0.3 million increase in expenses related to marketing 
activities as we continue to invest in sales and marketing to increase brand awareness and expand our enterprise customer base. Sales and Marketing 
headcount during 2018 decreased from 66 to 62 employees, although headcount levels had remained at higher levels throughout most of the year.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses for 2018 of $8.3 million increased by $1.0 million, compared to $7.3 million 

in 2017, which represents a 14% annual increase. The increase is mainly due to an increase of $0.4 million in recruiting expenses, an increase of $0.3 
million due to expenses associated with expanding the board of directors, an increase of $0.2 million in legal and audit expenses and an increase of $0.1 
million in payroll and related expenses. G&A headcount during 2018 increased from 29 to 34 employees.

Other Income (Expense), Net. We did not have any significant other income (expense), net, in 2018, compared to $0.5 million other income in 

2017. The income in 2017 was generated upon the sale of the Company’s shares in imatrix in Japan. Please refer to Note 12b in the consolidated financial 
statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report for further details.

Financial Expense, Net. Financial expenses, net, for 2018 of $0.3 million decreased by $2.1 million, compared to $2.4 million in 2017. The 

decrease is mainly due to a $0.6 million decrease in interest expenses associated with the convertible notes issued in March 2017, which were held 
through December 24, 2017, while the convertible notes issued in December 2018 only generated interest for a short period during the year. In 2017 we 
also recorded $1.3 million expenses resulting from the change in fair value of the embedded conversion feature associated with the convertible notes, 
when the note were converted to equity as a result of the change of control. Please see Note 2l in the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere 
in this Annual Report for further details on the accounting policy for derivatives. In addition, during 2018 we also recorded a decrease of $0.1 million in 
the expenses resulting from the effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuation.

Effective Corporate Tax Rates

Corporate tax rates and real capital gains tax in Israel were 23% in 2018 and 24% in 2017.

The Company’s German subsidiary is subject to German tax at a consolidated rate of approximately 30%.

Other non-Israeli subsidiaries are taxed according to the tax laws in their respective countries of residence.

We do not provide deferred tax liabilities when we intend to reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely. As of December 31, 2018 

there are no undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries. 

We may currently qualify as an “industrial company” within the definition of the Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxation), as such, we 

may be eligible for certain tax benefits, including, inter alia, special depreciation rates for machinery, equipment and buildings, amortization of patents, 
certain other intangible property rights and deduction of share issuance expenses.

U.S. Tax Reform

On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “U.S. Tax Reform”); a comprehensive tax legislation that 

includes significant changes to the taxation of business entities. These changes include several key tax provisions that might impact us, among others: (i) 
a permanent reduction to the statutory federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017; (ii) 
a partial limitation on the tax deductibility of business interest expense; (iii) a shift of the U.S. taxation of multinational corporations from a tax on 
worldwide income to a territorial system (along with certain rules designed to prevent erosion of the U.S. income tax base) and (iv) a one-time deemed 
repatriation tax on accumulated offshore earnings held in cash and illiquid assets, with the latter taxed at a lower rate.

40

Net Operating Loss Carry-Forwards

As of December 31, 2018, Cyren’s net operating loss carryforwards for tax purposes amounted to $80.1 million and capital loss carryforwards of 

$17.8 million which may be carried forward and offset against taxable income in the future, for an indefinite period.

As of December 31, 2018 the U.S. subsidiary had net operating loss carryforwards of $40.3 million for federal tax purposes and $8.8 million for 

state tax purposes. These losses may offset any future U.S. taxable income of the U.S. subsidiary and will expire in the years 2019 through 2038.

On December 24, 2017, a “change in the respective ownership” event occurred upon the completion of the Warburg Pincus tender offer as 

described in Note 8b, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code 382 of 1986 and similar state provisions. Therefore, 
utilization of U.S. net operating losses are subject to substantial annual limitation. Management believes that the annual limitations will result in the 
partial expiration of net operating losses before utilization.

Management currently believes that based upon its estimations for future taxable income, it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets 
regarding the loss carryforwards will not be utilized in the foreseeable future. Thus, a valuation allowance was provided to reduce deferred tax assets to 
their realizable value.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

We finance our operations primarily from our cash and cash equivalents and cash from operations. As of December 31, 2018 and December 31, 

2017, we had approximately $17.6 million and $24.0 million of cash and cash equivalents, respectively.

In March 2017 we issued $6.3 million aggregate principal amount of convertible notes (subsequently converted in full) and in November 2017 
we received gross proceeds of $19.6 million when we issued approximately 10.6 million ordinary shares for $1.85 per share to Warburg Pincus upon the 
completion of the Private Placement (described in more detail below). In December 2018 we issued the 2018 Notes for $10.0 million aggregate principal 
amount of convertible notes, which have a three year term and carry a 5.75% interest rate.

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to our growth, market acceptance of our offerings, the 
timing and extent of spending to support our efforts to develop our platform and the expansion of sales and marketing activities. We may be required to 
seek additional equity or debt financing. In the event that additional financing is required from outside sources, we may not be able to raise it on terms 
acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be 
adversely affected.

Outlook

During 2019, we expect to continue to incur capital expenditures associated with R&D and data center infrastructure.  Over the past several 
years, the Company has devoted substantially most of its effort to research and development, product development and increasing revenues through 
additional investments in sales & marketing. The Company generated a loss of $19.4 million and negative cash flow of $11.4 million from operating 
activities in the twelve month period ended December 31, 2018, and has an accumulated deficit of $213.1 million as of December 31, 2018. The 
Company is planning to finance its operations from its existing and future working capital resources and to continue to evaluate additional sources of 
capital and financing. However, there is no assurance that additional capital and/or financing will be available to the Company, and even if available, 
whether it will be on terms acceptable to the Company or in amounts required. Accordingly, the Company’s Board approved a contingency plan, to be 
effected if needed, in whole or in part, at its discretion, to allow the Company to continue its operations and meet its cash obligations. The contingency 
plan consists of cost reduction, which include mainly the following steps: reduction in consultants’ expenses, headcount, compensation paid to key 
management personnel and capital expenditures. The Company and the Board believes that its existing capital resources and other future measures that 
may be implemented, if so required, will be adequate to satisfy its expected liquidity requirements for at least twelve months from the filing date.

41

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

In 2018, net cash used in operating activities was $11.5 million and was primarily due to a net loss of $19.4 million adjusted for non-cash 

activity of $4.2 million amortization of intangible assets, $1.9 million depreciation of property and equipment, $1.4 million stock-based compensation 
expenses, $1.4 million amortization of deferred commissions, $0.7 million increase in deferred revenues, $0.5 million increase in employee and payroll 
accruals, accrued expenses and other liabilities, and offset by an increase in deferred commissions of $2.3 million.

In 2017, net cash used in operating activities was $7.2 million and was primarily due to a net loss of $15.6 million adjusted for non-cash activity 
of $3.7 million amortization of intangible assets, $1.3 million depreciation of property and equipment, $2.1 million stock-based compensation expenses, 
$1.3 million change in fair value of the embedded conversion feature on the convertible notes, a $0.8 million increase in employees and payroll accruals, 
accrued expenses and other liabilities, and offset by a decrease in deferred revenues of $0.8 million.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

In 2018, net cash used in investing activities consisted of $2.0 million for capitalization of technology and $3.3 million used to purchase 

property and equipment.

In 2017, net cash used in investing activities consisted of $3.6 million for capitalization of technology and $1.8 million used to purchase property 

and equipment, offset by $0.5 million proceeds from sale of investment in affiliate.

Our capital expenditures over the last three years consisted primarily of continued investment in R&D and also purchases of property and 

equipment to modernize and expand our data centers and to invest in our infrastructure in order to support new business and the growth of the Company.

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

In 2018, net cash generated by financing activities was $10.8 million and was due to net proceeds of $10.0 million from the issuance of 

convertible notes, $1.4 million proceeds from exercise of options, and offset by $0.6 million payment of earn-out consideration.

In 2017, net cash generated by financing activities was $25.4 million and was due to net proceeds of $19.0 million from the Private Placement, 

$6.3 million proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes and $0.1 million proceeds from the exercise of options.

Working Capital

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017 we had positive working capital of $7.7 million and $14.3 million, respectively. The decrease in working 

capital during 2018 is primarily due to our negative cash flow from operating and investing activities, and the lower amount of capital raised compared to 
2017.

Convertible Notes

2017 Notes

On March 27, 2017, we issued $6.3 million aggregate principal amount of convertible notes (the “2017 Notes”) in a private placement. The 2017 

Notes were unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Cyren and carried a 5.0% interest rate, payable semi-annually in (i) 50% cash and (ii) 50% cash or 
ordinary shares at Cyren’s election. The 2017 Notes had a 2.5-year term and were expected to mature in September 2019, unless converted in accordance 
with their terms prior to maturity. The 2017 Notes had a conversion price of $2.50 per share subject to adjustment in the event of a future equity issuance 
priced at less than $2.10 per share. In addition, the 2017 Notes were subject to immediate conversion upon a change in control in the Company. On 
September 27, 2017, we issued 11,595 shares on account of accrued interest based on a conversion price of $2.50 per share.

42

On November 6, 2017, we completed a private offering to Warburg Pincus at a price per share of $1.85 as described under ’Private Placement’

below. According to the terms of the 2017 Notes, the conversion price was adjusted to $1.85. 

On November 30, 2017, $925,000 of the 2017 Notes balance was converted into 500,000 shares at a price per share of $1.85.

On December 24, 2017, Warburg Pincus completed a public tender offer for Cyren shares which resulted in Warburg Pincus holding 
approximately 52% of the Company’s shares. In accordance with the terms of the 2017 Notes, this constituted a change of control event, and the 2017 
Notes including all accrued interest as of December 24, 2017 were converted into 2,944,813 shares at a price per share of $1.85.

2018 Notes

On December 5, 2018, the Company issued an aggregate $10.0 million principal amount of convertible notes in a private placement (the “2018 

Notes”) to affiliates of an existing minority institutional shareholder. The 2018 Notes are unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Cyren and carry a 
5.75% interest rate, payable semi-annually in (i) 50% cash and (ii) 50% cash or ordinary shares at Cyren’s election. The notes have a 3-year term and 
mature in December 2021, unless converted in accordance with their terms prior to maturity. The notes have a conversion price of $3.90 per share, which 
may be subject to adjustment using a weighted average ratchet mechanism based on the size and price of future capital raises and the total shares 
outstanding. In addition, the notes would be subject to immediate conversion upon any change in control in the Company.

Earn-Out Consideration

In conjunction with the 2012 acquisition of eleven, the Company entered into an earn-out agreement with the former shareholders that would pay 

additional consideration based on the revenue performance for the years ending 2012-2015. Subsequently in 2014 the Company had a legal dispute 
regarding the amount and timing of the earn-out payments and had entered into arbitral proceedings with the former shareholders of eleven. On March 9, 
2017, the Company received the arbitral judgement. Pursuant to the judgement, the earn-out consideration balance was increased to reflect additional 
legal expenses and interest expenses covering the period up to December 31, 2016. During 2017 and 2018, the Company continued to accrue interest on 
the unpaid earn-out consideration balance. Such interest is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations under financial expenses, net. In May 
2018, the Company made a partial payment of the earn-out consideration to five of the six former shareholders, in an amount of $604 thousand. The earn-
out consideration balance presented on the Company’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 reflects the complete remaining liability relating to the 
earn-out, including accrued interest. Subsequent to the reporting period, in February 2019, the parties agreed to resolve all pending claims, and on 
February 28, 2019 the Company paid approximately $2.7 million to settle the earn-out consideration in full. For additional information, please refer to 
Note 7c(i) of the consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Private Placement 

On November 6, 2017, we completed a private placement in which we issued approximately 10.6 million ordinary shares (the “Private 

Placement”) to WP XII BV, an entity controlled by funds affiliated with Warburg Pincus, for $1.85 per share, representing gross proceeds of 
approximately $19.6 million to us. As a result of the Private Placement, Warburg Pincus became the owner of approximately 21.3% of our outstanding 
share capital.

Registration Statements 

In connection with the Private Placement described above, we and Warburg Pincus entered into a registration rights agreement, which, among 

other things, provides Warburg Pincus with three demand registration rights, piggyback and shelf registration rights. The demand registration rights may 
be exercised starting August 6, 2018, subject to certain customary blackout periods. In addition, as of November 6, 2019, at the request of Warburg 
Pincus, we will be required to file a shelf registration statement covering the sale of Warburg Pincus’s shares.

43

On September 21, 2018, we filed a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 with the SEC, which we intend to convert to a Form S-3 after the 

filing of this Annual Report. This registration statement enables us to issue debt securities, ordinary shares, warrants or subscription rights up to an 
aggregate amount of $50 million. Under the rules governing shelf registration statements, we will file a prospectus supplement with the SEC which 
describes the amount and type of securities being offered each time we issue securities under this registration statement. No securities have been issued 
under this registration statement from September 21, 2018 through the date of the filing of this Form 10-K.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Not applicable.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

This section is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally 

accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). The preparation of these financial statements requires management to make estimates, judgements and 
assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those 
estimates. On an ongoing basis, the Company’s management evaluates estimates, including those related to fair value and useful lives of intangible assets, 
fair value of earn-out liabilities, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, income tax uncertainties, fair values of stock-based awards, other contingent 
liabilities and estimates used in applying the revenue recognition policy. Such estimates are based on historical experience and on various other 
assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and 
liabilities.

The critical accounting policies requiring estimates, assumptions, and judgements that we believe have the most significant impact on our 

consolidated financial statements are described below.

Intangible Assets

Intangible assets that are not considered to have an indefinite useful life are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which range from 1 to 15 

years. Acquired customer contracts and relationships are amortized over their estimated useful lives in proportion to the economic benefits realized. This 
accounting policy results in accelerated amortization of such customer contracts and relationships arrangements as compared to the straight-line method. 
Technology, Intellectual Property and Trademark are amortized over their estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets

The Company’s long-lived assets and identifiable intangibles are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 360 “Property, Plant and 

Equipment”, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of each asset group to the future undiscounted cash flows the 

asset group is expected to generate. If the asset is considered to be impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the difference between the 
carrying value and the fair value of the impaired asset.

For each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018, no impairment losses have been identified.

44

Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price in a business combination over the fair value of net tangible and intangible assets acquired. 

Goodwill is not amortized, but rather is subject to an impairment test.

The Company performs an annual impairment test at December 31, of each fiscal year, or more frequently if impairment indicators are present. 

The Company operates in one operating segment, and this segment comprises its only reporting unit.

ASC 350 prescribes a two-phase process for impairment testing of goodwill. The first phase screens for impairment, while the second phase (if 

necessary) measures impairment. Goodwill impairment is deemed to exist if the net book value of a reporting unit exceeds its estimated fair value 
determined using market capitalization. In such case, the second phase is then performed, and the Company measures impairment by comparing the 
carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the implied fair value of that goodwill. An impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the 
excess. ASC 350 allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill 
impairment test. An entity is not required to calculate the fair value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that 
it is more likely than not that its fair value is less than its carrying amount. Alternatively, ASC 350 permits an entity to bypass the qualitative assessment 
for any reporting unit and proceed directly to performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test. Accordingly, the Company elected to proceed 
directly to the first step of the quantitative goodwill impairment test and compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value.

For each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018, no impairment losses have been identified.

Fair Value Measurements

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, prepaid expenses, other receivables and trade payables, approximate their 

fair values due to the short-term maturities of such financial instruments.

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction 

between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on assumptions that market participants 
would use in pricing an asset or a liability. A three-tiered fair value hierarchy is established as a basis for considering such assumptions and for inputs 
used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value:

Level 1 - Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company can access at the measurement date.

Level 2 - Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 - Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

The availability of observable inputs can vary from instrument to instrument and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, 

the type of instrument, the liquidity of markets and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that valuation is based on models or 
inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment and the instruments are categorized 
as Level 3.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when 

measuring fair value.

Revenue Recognition

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the requirements of ASC 606 under the modified retrospective method of transition which was 
applied to all customer contracts that were not completed on the effective date of ASC 606. The Company implemented internal controls and key system 
functionality to enable the preparation of financial information on adoption. The adoption of ASC 606 resulted in changes to the Company’s accounting 
policies for revenue recognition previously recognized under ASC 605 as detailed below.

45

Revenue Recognition Policy

The Company derives its revenues from the sale of real-time cloud-based services for each of Cyren’s email security, web security, antimalware 

and advanced threat protection offerings.

The Company sells all of its solutions as subscription services, either through OEMs, which are considered end-users, or as complete security 

services directly, or via our partners, to enterprises.

The Company recognizes revenue under the core principle that transfer of control to the Company’s customers should be depicted in an amount 

reflecting the consideration the Company expects to receive in revenue.

Subscription Service Revenue - Subscription service revenue is derived from a subscription-based licensing model with contract terms typically 

ranging from one to three years, and consists of (1) subscription fees from the licensing of the Company’s security-as-a-service platform or Threat 
Intelligence Services and (2) subscription fees for real-time threat updates and software with support and related future updates where the software 
updates are critical to the customers’ ability to derive benefit from the software due to the fast changing nature of the technology. These function together 
as one performance obligation. The hosted on-demand service arrangements do not provide customers with the right to take possession of the software 
supporting the hosted services. Support revenue is derived from ongoing security updates, upgrades, bug fixes, and maintenance. A time-elapsed method 
is used to measure progress because the Company transfers control evenly over the contractual period. Accordingly, the fixed consideration related to 
subscription service revenue is generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract term beginning on the date access is provided, as long as 
other revenue recognition criteria have been met. Most of the company’s contracts are non-cancelable over the contract term. Customers typically have 
the right to terminate their contract for cause if the Company fails to perform in accordance with the contractual terms. Some of the Company’s customers 
have the option to purchase additional subscription services at a stated price. These options are evaluated on a case-by-case basis but generally do not 
provide a material right as they are priced at or above the Company’s standalone selling price and, as such, would not result in a separate performance 
obligation.

Variable Consideration - Revenue from sales is recorded at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, and includes estimates of variable 
consideration. The amount of variable consideration that is included in the transaction price is constrained, and is included in the net sales price only to 
the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of the cumulative revenue will not occur when the uncertainty is resolved. If the 
Company’s services or products do not meet certain service level commitments, the Company’s customers are entitled to receive service credits 
representing a form of variable consideration. The Company has not historically experienced any significant incidents affecting the defined levels of 
reliability and performance as required by the Company’s subscription contracts. Accordingly, there are no estimated refunds related to these contracts in 
the consolidated financial statements during the periods presented.

Deferred Commissions

The Company capitalizes sales commissions paid to internal sales personnel that are generally incremental to the acquisition of customer 
contracts. These costs are recorded as deferred commissions on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company determines whether costs should be 
deferred based on its sales compensation plans, if the commissions are incremental and would not have occurred absent the customer contract. Sales 
commissions for renewal of a subscription contract are not considered commensurate with the commissions paid for the acquisition of the initial 
subscription contract given the substantive difference in commission rate between new and renewal contracts. Commissions paid upon the initial 
acquisition of a contract are amortized over an estimated period of benefit while commissions paid related to renewal contracts are amortized over a 
contractual renewal period. Amortization is recognized based on the expected future revenue streams under the customer contracts. Amortization of 
deferred sales commissions is included in sales and marketing expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company 
determines the period of benefit for commissions paid for the acquisition of the initial subscription contract by taking into consideration factors such as 
peer estimates of technology lives and customer lives as well as the Company’s own historical data. The Company classifies deferred commissions as 
current or long-term based on the timing of when the Company expects to recognize the expense. The Company periodically reviews these deferred 
commission costs to determine whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could impact the period of benefit of these deferred 
contract acquisition costs. There were no material impairment losses recorded during the periods presented.

46

Capitalized Technology

The Company capitalizes development costs incurred during the application development stage which are related to internal-use technology that 

supports its security services. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are expensed as incurred as research and 
development costs on the statements of operations. Capitalized internal-use technology is included in intangible assets on the balance sheet and is 
amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life, which is generally one to three years. Amortization expenses are recognized under cost of 
goods sold. Management evaluates the useful lives of these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in 
circumstances occur that could impact the recoverability of these assets.

Accounting for Stock–Based Compensation

ASC 718 - “Compensation-stock Compensation”- (“ASC 718”) requires companies to estimate the fair value of equity-based payment awards on 
the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as an expense over 
the requisite service periods in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The Company recognizes compensation expense for the value of its awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of each of 

the awards, net of estimated forfeitures. Estimated forfeitures are based on actual historical pre-vesting forfeitures. ASC 718 requires forfeitures to be 
estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates. Estimated forfeitures are 
based on actual historical pre-vesting forfeitures (pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, the Company made a policy election to estimate the number 
of awards that are expected to vest).

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The option-pricing model requires 

a number of assumptions, of which the most significant are the expected stock price volatility and the expected option term. Expected volatility was 
calculated based upon actual historical stock price movements over the most recent periods ending on the grant date, equal to the expected term of the 
options. The expected term of options granted represents the period of time that options granted are expected to be outstanding, based upon historical 
experience. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield from U.S. treasury bonds with an equivalent term. The Company has historically not paid 
dividends and has no foreseeable plans to pay dividends.

The Company applies ASC 718, and ASC 505-50, “Equity Based Payments to Non-Employees” (“ASC 505-50”), with respect to options issued 

to non-employees.

The fair value for options granted in 2018 and 2017 is estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes options pricing model with the 

following assumptions:

Stock options

Volatility
Risk-free interest rate
Dividend yield
Expected life (years)

Accounting for Income Tax

Year ended December 31,

2018

2017

49%-51%
2.3%-3.1%
0%

3.6-5.0

44%-51%
1.2%-2.1%
0%

3.5-5.1

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 prescribes the use of the liability 
method whereby deferred tax asset and liability account balances are determined based on differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets 
and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the differences are expected to reverse. The Company 
provides a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts more likely than not to be realized.

ASC 740 contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring a liability for uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax 

position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that, on an 
evaluation of the technical merits, the tax position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of any related appeals or litigation processes. The 
second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% (cumulative basis) likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement.

Loss Contingencies

We are subject to the possibility of various loss contingencies arising in the ordinary course of business. We consider the likelihood of loss or 

impairment of an asset, or the incurrence of a liability, as well as our ability to reasonably estimate the amount of loss, in determining loss contingencies. 
An estimated loss contingency is accrued when it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be 
reasonably estimated. If we determine that a loss is possible and the range of the loss can be reasonably determined, then we disclose the range of the 
possible loss. We regularly evaluate current information available to us to determine whether an accrual is required, an accrual should be adjusted or a 
range of possible loss should be disclosed.

47

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 of the notes to our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on form 10-K for a full 

description of recent accounting pronouncements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Not applicable.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK 

Not required for smaller reporting companies.

Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements 

This Annual Report contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the 
Exchange Act. These statements concern expectations, beliefs, projections, plans and strategies, anticipated events or trends and similar expressions 
concerning matters that are not historical facts. We urge you to consider that statements which use the terms “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “plan,”
“intend,” “estimate”, “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Specifically, this Annual Report contains 
forward-looking statements regarding:

● our intention to release two new enterprise-focused product offerings on the CCS platform in 2019 and the anticipated solutions such offerings 

will provide to our customers;

● our expectations regarding our integrated offering and our partnership with Microsoft;

● our expectations regarding our future profitability and revenue growth;

● our expectations regarding increases in cost of revenue and operating expenses, including as a result of our anticipated investments in R&D;

● our beliefs regarding the importance of R&D;

● our expectation to drive more revenue from existing solutions rather than by adding new solutions in the future;

● our expectations regarding reducing the historical rate of headcount growth and its resulting impact on our gross and operating margins over 

time;

● our expectations regarding our business strategies, including our contingency plan;

● our expectations regarding growth of our enterprise business and its expected impact on our business, including its contribution to our cash flow 

and return on investment;

● our expectations regarding our capital expenditures for 2019;

● our belief regarding the adequacy of our existing financial resources to satisfy our expected liquidity requirements;

● our beliefs regarding our competitive position in the market in which we operate;

● our expectations regarding the regulatory environment of data privacy in the EU;

● our anticipated significant investments in R&D and promotion of our brand;

● our expectations regarding trends in the market for internet security and technology industry;

● our expectations regarding existing and new threats, key challenges and opportunities in our industry and their impact on our business, including 

the impact of innovations in the technology industry;

48

● our expectations regarding our CEO transition;

● our expectations regarding the increase in utilization of our cloud infrastructure and the resulting impact on our gross margins;

● our expectations regarding continued and future customers that will contribute to our revenue, and the solutions we provide to such customers;

● our beliefs regarding factors that make our vision compelling to the IT security market;

● our expectations regarding the locations where we conduct our business;

● our expectation to delist from the TASE and the timing of such delisting;

● our belief regarding passive foreign investment company status;

● our expectations regarding the significant costs associated with loss of our foreign private issuer status;

● our expectations regarding the impact of litigation;

● our beliefs regarding our net operating loss carry-forwards; and

● our expectations and estimates regarding certain tax and accounting matters, including the impact on our financial statements.

These forward-looking statements reflect our current views about future events and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We wish 
to caution readers that certain important factors may have affected and could in the future affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ 
significantly from those expressed in any forward-looking statement. The most important factors that could prevent us from achieving our goals, and 
cause the assumptions underlying forward-looking statements and the actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by those 
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the following:

● our ability to execute our business strategies, including our sales and business development plan;

● our ability to timely and successfully enhance and improve our existing solutions and introduce our new solutions;

● the commercial success of such enhancements and new solutions;

● lack of demand for our solutions, including as a result of actual or perceived decreases in levels of advanced cyber attacks;

● our ability to manage our cost structure, avoid unanticipated liabilities and achieve profitability;

● our ability to grow our revenues, including the ability of existing solutions to drive sufficient revenue;

● our ability to attract new customers and increase revenue from existing customers;

● market acceptance of our existing and new product offerings;

● the success of our partnership with Microsoft, including our ability to successfully integrate our web security technology into its platform;

● our ability to adapt to changing technological requirements and shifting preferences of our customers and their users;

● loss of any of our large customers;

● adverse conditions in the national and global financial markets;

● the impact of currency fluctuations;

● political and other conditions in Israel that may limit our R&D activities;

49

● increased competition or our ability to anticipate or effectively react to competitive challenges;

● the ability of our brand development strategies to enhance our brand recognition;

● our ability to achieve a smooth and cost effective CEO transition;

● our ability to retain key personnel;

● performance of our OEM partners, service providers and resellers;

● our ability to successfully implement our contingency plan, if needed, and its ability to allow us to continue our operations and meet our cash 

obligations;

● our ability to successfully estimate the impact of regulatory and litigation matters;

● our ability to comply with applicable laws and regulations and the impact of changes in applicable laws and regulations, including tax legislation 

or policies;

● economic, regulatory and political risks associated with our international operations;

● the impact of cyber attacks or a security breach of our systems;

● our ability to protect our brand name and intellectual property rights;

● the impact of our controlling shareholder’s decisions, which may differ with respect to our strategic direction;

● risks associated with our anticipated delisting from the TASE; and

● our ability to successfully estimate the impact of certain accounting and tax matters, including the effect on our company of adopting certain 

accounting pronouncements.

The foregoing list of important factors does not include all such factors, nor necessarily present them in order of importance. In addition, you 

should consult other disclosures made by the Company (such as in our other filings with the SEC or in company press releases) for other factors that may 
cause actual results to differ materially from those projected by the Company. Please refer to Part I. Item 1A. Risk Factors, of this Annual Report for 
additional information regarding factors that could affect our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity.  Readers are cautioned not to place 
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities 
laws of the United States, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or 
circumstances, or otherwise after the date hereof.

ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA 

Financial statements and supplementary data are on pages F-1 through F-42.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE 

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES 

Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

As of December 31, 2018, we performed an evaluation under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief 

Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in 
Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Our management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and 
operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and our management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-
benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that 
our disclosure controls and procedures are effective as of December 31, 2018, to provide reasonable assurance that the information required to be 
disclosed in filings and submissions under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified by the 
SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information related to us and our consolidated subsidiary is accumulated and communicated to management, 
including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions about required disclosure.

50

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over our financial reporting, as such term is defined in 
Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. Our internal control over financial reporting system was designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the 
reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting 
principles.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in 

reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that 
transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that 
receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) 
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could 
have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements and even when determined 

to be effective can only provide reasonable assurance with respect to financial statements. Also projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future 
periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or 
procedures may deteriorate.

Our management assessed our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2018. Our management based its assessment on 

criteria established in Internal Control- Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organization of the Treadway Commission. 
Based on this assessment, our management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2018, our internal control over financial reporting is effective.

This Annual Report does not include an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over 

financial reporting. Management’s report was not subject to attestation by our independent registered public accounting firm pursuant to a provision under 
the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which grants a permanent exemption for non-accelerated filers from complying with 
Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

During the period covered by this Annual Report, there were no changes to our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the 

year ended December 31, 2018 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

51

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 

Directors

The following table identifies our current directors, their ages and their respective positions.

Name

Hila Karah (1)(2)(4)
Lior Samuelson
Todd Thomson (3)(4)
James Hamilton (1)(2)(3)(4)
David  Earhart (1)(2)(3)(4)
John Becker (1)(3)(4)
Cary Davis 
Brian Chang (2)
Lauren Zletz
Rajveer Kushwaha

Age

Position with CYREN

50
70
58
55
57
61
52
37
32
51

Director
CEO and Chairman of the Board
Lead Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director

Cary Davis, Brian Chang, Lauren Zletz and Rajveer Kushwaha are employees of an affiliate of Warburg Pincus.

(1) Member of the compensation committee.

(2) Member of nominating and governance committee.

(3) Member of the audit committee.

(4) Determined by the audit committee and the Board to be an independent director pursuant to Nasdaq Corporate Governance Listing Rule 5605(a)(2) 

and the Israeli Companies Law, 1999 (the “Companies Law”).

Lior Samuelson joined the Board in August 2010 and has held the position of Chairman of the Board since December 2010. Mr. Samuelson 
became Chief Executive Officer at Cyren in December 2013. In February 2019, Mr. Samuelson announced that he intends to step down as CEO after 
transitioning his responsibilities to a successor to be identified in the future by the Board. During his extensive career, Mr. Samuelson has served as 
chairman, CEO and board member of companies in technology, telecommunications, financial services and management consulting, such as Deltathree 
(Nasdaq: DDDC), PricewaterhouseCoopers Securities and The Barents Group. Mr. Samuelson was previously a managing partner with KPMG and a 
senior manager at Booz Allen Hamilton. Mr. Samuelson holds both a B.A. and a M.A. in economics from Virginia Tech. We believe Mr. Samuelson is 
qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his longstanding service with us and his extensive experience serving on company boards and in 
senior leadership positions.

Hila Karah joined the Board in March 2008. Ms. Karah is an experienced board director and, since 2013, serves as an independent business 

consultant to private and public companies on strategy, operations, financing, regulatory and corporate governance. From November 2017 to September 
2018, Ms. Karah was the executive chairperson of FloraFotonica Ltd., an Israeli Agro Tech startup. From 2006 until 2013, Ms. Karah was the chief 
investment officer of Eurotrust Ltd., a family office, where she focused primarily on investments in life science, internet and high-tech companies. Prior 
to joining Eurotrust, Ms. Karah served as a senior analyst at Perceptive Life Sciences Ltd., a New York-based hedge fund. Prior to her position at 
Perceptive, Ms. Karah was a research analyst at Oracle Partners Ltd., a healthcare-focused hedge fund based in Connecticut. Ms. Karah has served on the 
board of Intec Pharma Ltd. a specialty pharma company (Nasdaq: NTEC) since 2009 and the board of Dario Health Corp. (Nasdaq: DRIO) since 2014. 
She also serves on the board of several private companies. Ms. Karah has a BA in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley, 
and has studied at the UCSB – UCSF Joint Medical Program. We believe Ms. Karah is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her 
longstanding service with us, her investment career in high-tech companies and experience serving on public company boards.

52

Todd Thomson joined the Board in November 2011 and has held the position of Lead Director since December 2015. Mr. Thomson has been the 
chairman of Dynasty Financial Partners since November 2016 and is also the founder and CEO of Headwaters Capital since April 2007. He served in top 
management positions at Citigroup, including CFO of the Company and CEO of the Global Wealth Management division. Prior to joining Citigroup, 
Todd Thomson held senior executive positions at GE Capital, Barents Group and Bain & Co. He was also a board member of Cordia Bancorp (Nasdaq: 
BVA) from 2010 to 2016 and of Bank of Virginia as well as chairman of the Wharton Leadership Advisory Board. Todd Thomson received his M.B.A, 
with Distinction, from the Wharton School of Business and his bachelor’s degree in economics from Davidson College. We believe Mr. Thomson is 
qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his longstanding service with us, his extensive experience serving on company boards and his 
extensive finance background.

James Hamilton joined the Board in February 2012.  Mr. Hamilton has been Chief Executive Officer of Vitaltech Holdings since August 2018 
and Chairman of Wedge Networks, a security solution company, since August 2015.  Mr. Hamilton is also the president of Valletta Capital, LLC since 
2014. Mr. Hamilton has more than 25 years of leadership experience in senior executive roles across many highly successful high-tech companies. He 
brings proven success at building and leading high-potential, high growth companies from startup to IPO and often through acquisition. Mr. Hamilton 
was the CEO of Tipping Point, the renowned market leader in Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS). Mr. Hamilton was also president of Click Security, and 
president of Efficient Networks, which also achieved a highly successful IPO and was later acquired by Siemens. He has also held various senior sales 
roles with multiple companies; most recently as SVP of worldwide sales and field operations at Cyan, Inc from March 2013 through August 2015. Mr. 
Hamilton is active in multiple venture capital, corporate, and charitable boards. We believe Mr. Hamilton is qualified to serve on our board of directors 
because of his longstanding service with us and his extensive leadership experience in senior executive roles across many highly successful high-tech 
companies.

David Earhart joined the Board as an External Director in July 2013. David Earhart is the President of One Identity, a Quest Software business, 
which was spun out of Dell Software and is backed by Francisco Partners and Elliott Management since December 2017. Previously, David was CEO of 
Core Security from July 2015 and served as SVP of Worldwide Field Operations for Damballa, a leading provider of advanced threat protection, from 
January 2013. In this role, he was responsible for record, triple-digit growth. Beginning in December 2006, David was SVP of Security (IAM) Field 
Operations at CA Technologies, where his team delivered 300% growth in the security business. Prior to that, David held leadership and executive 
positions at BMC Software and venture-backed companies within the sales, support and services functions. He holds a B.B.A. in Finance from Texas 
Tech University. We believe Mr. Earhart is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his longstanding service with us and his extensive 
leadership experience in senior executive roles across many highly successful high-tech companies, including more than 20 years of security and systems 
management experience.

John Becker joined the Board as an External Director in April 2017. Mr. Becker has been a consultant since October 2013 and brings more than 

30 years of security industry and technology experience and offers a lengthy record of growing highly successful companies. In addition to serving on 
numerous boards, he previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of Sourcefire, ScienceLogic, Approva, Cybertrust, Trusecure, and AXENT 
Technologies. Mr. Becker is a CPA and graduated from the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond. We believe Mr. Becker is qualified 
to serve on our board of directors because of his extensive leadership experience in senior executive roles across many highly successful high-tech 
companies and his accounting background.

Cary Davis joined the Board in November 2017.  Mr. Davis is a Managing Director at Warburg Pincus, which he joined in 1994, and focuses on 
investments in the software and financial technology sectors. He also serves on the boards of several private companies. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, 
he was Executive Assistant to Michael Dell at Dell Computer and a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Mr. Davis received a B.A. in economics from 
Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. We believe Mr. Davis is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his 
investment career in high-tech companies and experience serving on company boards.

53

Brian Chang joined the Board in November 2017. Mr. Chang is a Managing Director at Warburg Pincus, which he joined in 2005 and returned 

in 2009.  Mr. Chang focuses on investments in the technology, software and financial technology sectors. He currently serves on the board of several 
private companies. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Mr. Chang worked at Merrill Lynch focusing on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions 
transactions. Mr. Chang received a B.S. with Distinction in electrical engineering from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from the Stanford University 
Graduate School of Business. We believe Mr. Chang is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his investment career in high-tech 
companies and experience serving on company boards.

Lauren Zletz joined the Board in May 2018. Ms. Zletz is a Vice President at Warburg Pincus, which she joined in 2015. Prior to joining Warburg 

Pincus, Lauren worked in private equity at Thomas H. Lee Partners from July 2011 to July 2013, and investment banking at Greenhill & Company from 
June 2009 to June 2011. Lauren focuses on investments in the technology, software, and internet sectors, and has served on the boards of several 
companies. Lauren received an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard College and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. We believe 
Ms. Zletz is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of her investment career in high-tech companies and experience serving on company 
boards.

Rajveer Kushwaha joined the Board in August 2018. Mr. Kushwaha is the Chief Technology Officer and a Managing Director at Warburg 

Pincus, which he joined in 2012. Mr. Kushwaha has over 25 years of experience in leading commercial software product development, strategic planning, 
technology operations, business transformation, ERP implementations, and process outsourcing initiatives at Fortune 500 companies in a variety of 
industries. Prior to joining Warburg Pincus, Mr. Kushwaha held senior management positions at Zimmer Holdings Inc., Dell Computer Corporation, First 
Data Corporation, Cummins Engine Company and Safway, Inc. He has been recognized as one of the top 100 IT innovators in the 
automotive/manufacturing industry, is the recipient of a CIO 100 innovation award and has filed numerous patents in the field of disruptive services 
technologies.  Mr. Kushwaha holds an M.S. in management of technology from MIT, an M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and Idaho 
State University; a B.S. in electrical engineering from India and completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) from Harvard University. We 
believe that Mr. Kushwaha is qualified to serve on our board of directors because of his significant software and technical experience and his experience 
holding senior management positions in the high-tech industry.

Executive Officers

The following table identifies our current executive officers, their ages and their respective positions.

Name

Lior Samuelson

Atif Ahmed

Boris Bogod

Mickey DiPietro

Einat Glik

Lior Kohavi

Dan Maier

Eva Markowitz

J. Michael Myshrall

Eric Spindel

Sigurdur Stefnisson

Michael Tamir

Age

Position

70

45

44

54

39

48

55

44

49

42

43

45

Chief Executive Officer

Vice President Sales, EMEA

Vice President, Global Cloud Operations

Vice President Sales, Americas

Vice President, Engineering

Chief Technology Officer

Vice President, Marketing

Vice President, Human Resources

Chief Financial Officer

Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Vice President, Detection

Vice President, Global Support Services

54

Atif Ahmed joined Cyren in July 2016 and is responsible for overseeing sales, services, strategic channels and alliances in the Europe, Middle 

East and Africa (EMEA) region for Cyren, as well as driving additional business in new EMEA territories. With more than 20 years of experience in the 
security space, Ahmed most recently served in senior sales leadership positions at AppSense from January 2015 to July 2016, Websense from April 2011 
to January 2015 and Check Point Software from June 2004 to June 2010. He also previously held sales management roles in the security business unit at 
Azlan and at Acer UK. Mr. Ahmed holds a holds a B.Sc. in Computing from the University West of England.

Boris Bogod joined Cyren in August 2017 and is responsible for the infrastructure and operation of Cyren’s global security cloud. He brings to 
the task over 20 years of experience deploying, managing and optimizing IT networks and the delivery of cloud services. Mr. Bogod joined Cyren from 
Sears Israel (subsidiary of SHC) where he served as Director of Operations and then Vice President of Operations from August 2010 to August 2017, and 
previously held senior operations and infrastructure management positions for several Web based companies including ICAP, Playtech and others. Mr. 
Bogod holds a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management (specialization in Information Systems) from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev.

Mickey DiPietro joined Cyren in March 2016 and manages Cyren’s global sales team, including Threat Intelligence Services and Enterprise 

Sales. A seasoned sales executive with a track record of success at global security leaders, Mr. DiPietro was originally hired to grow Cyren’s sales and 
channel organization and accelerate growth in North America, launching the company’s Austin, Texas office in the summer of 2016. Before joining 
Cyren, Mr. DiPietro was responsible for establishing and growing Zscaler’s mid-market sales organization from November 2014 to March 2016. Prior to 
that, he ran the mid-market sales organizations for Authentic8, Google, and Postini.

Einat Glik joined Cyren in April 2012 and is responsible for running Cyren’s global engineering team. Since joining Cyren in 2012, she has 

managed the product development of our WebSecurity and EmailSecurity services. Prior to joining Cyren, she oversaw product management and 
authentication with SafeNet and research and development activities with SanDisk. Ms. Glik holds a degree in Computer Science from the Academic 
College of Tel-Aviv-Yafo.

Lior Kohavi joined Cyren in June 2013 as Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Kohavi brings over 25 years of vast experience as an engineer, product 

and technology executive. Previously, Mr. Kohavi held multiple leadership roles, including business strategy architect and partner group manager at 
Microsoft, VP and GM at Websense, VP Engineering and EVP product management and strategy at Whale Communications (Microsoft acquired). Mr. 
Kohavi also served as a GM at Cylink VPN Labs and led the development of cryptographic network security products at Algorithmic Research (Cylink 
acquired) and served as head of the Israel Air Force’s Network and Operations Systems Department. Mr. Kohavi holds a B.A. degree in computer science 
from Bar-Ilan University and an Executive MBA from Tel Aviv University.

Dan Maier joined Cyren in November 2015 and is responsible for Cyren’s global marketing activities, including corporate marketing, product 

marketing, demand generation and public relations. He has more than two decades of experience in senior marketing roles in the technology sector, most 
recently serving as senior director of product marketing at Zscaler from September 2014 to November 2015. He previously held vice president of 
marketing positions at Tumbleweed, Convirture and DecisionView, among others. Mr. Maier holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Stanford 
University and an MBA from UCLA.

Eva Markowitz, SPHR, SWP, SHRM-SCP, joined Cyren as Vice President Human Resources in October 2013. With more than 15 years of 

Human Resource leadership, Ms. Markowitz orchestrates the management and development of Cyren’s most valuable asset: its employees. She 
previously worked as Human Resources Director for the Analysis Research Planning Corporation (ARPC). She has also held positions with Thomas & 
Herbert Consulting, LLC, and SteelCloud. Ms. Markowitz received her B.A. from the University of Maryland.

55

J. Michael Myshrall joined Cyren in January 2011 serving as Vice President of Corporate Development and subsequently served as Vice 

President of Financial Planning & Analysis. Since March 2014, Mr. Myshrall has been the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Myshrall brings two 
decades of investment banking, business development and technology experience. Prior to joining Cyren, he focused on technology strategy, financial 
advisory and mergers and acquisitions, first with Mercator Capital and more recently with Trilos Ventures. Mr. Myshrall previously held various roles 
with Nortel, Newbridge Networks, Corvis, and Civcom. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from the University of New Brunswick and an MBA 
from Harvard Business School.

Eric Spindel joined Cyren in May 2016 as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. Mr. Spindel is responsible for all legal, regulatory, 

compliance, and corporate governance functions for Cyren. Before joining Cyren, he was a partner at Yigal Arnon & Co., one of Israel’s leading law 
firms from September 2011 to April 2016. Mr. Spindel previously practiced corporate and securities law for a number of years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, 
Meagher & Flom LLP and Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, and also served as internal counsel for a private equity firm. He received a joint 
JD/MBA degree from Osgoode Hall Law School/Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada.

Sigurdur Stefnisson joined Cyren in October 2012 through the acquisition of FRISK, and serves as Cyren’s Vice President of Detection. Mr. 

Stefnisson joined FRISK in 1996 and contributed to the development of numerous state-of-the-art cybersecurity innovations and has become an authority 
in the field of advanced threat protection. Mr. Stefnisson oversees all the Advanced Threat Lab and malware research, which is integral in our 
development of next-generation cybersecurity solutions. He is active in the global security community as a reporter for the Wildlist Organization and as a 
member of CARO (Computer Antivirus Research Organization) whose mission is to research and study malware.

Michael Tamir first joined Cyren in 2000 and is responsible for Cyren’s global support, deployment and customer success teams. He has 

previously served as director of security solutions, director of technical services, and director of professional services at Cyren over the past 13 years. 
Prior to joining the company, Michael spent six years in various system administrator and IT manager roles. Michael is based in Cyren’s Toronto office.

To the best of our knowledge, there are no arrangements or understandings with major shareholders, customers, suppliers or others pursuant to 

which any person referred to above was selected as a director or executive officer (other than Cary Davis, Brian Chang, Lauren Zletz and Rajveer 
Kushwaha, who were appointed in connection with the Private Placement to Warburg Pincus as described below). There are no family relationships 
among any of the directors or executive officers of Cyren.

CEO Transition

In February 2019, we announced that Mr. Samuelson intends to step down as CEO after transitioning his responsibilities to a successor to be 

identified in the future by the Board. For now, Mr. Samuelson is continuing in his roles as CEO and Chairman of the Board and is involved in the 
selection and on-boarding of his successor. The Board has engaged a leading executive search firm to assist with this search. Upon transitioning his 
responsibilities to the new CEO, Mr. Samuelson will continue to serve as Chairman of our Board. 

Corporate Governance

Code of Ethics

The Company, by way of Board resolution, has adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our senior financial officers, including its principal 

executive, financial and accounting officers. The Code of Ethics is posted on the Company’s website at www.cyren.com, under the tab for “Corporate 
Governance”. We intend to provide disclosure of any amendments or waivers of our Code of Ethics on our website within four business days following 
the date of the amendment or waiver.

56

Audit Committee and Audit Committee Financial Expert

We currently have a standing audit committee. The audit committee’s duties include providing assistance to the Board in fulfilling its legal and 

fiduciary obligations in matters involving our accounting, auditing, financial reporting, internal control and legal compliance functions. In this respect the 
audit committee approves the services performed by our independent registered public accounting firm and reviews their reports regarding our accounting 
practices and systems of internal accounting controls. The audit committee also oversees the audits conducted by our independent registered public 
accounting firm and takes those actions as it deems necessary to confirm that the accountants are independent of management. Under the Companies Law,
the responsibilities of the audit committee include identifying irregularities in the management of our business and approving related party transactions as 
required by law, classifying company transactions as extraordinary transactions or non-extraordinary transactions and as material or non-material 
transactions in which an officer has an interest (which will have the effect of determining the kind of corporate approvals required for such transaction), 
assessing the proper function of the company’s internal audit regime and determining whether its internal auditor has the requisite tools and resources 
required to perform his role and to regulate the company’s rules on employee complaints, reviewing the scope of work of the company’s independent 
accountants and their fees, and implementing a whistleblower protection plan with respect to employee complaints of business irregularities. The 
responsibilities of the audit committee under the Companies Law also include the following matters: (i) to establish procedures to be followed in respect 
of related party transactions with a controlling shareholder (where such are not extraordinary transactions), which may include, where applicable, the 
establishment of a competitive process for such transaction, under the supervision of the audit committee, or individual, or other committee or body 
selected by the audit committee, in accordance with criteria determined by the audit committee; and (ii) to determine procedures for approving certain 
related party transactions with a controlling shareholder, which were determined by the audit committee not to be extraordinary transactions, but which 
were also determined by the audit committee not to be negligible transactions.

Under the Nasdaq Listing Rules, an audit committee must consist of at least three directors meeting the independence standards under Nasdaq 
Listing Rules. The audit committee consists of David Earhart (chair), Todd Thomson, John Becker and James Hamilton. The Board has determined that 
each member of the audit committee meets the independence requirements under the Nasdaq Listing Rules and the enhanced independence standards for 
audit committee members required by the SEC. In addition, the Board has determined that Todd Thomson meets the requirements of an audit committee 
financial expert under SEC rules.

Compensation Committee

The compensation committee is responsible for (i) proposing executive officer compensation policy, including compensation for our NEOs, to 

the Board, (ii) proposing necessary revisions to the compensation policy and examining its implementation, (iii) determining whether to approve 
transactions with respect to compensation of officers, and (iv) determining, in accordance with our compensation policy, whether to exempt the 
compensation terms with an unaffiliated nominee for the position of chief executive officer from requiring shareholders’ approval, provided such terms 
meet with the Company’s compensation policy. The compensation committee is also responsible for administering the Company’s various stock option 
plans, including the issuance of option grants to employees of the Company and its subsidiaries.

The compensation committee consists of John Becker (chair), Hila Karah, James Hamilton and David Earhart. The Board has determined that 

each member of the compensation committee meets the independence requirements under Rule 5605(a)(2) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules.

Nominating and Governance Committee

The nominating and governance committee’s responsibilities include identifying individuals qualified to become board members and 

recommending director nominees to the board.

The nominating and governance committee consists of Hila Karah (chair), David Earhart, James Hamilton and Brian Chang.

Process for Shareholder Nominations

Pursuant to the provisions of the Companies Law and our Articles of Association, as amended, directors (other than External Directors (as 
defined in the Companies Law)) are elected by shareholders at the annual general meeting of the shareholders and hold office until the next annual 
general meeting following the annual general meeting at which such director is elected and until a successor is elected, or until the director is removed. 
An annual general meeting must be held at least once in every calendar year, but not more than 15 months after the preceding annual general meeting. 
Directors may be removed and other directors may be elected in their place or to fill vacancies in the Board at any time by the holders of a majority of the 
voting power at a general meeting of the shareholders. Until a vacancy is filled by the shareholders, the Board may appoint new directors temporarily to 
fill vacancies on the Board. Our Articles of Association authorize the shareholders to determine, from time to time, the number of directors.

57

Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance 

Effective January 1, 2019, we ceased to be a “foreign private issuer,” as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the Exchange Act, and our officers, directors,

and persons who own 10% or more of our ordinary shares became subject to the requirements under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act to file reports of 
ownership and changes in ownership on Forms 3, 4, and 5 with the SEC. Such persons were not subject to the reporting requirements of Section 16(a) 
prior to January 1, 2019. Therefore, there was no failure by any of our executive officers, directors and greater than 10% holders to timely file any report 
required to be filed under Section 16(a) with respect to the year ended December 31, 2018 or any preceding fiscal years. 

ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION 

Summary Compensation Table

The following table summarizes all compensation paid by us in the past two fiscal years to: (i) our Chief Executive Officer; (ii) our Chief 

Technology Officer; and (iii) our Vice President Sales, EMEA. We refer to the persons listed in (i) through (iii) collectively as our named executive 
officers or NEOs.

Name and Principal 
Position
Lior Samuelson
Chief Executive Officer
Lior Kohavi
Chief Technology Officer
Atif Ahmed
Vice President Sales, EMEA

Year
2018
2017
2018
2017
2018
2017

Salary
312,000
300,000
248,562(6)
238,111
191,835(6)
193,394

Bonus

84,600(2)
70,380
341,052(2)(6)
75,011
-
-

Stock
Awards(1)
115,000
-
338,900
-
46,000
-

Option
Awards(1)

322,366(3)
114,526
-
38,175
-
-

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
-
-
-
-

303,164(4)(6)
193,868

All Other
Compensation(5)
30,142
26,046
37,409(6)
39,348
46,403(6)
48,179

Total
864,107
510,952
965,923
390,645
587,402
435,441

(1) The amounts shown represent the estimated aggregate grant date fair value of the awards made in each fiscal year relating to restricted stock units 
(“RSUs”) and options granted to the NEOs. The aggregate grant date fair value of these awards is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 
718. Assumptions used in determining the aggregate grant date fair value of RSU and option awards are set forth in Note 2 in our financial statements 
in our Annual Report on Form 20-F (for fiscal year 2017) and in Note 2 in our financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual 
Report on Form 10-K (for fiscal year 2018). The stock awards represent the grant date fair value of awards to (i) Mr. Samuelson of 50,000 RSUs, (ii) 
Mr. Kohavi of 118,000 RSUs and (iii) Mr. Ahmed of 20,000 RSUs.   Each of the RSU grants vests in four equal annual installments beginning on 
January 25, 2019, except for 90,000 of the RSUs granted to Mr. Kohavi which vest in four equal annual installments beginning on September 20, 
2019.

(2) These amounts represent bonuses earned by Mr. Samuelson and Mr. Kohavi during 2018 in accordance with their employment agreements and 

pursuant to the Company’s Executive Compensation Policy.

(3) This amount represents the grant date fair value of an award of 275,000 options to Mr. Samuelson, one quarter of which will vest and become 
exercisable on August 28, 2019. The remaining options will vest and become exercisable in equal monthly installments for the next 36 months 
thereafter.

(4) This amount represents commission earned in 2018 based on the achievement of pre-established sales targets.
(5) Includes Social Security & Medicare paid by the Company, pension fund, 401(k) match, severance pay fund, health insurance premiums, in the case 

of Mr. Kohavi, study fund, and in the case of Mr. Ahmed, car allowance.

(6) In the case of Mr. Ahmed, converted from British Pound to U.S. Dollars using currency ratio of 1.00 British Pound Sterling = 1.2789 U.S. Dollars as 
of December 31, 2018. In the case of Mr. Kohavi, converted from Israeli Shekel to U.S. Dollars using currency ratio of 1.00 Israeli Shekel = 0.2668 
U.S. Dollars as of December 31, 2018

58

The following table summarizes the compensation paid by us in the past two fiscal years to our next two most highly compensated officers. This 

information is included solely to comply with Israeli law which requires us to provide the compensation granted to our five most highly compensated 
officers during the past fiscal year.

Name and Principal 
Position
J. Michael Myshrall
Chief Financial Officer
Mickey DiPietro
Vice President Sales, 

Americas

Year
2018
2017
2018

2017

Salary
260,125
247,234
200,000

181,987

Bonus

99,888(2)
79,038
-

Stock
Awards(1)

69,000(3)

-

46,000(3)

Option
Awards(1)
-
38,175
-

Non-Equity
Incentive Plan
Compensation
-
-

141,905(4)

All Other
Compensation(5)
45,586
40,294
31,811

Total
474,600
404,741
419,716

-

-

38,175

135,790

30,728

386,681

(1) The amounts shown represent the estimated aggregate grant date fair value of the awards made in each fiscal year relating to RSUs and options 

granted to the NEOs. The aggregate grant date fair value of these awards is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions used 
in determining the aggregate grant date fair value of RSU and option awards are set forth in Note 2 in our financial statements in our Annual Report 
on Form 20-F (for fiscal year 2017) and in Note 2 in our financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (for 
fiscal year 2018).

(2) This amount represent a bonus earned by Mr. Myshrall during 2018 in accordance with his employment agreements and pursuant to the Company’s 

Executive Compensation Policy.

(3) This amount represents the grant date fair value of awards to (i) Mr. Myshrall of 30,000 RSUs and (ii) Mr. DiPietro of 20,000 RSUs, each of which 

vests in four equal annual installments.

(4) This amount represents commission earned in 2018 based on the achievement of pre-established sales targets.
(5) Includes Social Security & Medicare paid by the Company, pension fund, 401(k) match and health insurance premiums.

Executive Compensation Policy

On August 28, 2018, our shareholders approved the Cyren Executive Compensation Policy (the “Policy”), which had been recommended by the 

compensation committee and approved by the Board, for the Company’s directors and officers, in accordance with the requirements of the Companies 
Law. The Policy includes, among other matters prescribed by the Companies Law, a framework for establishing the terms of office and employment of 
the directors and officers and guidelines with respect to the structure of the variable pay of officers.

The Policy provides that the compensation package for officers shall generally consist of some or all of the following items:

● Fixed base salary;

● Performance-based rewards (Annual, Special and Signing Bonuses)

● Equity-based compensation;

● Social benefits; and

● Retirement and termination payment.

In particular, the Policy, (i) sets an annual cap of US$450,000 for the annual base salary for officers (including the CEO); (ii) sets an annual cap 
of 600% of the annual base salary on equity based compensation to current officers or a one-time grant of up to 5% of outstanding shares of the Company 
at the date of grant for new executive hires; and (iii) sets an annual cap of 200% of the annual base salary for performance based cash awards (which may 
include any combination of annual bonus, special bonus in recognition of outstanding contributions and/or signing bonus for new hires).

With respect to bonuses, the calculation for each officer is a product of the Company’s performance and individual performance and the Policy 

further provides that the majority of any cash bonus must be based on measurable criteria (i.e. financial measures or individual performance criteria while 
a smaller portion may be discretionary. Equity based compensation may be granted in any form permitted under our equity incentive plans, as in effect 
from time to time (collectively, the “Equity Incentive Plans”), including stock options and restricted stock units. Equity grants to officers shall be made in 
accordance with the terms of the Equity Incentive Plans.

59

The Policy also includes a claw back provision which provides that officers will be required to refund any part of the annual performance-based 
bonuses paid based on financial results that are proven to be inaccurate and which are restated in the financial statements during the three years following 
the actual payment of the annual bonus, provided the officer is still employed by the Company upon publication of the restated financial statements.

The Company may indemnify, insure and exculpate the officers to the full extent permitted by applicable law from time to time, including by 

entering into indemnification, insurance and exculpation agreements, subject to the requisite approvals under applicable law.

Finally, the Policy provides that non-employee directors may be compensated up to the maximum pay allowable under Israeli law unless the 

Company’s shareholders approve higher compensation from time to time.

Our compensation committee will periodically review the Policy and monitor its implementation, and recommend to our Board and shareholders 

to amend the Policy as it deems necessary from time to time. The term of the Policy is three years as of the date of its adoption, during which, the Board 
is required to examine the Policy and revise it from time to time, if the circumstances under which it had been adopted have materially 
changed. Following such three year term, the Policy, including any revisions recommended by our compensation committee and approved by our Board, 
as applicable, will be brought once again to the shareholders for approval.

Employment Agreements; Termination and Change in Control Provisions

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our named executive officers. A summary of the material terms of our current 

employment arrangements with each of these officers is set forth below. The summaries below are qualified in their entirety by reference to the text of 
their employment agreements, which are filed with this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Mr. Samuelson Letter Agreement

Pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement dated November 19, 2013 between the Company and Mr. Samuelson, he became our chief executive 
officer effective upon shareholder approval on December 23, 2013. In addition, Mr. Samuelson has served as Chairman of our Board since August 2010.

Under this letter agreement, Mr. Samuelson’s employment is on an at-will basis and can be terminated by either party upon 30 days’ advance 

written notice, except in the case of termination for “Good Cause”. Mr. Samuelson was entitled to the following compensation:

● An initial annual base salary of $252,000, with any subsequent base salaries to be set in advance of the subsequent anniversaries of his start date;

● Annual Management by Objectives (MBO) bonus of $90,000; and

● A grant of 360,000 stock options under the Company’s stock option plan.

60

In connection with his employment with our Company, Mr. Samuelson also signed a non-disclosure agreement and inventions assignment.

Mr. Samuelson’s letter agreement grants him certain rights upon termination of his employment. In connection with any termination other than 

for “Good Cause” or disability:

● Mr. Samuelson’s severance payment will be a multiple of six times (6x) his monthly base salary at the time notice of termination was given, plus 

one half of the annual allotment of vacation days, payable within 45 days;

● Mr. Samuelson will receive payment for the costs securing continued medical, dental and vision coverage through COBRA (or the relevant state 

equivalent, if applicable) for a period of up to six months following termination, subject to certain conditions, payable within 45 days;

● Mr. Samuelson’s options that would have vested in the six months following termination will be accelerated and deemed vested;

● Mr. Samuelson will be entitled to receive a pro rata payment of any bonuses earned, including the annual MBO bonus, for the part of the year he 

worked; and

● The option exercise period for all of Mr. Samuelson’s stock options that are vested at the termination date will be extended to end on the 180th

calendar day following the termination date (but no later than the expiration date of the term of such options as set forth in the option agreement
(s)).

Under Mr. Samuelson’s letter agreement, “Good Cause” means (i) an action by Mr. Samuelson involving a willful and wholly wrongful act; (ii) 

his being convicted of, or pleading guilty to, a felony; (iii) an intentional, material and substantial violation by Mr. Samuelson of a Company rule, 
regulation, policy or procedure; or (iv) a substantial and material neglect by Mr. Samuelson of his duties.

Mr. Kohavi Letter Agreement

Pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement dated May 16, 2013 between the Company and Mr. Kohavi, he became our Chief Technical Officer 

on June 1, 2013.

Under this agreement, Mr. Kohavi’s employment is on an at-will basis and can be terminated by either party upon 90 days’ advance written 

notice, except in the case of termination for “Good Cause”. Mr. Kohavi was entitled to the following compensation:

● An annual base salary of 744,000 ILS;

● Annual Management by Objectives (MBO) bonus in the amount of 30% of base salary;

● A grant of 270,000 stock options under the Company’s stock option plan; and

● Benefits including a study fund stipend in the amount of 7.5% of base salary.

In connection with his employment with our Company, Mr. Kohavi also signed a non-disclosure agreement and inventions assignment.

In connection with any termination of Mr. Kohavi’s employment other than for “Good Cause” or disability, he will receive his salary and the 

standard contractual social benefits he is entitled to receive during the notice period.

61

Under Mr. Kohavi’s employment agreement, “Good Cause” means (i) a breach of the employment agreement committed by Mr. Kohavi; (ii) him 

acting in a dishonest and/or disloyal manner towards the Company; or (iii) him being convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude and/or any other 
offense whose circumstances, ethically, are such that the Company will be of the opinion that his continued employment will cause the Company 
damages.

Mr. Ahmed Letter Agreement

Pursuant to the terms of an employment contract dated June 29, 2016 between the Company and Mr. Ahmed, he became our Vice President, 

Sales - EMEA on July 11, 2016.

Under this agreement, Mr. Ahmed’s employment is on an at-will basis and can be terminated by either party upon 90 days’ advance written 

notice, except in the case of termination for “Good Cause”. Mr. Ahmed was entitled to the following compensation:

● An annual base salary of £150,000, with any subsequent base salaries to be reviewed at the beginning of each calendar year;

● Annual variable commission targets of £150,000 per year, based on the achievement of sales targets to be set annually;

● A grant of 140,000 stock options under the Company’s stock option plan; and

● Benefits including private medical insurance coverage of up to £19,200 per year, car allowance of £10,000 per year, and pension contribution of 

£5,000 per year.

In connection with his employment with our Company, Mr. Ahmed’s agreement also includes non-disclosure and inventions assignment 

undertakings.

Mr. Ahmed’s agreement grants him certain rights upon termination of his employment. In connection with any termination other than for “Good 

Cause” or disability:

● Mr. Ahmed will receive his salary and the standard contractual social benefits he is entitled to receive during the notice period, whether he 

continues to perform his duties during the notice period or whether placed on ‘garden leave’ by the Company;

● Under Mr. Ahmed’s employment agreement, “Good Cause” means (i) an action by Mr. Ahmed involving gross misconduct which affects the 
business of the Company; (ii) a serious or repeated breach by him of any provision of his employment agreement or a violation by him of a 
reasonable and lawful Company rule; (iii) him being negligent and incompetent in the performance of his duties, as reasonably determined by the
Board; (iv) him being declared bankrupt or if he makes any arrangement with or for the benefit of his creditors or has a county court 
administration order made against him under the County Court Act 1984; (v) him being convicted of any criminal offence (other than an offence 
under any road traffic legislation in the United Kingdom or elsewhere for which a fine or non-custodial penalty is imposed); (vi) him becoming 
of unsound mind (which includes lacking capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005), or a patient under any statute relating to mental health; 
(vii) him no longer being able to work in the United Kingdom; (viii) him committing any fraudulent or dishonest acts or him acting in any 
manner which in the opinion of the Company brings or is likely to bring him or the Company into disrepute or is materially adverse to the 
interests of the Company; (ix) him committing a serious breach of any rules issued by the Company from time to time regarding its electronic 
communications systems.

62

Equity Grant Agreements

In addition to the severance payments that would be payable under our existing employment agreements, our awards of options and RSUs to 

executive officers (and other employees) are subject to double trigger accelerated vesting upon a Change in Control. This means these awards are subject 
to accelerated vesting immediately upon a Change in Control if an officer’s employment is Involuntarily Terminated as a result of the Change in Control 
and not otherwise for Cause, or on the termination date if such Involuntary Termination occurs within twelve months following such Change in Control.

If the acquiring company assumes or substitutes the options in connection with the Change in Control, and the officer remains employed, 50% of 

the officer’s options will immediately vest and the remaining 50% will vest upon the earlier of (i) the one year anniversary of the Change in Control, 
provided the officer remains employed with the acquiring company; (ii) the original vesting date of the option; or (iii) an Involuntary Termination of the 
officer’s employment prior to such one year anniversary.

“Involuntary Termination” means termination by reason of the officer’s (i) involuntary dismissal or discharge by us other than for Cause or (ii) 

voluntary resignation following (a) a change in the officer’s position with us which materially reduces the officer’s duties and responsibility; (b) a 
reduction in the officer’s level of compensation by more than 10%; or (c) a relocation of the officer’s place of employment by more than 50 kilometers, 
provided and only if such change, reduction or relocation is effected without the officer’s consent.  

“Cause” means the officer’s (i) theft, dishonesty, willful misconduct, breach of fiduciary duty for personal profit, or falsification of any 

Participating Company (as defined in the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan) documents or records; (ii) material failure to abide by a Participating Company’s 
code of conduct or other policies; (iii) unauthorized use, misappropriation, destruction or diversion of any tangible or intangible asset or corporate 
opportunity of a Participating Company; (iv) intentional act which has a material detrimental effect on the Participating Company’s reputation or 
business; (v) repeated failure to perform any reasonable assigned duties after written notice from a Participating Company of, and a reasonable 
opportunity to cure, such failure; (vi) material breach of any employment, service, non-disclosure, non-competition, non-solicitation or other similar 
agreement between the officer and a Participating Company, which is not cured; or (vii) conviction (including any plea of guilty or nolo contendere) of 
any criminal act involving fraud, dishonesty, misappropriation or moral turpitude, or which impairs the officer’s ability to perform his or her duties with a 
Participating Company.

“Change in Control” means the occurrence of any one or a combination of the following: (i) any person becomes the beneficial owner of 50% or

more of the total fair market value or total combined voting power of our then-outstanding securities; provided, however, that a Change in Control shall 
not be deemed to have occurred if such beneficial ownership results from any of the following: (A) an acquisition by any person who on December 22, 
2016 was the beneficial owner of more than fifty percent (50%) of such voting power, (B) any acquisition directly from us, including pursuant to or in 
connection with a public offering of securities, (C) any acquisition by us, (D) any acquisition by a trustee or other fiduciary under an employee benefit 
plan of a participating company or (E) any acquisition by an entity owned directly or indirectly by our stockholders in substantially the same proportions 
as their ownership of our voting securities; or (ii) (A) the direct or indirect sale or exchange by our stockholders of more than fifty percent (50%) of the 
total combined voting power of our then outstanding securities in a single or series of related transactions; (B) a merger or consolidation in which we are 
a party; or (C) the sale, exchange, or transfer of all or substantially all of our assets (other than a sale, exchange or transfer to one or more of our 
subsidiaries) (collectively, a “Transaction”) in which our stockholders immediately before the Transaction do not retain immediately after the Transaction 
direct or indirect beneficial ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of our outstanding securities or the entity to 
which the assets of the Company were transferred, as the case may be; or (iii) a date specified by the compensation committee following approval by the 
stockholders of a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Company; provided, however, that a Change in Control shall not include a transaction 
in which a majority of the members of the Board of the continuing, surviving or successor entity, or parent thereof, immediately after such transaction is 
comprised of incumbent directors. An incumbent director means a director who either (A) was a member of the Board on December 22, 2016, or (B) is 
elected, or nominated for election, to the Board with the affirmative votes of at least a majority of the incumbent directors at the time of such election or 
nomination.

63

Retirement or Similar Benefit Plans

Israeli law generally requires employers to make contributions to employees’ pensions and the payment of severance pay upon the retirement or 
death of an employee or upon termination of employment by the employer or, in certain circumstances, by the employee. Additionally, a general practice 
in Israel followed by Cyren, although not legally required, is the contribution of funds on behalf of certain employees to an individual insurance policy 
known as “Managers’ Insurance.” This policy provides a combination of savings plan, insurance and severance pay benefits to the insured employee. It 
provides for payments to the employee upon retirement or death and secures a substantial portion of the severance pay, if any, to which the employee is 
legally entitled upon termination of employment. Each participating employee contributes an amount equal to 6% of such employee’s base salary, and we 
contribute between 12.5% and 14.83% of the employee’s base salary.

In the United States, Cyren offers employees the option to participate in the Company’s 401(k) program, which provides partial Company 

matching up to certain annual contribution limits. Employees can contribute up to the maximum IRS annual contribution limit, and the Company will 
provide a 50% matching contribution up to a maximum of 3% of an employee’s annual salary. The Company match portion is subject to a 4-year vesting 
period.

Employee Equity Incentive Plan

Employees, including executive officers and other management employees, participate in the Company’s employee option plans. On December 

22, 2016, our shareholders approved a new stock option plan - the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Employee Plan”). This plan replaced all prior 
employee stock option plans which terminated.

The Employee Plan allows for the issuance of RSUs, as well as options. The options and RSUs generally vest over a period of four years but 

may have shorter vesting periods under certain circumstances. Options granted under the Employee Plan generally expire after six years from the date of 
grant. Options and RSUs cease vesting upon termination of the optionee’s employment or other relationship with the Company. The per share exercise 
price for options shall be no less than 100% of the fair market value per ordinary share on the date of grant. Any options and RSUs that are canceled or 
not exercised within the option term become available for future grant. 

All employee stock option plans are administered by the compensation committee. Subject to the provisions of the equity plans and applicable 
law, the compensation committee has the authority to determine, among other things, to whom options may be granted; the number of ordinary shares to 
which an option may relate; the exercise price for each share; the vesting period of the option and the terms, conditions and restrictions thereof, including 
accelerated vesting on change in control provisions; to amend provisions relating to such plans; and to make all other determinations deemed necessary or 
advisable for the administration of such plans.

Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan

On December 22, 2016, our shareholders approved the 2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan (the “Non-Employee Plan”). This 

plan replaced all previous non-employee stock option plans which terminated. The Non-Employee Plan allows for the issuance of RSUs, as well as 
options. Each option and RSU granted under the Non-Employee Plan generally vests over a period of four years. Each option has an exercise price equal 
to the fair market value of the ordinary shares on the grant date of such option. Options granted under the Non-Employee Plan generally expire after six 
years from the date of grant. Options and RSUs cease vesting upon termination of the relationship with the Company, unless the terminated relationship is 
with a director who has served the Company for at least three years, and he has not resigned voluntarily or was not removed from the Board due to a 
failure to perform any of his/her duties to the Company, in which case all unvested options or RSUs would be subject to full accelerated vesting.

64

Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year-End

The following table sets forth the outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end, or December 31, 2018, for our named executive officers.

Option Awards

Stock Awards

Number of Securities 
Underlying Unexercised 
Options

Exercisable

Unexercisable

Option
Exercise
Price

360,000
150,000
28,797
150,000

270,000
90,000
80,000
35,000
50,000
140,000

$

275,000(3)

2.7177
3.00
1.44
2.00
2.90
3.08
3.32
3.00
1.44
2.00
2.13

Option
Expiration
Date
12/24/2019
02/18/2021
02/10/2022
01/24/2023
08/28/2024
08/01/2019
05/14/2020
02/18/2021
02/10/2022
01/24/2023
08/04/2022

Number of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested

Market
Value of
Shares or
Units of
Stock That
Have Not
Vested(1)

50,000(2) $

150,000

28,000(2)
90,000(4)

84,000
270,000

20,000(2)

60,000

Name
Lior Samuelson

Chief Executive Officer

Lior Kohavi

Chief Technology Officer

Atif Ahmed

Vice President Sales,
EMEA

(1) The amounts in this column are based on the closing price of our ordinary shares on December 31, 2018 of $3.00.
(2) This amount reflects RSUs which vest in four equal annual installments beginning on January 25, 2019, subject to earlier vesting upon a change of 

control.

(3) This amount represents options, one quarter of which vest on August 28, 2019 and the remainder of which vest in equal monthly installments for the 

next 36 months thereafter, subject to earlier vesting upon a change of control.

(4) This amount reflects RSUs which vest in four equal annual installments beginning on September 20, 2019, subject to earlier vesting upon a change of 

control.

Director Compensation

Under the Companies Law, as amended, pursuant to Amendment 20 of the Companies Law, our directors can be paid for their services as 
directors to the extent such payments are in accordance with the compensation policy adopted by the Company after approval by the compensation 
committee, our Board and our shareholders by ordinary majority, or, if their compensation deviates from the compensation policy, after approval by the 
compensation committee, our Board and our shareholders by a special majority, provided that (i) the majority of the votes includes at least a majority of 
all the votes of shareholders who are not controlling shareholders of the Company or who do not have a personal interest in the compensation paid to the 
directors and participating in the vote or (ii) the total of opposing votes from among the shareholders described in subsection (i) above does not exceed 
2% of all the voting rights in the company.

In 2018, the cash compensation paid to non-employee directors (other than Mr. Samuelson, our CEO and Chairman) was $7,500 per quarter and 

$15,000 for the Lead Director. Directors also are reimbursed for their expenses for each Board meeting attended. New non-employee directors are 
currently entitled to an initial grant of 50,000 options. Non-employee directors who are re-elected at the annual meeting of shareholders are entitled to 
additional grants of 10,000 RSUs, except for Mr. Samuelson, who was not entitled to additional compensation other than the compensation paid to him in 
his capacity as the Company’s CEO, and Mr. Thomson who is entitled to an annual grant of 20,000 RSUs in his capacity as Lead Director.

65

The table below summarizes the compensation paid by us to our non-employee directors for services rendered in 2018.

Name
Hila Karah
Todd Thomson
James Hamilton
John Becker
David Earhart
Aviv Raiz(3)
Cary Davis
Brian Chang
Lauren Zletz(4)
Rajveer Kushwaha(4)

$

Fees
Earned or
Paid in
Cash

30,000
60,000
30,000
30,000
30,000
15,000
30,000
30,000
15,000
10,000

Stock
Awards(1)(2)(5)
25,000
$
50,000
25,000
25,000
25,000
25,000
—
—
—
—

Option 
Awards(1)

Total

— $
—
—
—
—
—
43,138
43,138
65,245
65,245

55,000
110,000
55,000
55,000
55,000
40,000
73,138
73,138
80,245
75,245

(1) The amounts shown in these columns represent the estimated aggregate grant date fair value of the RSU and option awards granted to the non-

employee directors in 2018. The aggregate grant date fair value of these awards is computed in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 718. Assumptions 
used in determining the aggregate grant date fair value of RSU and option awards are set forth in Note 2.r in our financial statements, which is 
included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(2) Each director, with the exception of Mr. Davis and Mr. Chang who joined our Board in November 2017 and Ms. Zletz and Mr. Kushwaha who 

joined our Board during 2018, received a grant on January 1, 2018 of 10,000 RSUs under our 2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan. 
Mr. Thompson, our Lead Director, received a grant of 20,000 RSUs. Mr. Davis and Mr. Chang each received a grant of 50,000 options on January 1, 
2018, and Ms. Zletz and Mr. Kushwaha each received a grant of 50,000 options on August 28, 2018, upon joining our Board.

(3) Mr. Raiz’s term as a director ended on August 28, 2018, therefore, his cash compensation reflects his partial year of service on the Board.
(4) Ms. Zletz and Mr. Kushwaha joined our Board during 2018, therefore, they each received prorated annual cash compensation.
(5) The table below sets forth the aggregate number of RSUs and unexercised stock options outstanding at December 31, 2018 for each of our non-

employee directors.

Name
Hila Karah
Todd Thomson
James Hamilton
John Becker
David Earhart
Cary Davis
Brian Chang
Lauren Zletz
Rajveer Kushwaha

66

Aggregate 
Number of 
RSUs 
Outstanding 
at
December 31,
2018

Aggregate 
Number of 
Unexercised 
Stock Options 
Outstanding 
at 
December 31,
2018

10,000
20,000
10,000
10,000
10,000
—
—
—
—

50,001
33,334
33,334
50,000
83,334
50,000
50,000
50,000
50,000

ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER 
MATTERS 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares, as of February 28, 2019 (the 

“Reporting Date”), by (i) each person known to us to beneficially own more than 5% of our ordinary shares; (ii) our named executive officers for the 
fiscal year ended December 31, 2018; (iii) each director; and (iv) all of the executive officers and directors as a group. Except as shown in the table, no 
other person is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares. The percentage of shares beneficially owned is based 
on 54,217,357 ordinary shares outstanding as of February 28, 2019.

Name of Beneficial Owner(1)
Holding more than 5%:
WP XII Investments B.V. (3)
Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. (4)

Named Executive Officers and Directors:
Lior Samuelson (5)
Lior Kohavi (6)
Atif Ahmed (7)
Hila Karah (8)
James Hamilton (9)
Todd Thomson (10)
David Earhart (11)
John Becker (12)
Cary Davis (13)(14)
Brian Chang (13)(15)
Lauren Zletz (16)
Rajveer Kushwaha (13)(17)
Total of all Executive Officers and Directors as a Group (21 persons) (18)

Number of 
Ordinary 
Shares 
Beneficially 
Owned(2)

27,586,733
5,891,020

849,617
709,185
142,638
121,432
55,834
68,334
105,834
52,500
27,602,358
27,602,358
6,250
27,592,983
31,309,113

Percent(2)

50.88%
10.87%

1.55%
1.30%
*
*
*
*
*
*
50.90%
50.90%
*
50.89%
54.57%

Less than one percent.

*
(1) Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the beneficial owners identified is c/o Cyren Inc., 1430 Spring Hill Road, Suite 330, McLean, VA 

22102.

(2) The number and percentage of shares beneficially owned by each person has been determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 of the Exchange Act. 

Pursuant to the rules of the SEC, the number of ordinary shares deemed outstanding includes ordinary shares issuable upon settlement of RSUs held 
by the respective person or group that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date and pursuant to options held by the respective person or group 
that are currently exercisable or may be exercised within 60 days of the Reporting Date. Unless otherwise indicated in the footnotes or table, each 
person or entity has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares shown as beneficially owned.

(3) Based on a Form 3 as filed with the SEC on January 2, 2019. The stockholder is WP XII Investments B.V., a company incorporated in the 

Netherlands (“WP XII Investments”). WP XII Investments is wholly owned by WP XII Investments Cooperatief U.A., a company incorporated in 
the Netherlands (“WP XII Investments Cooperatief”), which is wholly owned by the “WP XII Funds”, which consists of (i) Warburg Pincus 
(Callisto) Private Equity XII (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; (ii) Warburg Pincus (Europa) Private Equity XII 
(Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; (iii) Warburg Pincus (Ganymede) Private Equity XII (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman 
Islands exempted limited partnership; (iv) Warburg Pincus Private Equity XII-B (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; 
(v) Warburg Pincus Private Equity XII-D (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; (vi) Warburg Pincus Private Equity XII-
E (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership; (vii) Warburg Pincus XII Partners (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted 
limited partnership and (viii) WP XII Partners (Cayman), L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership. Warburg Pincus LLC, a New York 
limited liability company (“WP LLC”) is the manager of the WP XII Funds and Warburg Pincus (Cayman) XII, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted 
limited partnership (“WP XII Cayman GP”) is the general partner of each of the WP XII Funds. Warburg Pincus (Cayman) XII GP LLC, a Delaware
limited liability company (“WP XII Cayman GP LLC”) is the general partner of WP XII Cayman GP. Warburg Pincus Partners II (Cayman), L.P., a 
Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership (“WPP II Cayman”) is the sole member of WP XII Cayman GP LLC. Warburg Pincus (Bermuda) 
Private Equity GP Ltd., a Bermuda exempted company, (“WP Bermuda GP”) is the general partner of WPP II Cayman. Charles R. Kaye and Joseph 
P. Landy are the Co-Chairmen and sole Directors of WP Bermuda GP, and the Managing Members and Co-Chief Executive Officers of WP LLC, 
and may be deemed to control the “Warburg Entities,” which consists of (i) WP Bermuda GP; (ii) WP XII Investments; (iii) WP XII Investments 
Cooperatief; (iv) the WP XII Funds; (v) WP LLC; (vi) WP XII Cayman GP; (vii) WP XII Cayman GP LLC and (viii) WPP II Cayman. Each of 
Messrs. Kaye and Landy and each Warburg Entity disclaims beneficial ownership with respect to any ordinary shares of the Company, except to the 
extent of its indirect pecuniary interest in such ordinary shares. WP XII Investments B.V. has shared power to vote or direct the vote with respect to 
all of the shares and shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of all of the shares. The address of the Warburg Entities, the WP XII Funds, 
Mr. Kaye and Mr. Landy is c/o Warburg Pincus & Co., 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

67

(4) Based on a Schedule 13G/A as filed with the SEC on January 14, 2019. As of December 31, 2018, these securities were beneficially owned as 

follows: (i) 5,880,365 Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by mutual funds managed by Yelin Lapidot Mutual Funds Management Ltd. and (ii) 
10,655 Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by provident funds managed by Yelin Lapidot Provident Funds Management Ltd. The securities are 
beneficially owned by provident funds managed by Yelin Lapidot Provident Funds Management Ltd. and/or mutual funds managed by Yelin 
Lapidot Mutual Funds Management Ltd. (the “Subsidiaries”), each a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yelin Lapidot Holdings Management Ltd. (“Yelin 
Lapidot Holdings”). Dov Yelin and Yair Lapidot each own 24.38% of the share capital and 25.004% of the voting rights of Yelin Lapidot Holdings. 
Any economic interest or beneficial ownership in any of these securities is held for the benefit of the members of the provident funds or mutual 
funds, as the case may be. Each of Messrs. Yelin and Lapidot, Yelin Lapidot Holdings, and the Subsidiaries disclaims beneficial ownership of any 
these securities. Yelin Lapidot Holdings has shared power to vote or direct the vote with respect to all of the shares and shared power to dispose or 
direct the disposition of all of the shares. The address of Messrs. Yelin and Lapidot, Yelin Lapidot Holdings, and the Subsidiaries is 50 Dizengoff 
St., Dizengoff Center, Gate 3, Top Tower, 13th floor, Tel Aviv 64332, Israel.

(5) This amount includes 688,797 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 
This amount excludes (i) 37,500 RSUs that have not yet vested and (ii) 275,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options that have not yet vested.
(6) This amount includes 525,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 
This amount excludes 169,366 RSUs that have not yet vested. Of the ordinary shares beneficially owned by Mr. Kohavi, (i) 24,524 ordinary shares 
are held by his wife and (ii) 150,000 ordinary shares are held by three trusts for the benefit of Mr. Kohavi’s children, for which Mr. Kohavi serves as 
trustee.

(7) This amount includes 140,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 73,366 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(8) This amount includes 50,001 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 17,500 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(9) This amount includes 33,334 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 17,500 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(10) This amount includes 33,334 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 35,000 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(11) This amount includes 83,334 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 17,500 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(12) This amount includes 50,000 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes 17,500 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(13) Each of Messrs. Davis, Chang and Kushwaha (each, a “Warburg Director”) is an indirect beneficial owner of WP Bermuda GP, and a Member and 
Managing Director of WP LLC. 27,586,733 of the shares indicated as held by each of the Warburg Directors are included because of his affiliation 
with the Warburg Entities and the WP XII Funds. See footnote (3) above for additional information. Each Warburg Director disclaims beneficial 
ownership of all shares owned by the Warburg Entities and the WP XII Funds except to the extent of any indirect pecuniary interest therein. Each of 
the Warburg Directors has shared power to vote or direct the vote with respect to all of the shares and shared power to dispose or direct the 
disposition of all of the shares. The address of each Warburg Director is c/o Warburg Pincus & Co., 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017.
(14) This amount includes 15,625 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes (i) 34,375 options and (ii) 10,000 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(15) This amount includes 15,625 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes (i) 34,375 options and (ii) 10,000 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(16) This amount includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 
This amount excludes (i) 43,750 options and (ii) 10,000 RSUs that have not yet vested. The address of Ms. Zletz (also a Warburg Director) is c/o 
Warburg Pincus & Co., 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017.

(17) This amount includes 6,250 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of the Reporting Date. 

This amount excludes (i) 43,750 options and (ii) 10,000 RSUs that have not yet vested.

(18) This amount includes an aggregate of 3,588,106 shares issuable upon exercise of options which are fully vested or that will vest within 60 days of 

the Reporting Date exercisable. There are no RSUs that will vest within 60 days after the Reporting Date.

68

Equity Compensation Plans

The following table gives information about Cyren’s ordinary shares that may be issued under Cyren’s existing equity compensation plans as of 

December 31, 2018:

Number of
securities
remaining
available for 
future
issuance
under equity
compensation
plans 
(excluding
securities
reflected in
the first 
column)

1,755,919
270,214
2,026,133

Number of
securities to 
be 
issued upon
exercise of
outstanding
options and 
RSUs
6,636,645
543,337
7,179,982

Weighted-
average 
exercise
price of
outstanding
options(1)

$
$
$

2.19
2.11
2.19

Plan Category
2016 Equity Incentive Plan
2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan
Total

(1) Reflects the weighted-average exercise price of outstanding options only, because there is no exercise price associated with the vesting of RSUs.

ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE 

Certain Relationships and Related Transactions

Under applicable Nasdaq Listing Rules, all related person transactions must be approved by our audit committee or another independent body of 
the Board. Current SEC rules define transactions with related persons to include any transaction, arrangement or relationship (i) in which the company is 
a participant, (ii) in which the amount involved exceeds $120,000 (or, in the case of a smaller reporting company, the lesser of $120,000 or one percent of 
the average of the company’s total assets at year-end for the last two completed fiscal years), and (iii) in which any executive officer, director, director 
nominee, beneficial owner of more than 5% of the company’s common stock, or any immediate family member of such persons has or will have a direct 
or indirect material interest. All directors must recuse themselves from any discussion or decision in which they may have a conflict (i.e. matters affecting 
their personal, business or professional interests). In addition, pursuant to the Companies Law, certain related party transactions, including (i) 
engagements with our officers, (ii) engagements with our controlling shareholder, and (iii) substantial private placements, require the approval of our 
audit or compensation committee, board of directors and shareholders.

Except as set forth below, since January 1, 2017, we have not had any relationships or transactions with any of our executive officers, directors, 
beneficial owners of more than 5% of our ordinary shares or any immediate family member of such persons that were required to be reported pursuant to 
Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

Private Placement and Registration Rights Agreement 

On November 6, 2017, Warburg Pincus acquired approximately 10.6 million ordinary shares from us for $1.85 per share, representing gross 

proceeds of approximately $19.6 million to us. As a result of the Private Placement, Warburg Pincus became the owner of approximately 21.3% of our 
outstanding share capital. In connection with this offering, we also agreed to grant certain registration rights to Warburg Pincus. On December 25, 2017, 
Warburg Pincus completed a special tender offer in which it purchased 16,991,212 ordinary shares of the Company and, therefore, became the owner of a 
total of 27,586,733 ordinary shares.

69

Director Independence

Each year, the Board undertakes a review of director independence, which includes a review of each director’s responses to questionnaires 

asking about any relationships with us. This review is designed to identify and evaluate any transactions or relationships between a director or any 
member of his or her immediate family and us, or members of our senior management or other members of our Board, and all relevant facts and 
circumstances regarding any such transactions or relationships. Consistent with these considerations, our Board has affirmatively determined that all of 
our non-employee directors, who are listed below, are “independent directors” pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(a)(2):

● Hila Karah

● Todd Thomson

● James Hamilton

● David Earhart

● John Becker

The Companies Law requires Israeli companies with shares that have been offered to the public in or outside of Israel to appoint at least two 

External Directors, unless certain conditions are met by the company pursuant to the Israeli Companies Regulations (Relief for Companies Whose Shares 
are Registered for Trading Outside of Israel) – 2000 (the “Relief Regulations”), as further detailed below. According to the Companies Law, no person 
may be appointed as an External Director if the person or the person’s relative, partner, employer or any entity under the person’s control has or had, on 
or within the two years preceding the date of the person’s appointment to serve as External Director, any affiliation with the company or any entity 
controlling, controlled by or under common control with the company. The External Directors are John Becker and David Earhart. The term affiliation 
includes:

● an employment relationship;

● a business or professional relationship maintained on a regular basis;

● control; and

● service as an officer or director.

The Israeli Minister of Justice, in consultation with the Israeli Securities Authority, may determine that certain matters will not constitute an 

affiliation, and has issued certain regulations with respect thereof. In addition, pursuant to provisions of the Companies Law, a business or professional 
relationship maintained on a regular basis will not constitute affiliation if the relationship commenced after the appointment of the External Director for 
office, the company and the External Director consider the relationship to be negligible and the audit committee approved, based on information 
presented to it, that the relationship is negligible, and the External Director declared that he did not know and could not have reasonably known about the 
formation of the relationship and has no control over their existence or termination.

If the company does not have a controlling shareholder or a shareholder who holds company shares entitling him to vote at least 25% of the 

votes in a shareholders meeting, then the company may not appoint as an External Director any person or such person’s relative, partner, employer or any 
entity under the person’s control, who has or had, on or within the two years preceding the date of the person’s appointment to serve as External Director, 
any affiliation with the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, a substantial shareholder who holds at least 5% of the issued and outstanding 
shares of the company or voting rights which entitle him to vote at least 5% of the votes in a shareholders meeting, or the Chief Financial Officer.

No person may serve as an External Director if the person’s position or other business activities create, or may create, a conflict of interest with 
the person’s responsibilities as an External Director or may otherwise interfere with the person’s ability to serve as an External Director. Additionally, no 
person may serve as an External Director if the person, the person’s relative, spouse, employer or any entity controlling or controlled by the person, has a 
business or professional relationship with someone with whom affiliation is prohibited, even if such relationship is not maintained on a regular basis, 
excepting negligible relationships, or if such person received from the company any compensation as an External Director in excess of what is permitted 
by the Companies Law. If, at the time External Directors are to be appointed, all current members of the Board who are not controlling shareholders or 
relatives of such shareholders are of the same gender, then at least one External Director must be of the other gender. Under the Companies law, at least 
one of the External Directors is required to have “financial and accounting expertise,”, and the other External Director or Directors are required to have 
either “professional expertise,” or “financial and accounting expertise”, all as defined under the Companies Law. However, if at least one of our other 
directors (i) meets the independence requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or (ii) meets the standards of the Nasdaq 
Listing Rules for membership on the audit committee, and (iii) has accounting and financial expertise as defined under Israeli law, then neither of our 
External Directors is required to possess accounting and financial expertise as long as both possess other requisite “professional expertise”.

70

A director can satisfy the requirements of having “financial and accounting expertise” if due to his or her education, experience and 

qualifications he or she has acquired expertise and understanding in business and accounting matters and financial statements, in a manner that allows him 
or her to understand, in depth, the company’s financial statements and to spur a discussion regarding the manner in which the financial data is presented.

A public company’s board of directors must evaluate the proposed External Director’s expertise in finance and accounting, by considering, 
among other things, such candidate’s education, experience and knowledge in the following: (i) accounting and auditing issues typical to the field in 
which the company operates and to companies of a size and complexity similar to such company; (ii) the company’s independent public accountant’s 
duties and obligations; (iii) preparation of the company’s consolidated financial statements and their approval in accordance with the Companies Law and 
the Israeli Securities Law - 1968.

A director is deemed to have “professional expertise” if he or she meets any of the following criteria: (i) has an academic degree in any of the 

following professions: economics, business administration, accounting, law or public administration; (ii) has a different academic degree or has 
completed higher education in a field that is the company’s main field of operations, or a field relevant to his or her position; or (iii) has at least five 
years’ experience in any of the following, or has at least a cumulative total of at least five years’ experience in any two of the following: (A) a senior 
position in the business management of a corporation with a significant extent of business, (B) a senior public position or a senior position in public 
service, or (C) a senior position in the company’s main field of operations. As with a candidate’s expertise in finance and accounting, the board of 
directors here too must evaluate the proposed External Director’s “professional qualification” in accordance with the criteria set forth above.

The declaration required by law to be signed by a candidate to serve as External Director must include a statement by such candidate concerning 

his or her education and experience, if relevant, in order that the Board may properly evaluate whether such candidate meets the requirements of having 
“financial and accounting expertise” or having “professional expertise” as set forth in the regulations. Additionally, the candidate should submit 
documents and certificates that support the statements set forth in the declaration.

External Directors are to be elected by a majority vote at a shareholders’ meeting, provided that either:

● such majority includes a majority of the shares held by non–controlling shareholders and shareholders who have no personal interest in the 

election of the External Directors (excluding a personal interest that is not related to a relationship with the controlling shareholders) who are 
present and voting at the meeting; or

● the total number of shares held by non–controlling shareholders and disinterested shareholders voting against the election of the director at the 

meeting does not exceed two percent of the aggregate voting rights in the company.

The initial term of an External Director is three years and may be extended for up to two additional periods of three years each. However, under 
regulations promulgated pursuant to the Companies law, companies whose shares are listed for trading on specified exchanges outside of Israel, including 
the Nasdaq Global Select, Global and Capital markets, may propose that an External Director be reelected by the shareholders for such additional periods, 
beyond the initial three terms, of up to three years each only if (1) the audit committee and the Board, in nominating the External Director, confirms that, 
in light of the External Director’s expertise and special contribution to the work of the board of directors and its committees, the reelection for such 
additional period(s) is beneficial to the company, (2) the election was approved by the majority of shareholders required to appoint External Directors for 
their initial term and (3) the term during which the nominee has served as an external director and the reasons given by the audit committee and board of 
directors for extending his or her term of office having been presented to the shareholders prior to their approval.

External Directors may be re-elected for additional terms of three years each as set forth above, provided that with respect to the appointment for 
each such additional three-year term, one of the following has occurred: (i) the reappointment of the External Director has been proposed by one or more 
shareholders holding together 1% or more of the aggregate voting rights in the company and the appointment was approved at the general meeting of the 
shareholders by a simple majority, provided that: (1)(x) in calculating the majority, votes of controlling shareholders or shareholders having a personal 
interest in the appointment as a result of an affiliation with a controlling shareholder and abstentions are disregarded and (y) the total number of shares of 
shareholders who do not have a personal interest in the appointment as a result of an affiliation with a controlling shareholder and/or who are not 
controlling shareholders, present and voting in favor of the appointment exceed 2% of the aggregate voting rights in the company, and (2) the External 
Director who has been nominated in such fashion is not a linked or competing shareholder, and does not have or has not had, on or within the two years 
preceding the date of such person’s appointment to serve as another term as External Director, any affiliation with a linked or competing shareholder. The 
term “linked or competing shareholder” means either the shareholder(s) who nominated the external director for reappointment or a material shareholder 
of the company holding more than 5% of the shares in the company, provided that at the time of the reappointment, such shareholder(s) of the company, 
the controlling shareholder of such shareholder(s) of the company, or a company under such shareholder(s) of the company’s control, has a business 
relationship with the company or are competitors of the company; the Israeli Minister of Justice, in consultation with the Israeli Securities Authority, may 
determine that certain matters will not constitute a business relationship or competition with the company; (ii) the reappointment of the External Director 
has been proposed by the board of directors and the appointment was approved by the majority of shareholders required for the initial appointment of an 
External Director or (iii) the External Director has proposed himself for reappointment and the appointment was approved by the majority of shareholders 
required under Section (i) above.

71

External Directors may be removed only by the same percentage of shareholders as is required for their election, or by a court, and then only if 

the External Director ceases to meet the statutory qualifications for their appointment or if they violate their fiduciary duty to the company. Each 
committee of a company’s board of directors which has been granted any authority normally reserved for the board of directors must include at least one 
External Director provided, however that each of the audit committee and the compensation committee, which are statutorily required under the 
Companies Law, must include all External Directors.

An External Director is entitled to compensation as provided in the regulations adopted under the Companies Law and is otherwise prohibited 

from receiving any other compensation, directly or indirectly, in connection with service provided as an External Director.

ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES 

Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of Ernst & Young Global (“EY Global”), has served as our independent registered public accounting 

firm for each of the fiscal years in the two-year period ended December 31, 2018, for which audited financial statements appear in this Annual Report. 
The following table presents the aggregate fees for audit and other services provided by Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of EY Global, and 
other members of EY Global during the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017:

(in thousands)

Audit Fees (1)
Audit-Related Fees
Tax Fees (2)
All Other Fees
Total

Year ended
December 31,

2018
Fees

2017
Fees

$

$

215
-
8
-
223

$

$

192
-
8
-
200

(1) Audit fees consist of fees billed for the annual audit services engagement and other audit services, which are those services that only the independent 

registered public accounting firm can reasonably provide, and include the group audit including statutory audits; consents; and assistance in 
connection with documents filed with the SEC.

(2) Tax fees are for professional services rendered by our auditors for tax compliance, tax advice on actual or contemplated transactions, tax consulting 

associated with international transfer prices and global mobility of employees.

Audit Committee Pre-approval Policies and Procedures

Below is a summary of our current policies and procedures:

The main role of the Company’s audit committee is to assist the Board in fulfilling its responsibility for oversight of the quality and integrity of 

the accounting, auditing and reporting practices of the Company. The audit committee oversees the appointment, compensation, and oversight of the 
Company’s independent registered public accounting firm engaged to prepare or issue an audit report on the financial statements of the Company. The 
audit committee’s specific responsibilities in carrying out its oversight role include the approval of all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the 
external auditor, the quarterly review of the firm’s non-audit services and related fees and the potential impact of such services on auditor independence. 
These services may include audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services, as described above. It is the policy of the audit 
committee to approve in advance the particular services or categories of services to be provided to the Company periodically. Additional services may be 
pre-approved by the audit committee on an individual basis during the year. The audit committee did not avail itself of section (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of 
Regulation S-X during 2018, which allows for an exemption from the pre-approval process under certain limited circumstances. Consistent with these 
policies and procedures, the audit committee approved all of the services rendered by Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer, a member of EY Global, and other 
members of EY Global during fiscal year 2018, as described above.

72

Incorporated by Reference

Form
F-1
(333–78531)
F-3

6-K
6-K

20-F

6-K

20-F

20-F

6-K

Period Covered or Date 
of Filing
06/03/99

09/21/2018

11/17/2016
11/17/2016

Year ended December 31, 
2012
07/02/2018

Year ended December 31, 
2017
Year ended December 31, 
2017
07/02/2018

PART IV 

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES 

(a) Documents filed as part of this report:

(1) Financial Statements

See Item 8 for Financial Statements included with this Annual Report.

(2) Financial Statement Schedules

None

(3) Exhibits

Exhibit No.
3.1

3.2

10.1
10.2
10.3
10.4
10.5

10.6
10.7
10.8

10.9

10.10
10.11
10.12

10.13
21
23.1

31.1

31.2

32.1

101

Memorandum of Association of the Company.

Exhibit Description

Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company, as amended on August 28, 
2018.
2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan.†
2016 Equity Incentive Plan.†
Form of Notice of Grant under the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan†*
Form of Notice of Grant under the Non-Employee Director 2016 Equity Incentive Plan†*
Summary of Director Compensation.

The Executive Compensation Policy of the Company, as approved in August 2018.
Form of Convertible Note.*
Securities Purchase Agreement dated November 6, 2017 between Cyren Ltd. and WP XII 
Investments BV.
Registration Rights Agreement dated November 6, 2017 between Cyren Ltd. and WP XII 
Investments BV.
Form of Indemnification Agreement†
Offer Letter dated November 19, 2013 between Commtouch Inc. and Lior Samuelson. †*
Translation of Employment Contract dated May 16, 2013 between Commtouch Ltd. and 
Lior Kohavi. †*
Employment Contract dated June 29, 2016 between Cyren GmbH and Atif Ahmed. †*
List of Subsidiaries of the Company.*
Consent of Kost, Forer, Gabbay & Kasierer, independent registered public accounting 
firm.*
Certification of Company’s Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-
14(a) or 15d-14(a).*
Certification of Company’s Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13a-
14(a) or 15d-14(a).*
Certification of Company’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer 
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350. **
The following materials from our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended 
December 31, 2018 formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the 
Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Operations, (iii) the 
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss, (iv) the Statements of Changes in 
Shareholders’ Equity, (v) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (vi) the Notes to 
Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text and in detail.*

† Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
*
Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY

None.

73

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be 

signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

SIGNATURES

Cyren Ltd.

By:

/s/ Lior Samuelson
Lior Samuelson 
Chairman of the Board and 
Chief Executive Officer 

Date: March 28, 2019

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the 

Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Signature

Title

/s/ Lior Samuelson
Lior Samuelson

/s/ J. Michael Myshrall
J. Michael Myshrall

/s/ Hila Karah
Hila Karah

/s/ Todd Thomson
Todd Thomson

/s/ James Hamilton
James Hamilton

/s/ David Earhart
David Earhart

/s/ John Becker
John Becker

/s/ Cary Davis
Cary Davis

/s/ Brian Chang
Brian Chang

/s/ Rajveer Kushwaha
Rajveer Kushwaha

/s/ Lauren Zletz
Lauren Zletz

Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)

Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

Director

74

Date

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

March 28, 2019

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2018

U.S. DOLLARS IN THOUSANDS

INDEX

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Consolidated Balance Sheets

Consolidated Statements of Operations

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss

Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

F-1

Page

F-2

F-3 - F-4

F-5

F-6

F-7

F-8 - F-9

F-10 - F-42

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer
144 Menachem Begin Road, Building A 
Tel-Aviv 6492102, Israel

Tel: +972-3-6232525
Fax: +972-3-5622555
ey.com

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

CYREN LTD.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Cyren Ltd. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2018 

and 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive loss, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the 
period ended December 31, 2018, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “Consolidated Financial Statements”). In our opinion, the 
consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2018 and 2017, and the 
results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted 
accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s 

financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable 
rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain 

reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required 
to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an 
understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal 
control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, 

and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and 
disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, 
as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Kost Forer Gabbay & Kasierer
a Member of Ernst & Young Global
We have served as the Company’s auditor since at least 1997, but we are unable to determine this specific year.

Tel-Aviv, Israel
March 28, 2019

F-2

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

December 31

2018

2017

CURRENT ASSETS:

Cash and cash equivalents
Trade receivables (net of allowances for doubtful accounts of $20 and $445 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, 

$

17,571

$

23,981

ASSETS

respectively)

Deferred commissions
Prepaid expenses and other receivables

Total current assets

LONG-TERM ASSETS:

Long-term deferred commissions
Long-term lease deposits
Severance pay fund
Property and equipment, net
Intangible assets, net
Goodwill

Total long-term assets

Total assets

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

F-3

3,658
887
778

2,890
-
1,339

22,894

28,210

1,880
821
503
4,608
8,802
20,519

37,133

-
379
714
2,787
11,018
21,128

36,026

$

60,027

$

64,236

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Trade payables
Employees and payroll accruals
Accrued expenses and other liabilities
Earn-out consideration and related costs
Deferred revenues

Total current liabilities

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:

Deferred revenues
Convertible notes
Deferred tax liability, net
Accrued severance pay
Other liabilities

Total long-term liabilities

COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

Ordinary shares nominal value ILS 0.15 par value -
Authorized: 75,353,340 shares as of December 31, 2018 and 2017; Issued: 54,405,881 shares as of December 31, 
2018 and 2017; Outstanding: 54,057,208 and 53,375,854 shares as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively

Additional paid-in capital
Treasury shares at cost: 348,673 and 1,030,027 Ordinary shares as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
Accumulated deficit

Total shareholders’ equity

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

F-4

December 31

2018

2017

$

$

1,668
3,959
910
2,926
5,773

1,017
3,239
1,012
3,588
5,032

15,236

13,888

503
10,000
1,130
598
700

12,931

524
-
1,355
930
438

3,247

2,097
245,570
(998)
(1,666)
(213,143)

2,097
244,609
(3,312)
(1,195)
(195,098)

31,860

47,101

$

60,027

$

64,236

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Revenues
Cost of revenues

Gross profit

Operating expenses:

Research and development, net
Sales and marketing
General and administrative

Total operating expenses

Operating loss

Other income (expense), net
Financial expenses, net

Loss before taxes on income
Tax benefit

Loss

Basic and diluted loss per share

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

$

35,900
14,540

$

21,360

16,116
16,202
8,343

40,661

30,799
11,899

18,900

9,825
15,551
7,286

32,662

(19,301)

(13,762)

(11)
(255)

(19,567)
153

452
(2,380)

(15,690)
42

$

$

(19,414) $

(15,648)

(0.36) $

(0.38)

Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic and diluted loss per share

53,634,199

40,922,453

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-5

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Loss

Other comprehensive loss:
Foreign currency translation adjustments

Comprehensive loss

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

F-6

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

(19,414) $

(15,648)

(471)

1,656

(19,885) $

(13,992)

$

$

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share data)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Number of 
outstanding 
ordinary 
shares

Share 
capital

Additional 
paid-in 
capital

Treasury 
shares

Accumulated 
other 
comprehensive 
income (loss) 
(*)

Accumulated
deficit

Total

Balance as of January 1, 2017

39,174,272

$

1,497

$ 216,147

$

(3,867) $

(2,851) $

(179,188) $

31,738

Issuance of shares upon private offering 
($1.85 per share), net of $631 issuance 
expenses
Issuance of shares upon conversion of 
convertible notes and accrued interest on 
account of the convertible notes
Issuance of treasury shares upon exercise of 
options and vesting of restricted share units
Stock-based compensation related to 
employees, directors and consultants
Other comprehensive income
Loss

10,595,521

452

18,519

3,456,407

148

8,083

-

-

149,654

-
-
-

-

-
-
-

(200)

555

2,060
-
-

-
-
-

-

-

-

-
1,656
-

-

-

(262)

-
-
(15,648)

18,971

8,231

93

2,060
1,656
(15,648)

Balance as of December 31, 2017

53,375,854

2,097

244,609

(3,312)

(1,195)

(195,098)

47,101

Issuance of treasury shares upon exercise of 
options and vesting of restricted share units
Stock-based compensation related to 
employees, directors and consultants
Other comprehensive loss
Cumulative effect of adopting ASC 606
Loss

681,354

-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-

(479)

2,314

1,440
-
-
-

-
-
-
-

-

-
(471)
-
-

(442)

1,393

-
-
1,811
(19,414)

1,440
(471)
1,811
(19,414)

Balance as of December 31, 2018

54,057,208

$

2,097

$ 245,570

$

(998) $

(1,666) $

(213,143) $

31,860

(*) Relates to foreign currency translation adjustments.

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

F-7

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Cash flows from operating activities:

Loss

Adjustments to reconcile loss to net cash used in operating activities:

Loss on disposal of property and equipment
Depreciation
Stock-based compensation
Amortization of intangible assets
Amortization of deferred commissions
Interest and accretion of discount on convertible notes
Change in fair value of embedded conversion feature on convertible notes
Other income related to investment in affiliate
Other expenses related to the earn-out consideration
Deferred taxes, net

Changes in assets and liabilities:
Trade receivables, net
Prepaid expenses and other receivables
Deferred commissions
Change in long-term lease deposits
Trade payables
Employees and payroll accruals, accrued expenses and other liabilities
Deferred revenues
Accrued severance pay, net
Other long-term liabilities

Net cash used in operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities:

Capitalization of technology, net of grants received
Proceeds from sale of investment in affiliate
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment
Purchase of property and equipment

Net cash used in investing activities

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

F-8

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

$

(19,414) $

(15,648)

15
1,856
1,440
4,165
1,351
40
-
-
97
(182)

(596)
530
(2,307)
(105)
264
516
720
(121)
274

2
1,303
2,060
3,746
-
480
1,349
(450)
117
(175)

77
(362)
-
28
36
780
(841)
4
302

(11,457)

(7,192)

(1,984)
-
1
(3,320)

(5,303)

(3,567)
450
-
(1,771)

(4,888)

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Proceeds from private offerings, net
Proceeds from convertible notes
Payment of earn-out consideration
Proceeds from options exercised

Net cash provided by financing activities

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the period

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

-
10,000
(604)
1,393

10,789

(101)

(6,072)
24,228

18,971
6,300
-
93

25,364

98

13,382
10,846

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period

$

18,156

$

24,228

Supplemental disclosure of cash flows activities:

Cash paid (received) during the year for:

Taxes, net

Interest

Non-cash transactions:

Unpaid purchases of property and equipment

Net change in accrued payroll expenses related to capitalization of technology

Conversion of convertible notes and accrued interest on account of convertible notes into equity

Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash as shown in the consolidated statements of cash flow:

Cash and cash equivalents
Restricted cash included in long-term restricted lease deposits

Total cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

F-9

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

(161) $

92

$

(383) $

(110) $

(50)

130

(217)

(255)

-

$

(8,231)

17,571
585

$

23,981
247

18,156

$

24,228

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 1: GENERAL

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

a.

b.

Cyren Ltd. (henceforth “Cyren”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Israel on February 10, 1991 and its legal form is a 
company limited by shares. Cyren listed its shares to the public on July 15, 1999 under the name Commtouch Software Ltd. and 
changed its legal name to Cyren Ltd. in January 2014. Cyren and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated will be referred to in these 
consolidated financial statements as the “Company”.

The Company is engaged in developing and marketing information security solutions for protecting web, email and mobile transactions. 
The Company sells its cloud-based solutions worldwide, in both embedded and Security-as-a-Service models, to Original Equipment 
Manufacturers (“OEMs”), service providers and enterprises. The Company operates in one reportable segment, which constitutes its 
reporting unit.

Over the past several years, the Company has devoted substantially most of its effort to research and development, product development 
and increasing revenues through additional investments in sales & marketing. The Company generated a loss of 19,414 and negative 
cash flow of 11,457 from operating activities in the twelve month period ended December 31, 2018, and has an accumulated deficit of 
213,143 as of December 31, 2018. The Company is planning to finance its operations from its existing and future working capital 
resources and to continue to evaluate additional sources of capital and financing. However, there is no assurance that additional capital 
and/or financing will be available to the Company, and even if available, whether it will be on terms acceptable to the Company or in 
amounts required. Accordingly, the Company’s Board approved a contingency plan, to be effected if needed, in whole or in part, at its 
discretion, to allow the Company to continue its operations and meet its cash obligations. The contingency plan consists of cost 
reduction, which include mainly the following steps: reduction in consultants’ expenses, headcount, compensation paid to key 
management personnel and capital expenditures. The Company and the Board believe that its existing capital resources and other future 
measures that may be implemented, if so required, will be adequate to satisfy its expected liquidity requirements for at least twelve 
months from the filing date.

F-10

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States 
(“U.S. GAAP”).

a.

Use of estimates:

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, 
judgments and assumptions. The Company’s management believes that the estimates, judgments and assumptions used are reasonable 
based upon information available at the time they are made. These estimates, judgments and assumptions can affect the reported 
amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements 
and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. On an 
ongoing basis, the Company’s management evaluates estimates, including those related to fair value and useful lives of intangible 
assets, fair value of earn-out liabilities, valuation allowance on deferred tax assets, income tax uncertainties, fair values of stock-based 
awards, other contingent liabilities and estimates used in applying the revenue recognition policy. Such estimates are based on historical 
experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making 
judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities.

b.

Financial statements in U.S. dollars:

Cyren’s revenues, and certain of its subsidiary’s revenues, are generated mainly in U.S. dollars. In addition, most of their costs are 
incurred in U.S. dollars. The Company’s management believes that the U.S. dollar is the primary currency of the economic environment 
in which Cyren and certain of its subsidiaries operate. Thus, the functional and reporting currency of Cyren and certain of its 
subsidiaries is the U.S. dollar.

Cyren and certain subsidiaries’ transactions and balances denominated in U.S. dollars are presented at their original amounts. Non-
dollar transactions and balances have been re-measured to U.S. dollars in accordance with ASC 830, “Foreign Currency Matters”. All 
transaction gains and losses from re-measurement of monetary balance sheet items denominated in non-dollar currencies are reflected in 
the statements of operations as financial income or expenses, as appropriate.

For those subsidiaries whose functional currency has been determined to be their local currency, assets and liabilities are translated at 
year-end exchange rates and statements of operations items are translated at average exchange rates prevailing during the year. Such 
translation adjustments are recorded as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) in shareholders’
equity.

F-11

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

c.

Principles of consolidation:

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Cyren and its subsidiaries. All intercompany balances and transactions 
have been eliminated upon consolidation.

d.

Cash equivalents:

Cash equivalents are short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible to cash with original maturities of three months or 
less at acquisition.

e.

Restricted deposits:

The Company maintains certain deposits amounts restricted as to withdrawal or use. On December 31, 2018, the Company maintained a 
balance of $585 which is restricted and is held as collateral for a bank guarantee and a letter of credit provided to the lessors of two of 
the Company’s offices. The balance is presented on the balance sheets within the long-term restricted lease deposits balance.

f.

Investment in affiliates:

The Company’s investments in affiliated companies comprises of investments in which the Company owns less than 20 % or in which 
the Company cannot exercise significant influence over the affiliates’ operating and financial policies. These investments are stated at 
cost.

As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company does not hold any investments in affiliates.

g.

Property and equipment:

Property and equipment are stated at cost, net of accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method 
over the estimated useful lives of the assets at the following annual rates:

Computers and peripheral equipment
Office furniture and equipment
Leasehold improvements

F-12

%

33
7–20
Over the shorter of the term of the lease or 
the life of the assets

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

h.

Intangible assets:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Intangible assets that are not considered to have an indefinite useful life are amortized over their estimated useful lives, which range 
from 1 to 15 years. Acquired customer contracts and relationships are amortized over their estimated useful lives in proportion to the 
economic benefits realized. This accounting policy results in accelerated amortization of such customer contracts and relationships 
arrangements as compared to the straight-line method. Technology, Intellectual Property and Trademark are amortized over their 
estimated useful lives on a straight-line basis.

i.

Impairment of long-lived assets:

The Company’s long-lived assets and identifiable intangibles are reviewed for impairment in accordance with ASC 360 “Property, Plant 
and Equipment”, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.

Recoverability of these assets is measured by comparison of the carrying amount of each asset group to the future undiscounted cash 
flows the asset group is expected to generate. If the asset is considered to be impaired, the amount of any impairment is measured as the 
difference between the carrying value and the fair value of the impaired asset.

For each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018, no impairment losses have been identified.

j.

Goodwill:

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price in a business combination over the fair value of net tangible and intangible assets 
acquired. Goodwill is not amortized, but rather is subject to an impairment test.

The Company performs an annual impairment test at December 31, of each fiscal year, or more frequently if impairment indicators are 
present. The Company operates in one operating segment, and this segment comprises its only reporting unit.

F-13

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

ASC 350 prescribes a two-phase process for impairment testing of goodwill. The first phase screens for impairment, while the second 
phase (if necessary) measures impairment. Goodwill impairment is deemed to exist if the net book value of a reporting unit exceeds its 
estimated fair value determined using market capitalization. In such case, the second phase is then performed, and the Company 
measures impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the reporting unit’s goodwill to the implied fair value of that goodwill. An 
impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to the excess. ASC 350 allows an entity to first assess qualitative factors to determine 
whether it is necessary to perform the two-step quantitative goodwill impairment test. An entity is not required to calculate the fair 
value of a reporting unit unless the entity determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is more likely than not that its fair value 
is less than its carrying amount. Alternatively, ASC 350 permits an entity to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit and 
proceed directly to performing the first step of the goodwill impairment test. Accordingly, the Company elected to proceed directly to 
the first step of the quantitative goodwill impairment test and compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value.

For each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2018, no impairment losses have been identified.

k.

Fair value measurements:

The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, prepaid expenses, other receivables and trade payables, 
approximate their fair values due to the short-term maturities of such financial instruments.

Fair value is an exit price, representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly 
transaction between market participants. As such, fair value is a market-based measurement that should be determined based on 
assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or a liability. A three-tiered fair value hierarchy is established as a 
basis for considering such assumptions and for inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value:

Level 1 -Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities that the Company can access at the measurement 

date.

Level 2 -Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly.

Level 3 -Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability.

F-14

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The availability of observable inputs can vary from instrument to instrument and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for 
example, the type of instrument, the liquidity of markets and other characteristics particular to the transaction. To the extent that 
valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires 
more judgment and the instruments are categorized as Level 3.

The fair value hierarchy also requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs 
when measuring fair value.

l.

Derivative financial instruments:

The Company accounts for derivatives based on ASC 815 (“Derivatives and Hedging”). ASC 815 requires the Company to recognize 
all derivatives on the balance sheet at fair value.

Under these standards, the Company separately accounts for the liability and derivative component as an implicit or explicit term that 
affects some or all of the cash flows or the value of other exchanges required by a contract in a manner similar to a derivative 
instrument. The derivative component at issuance is recognized at fair value, based on the fair value of a similar instrument that does 
not have a conversion feature. The liability component is presented at its discounted value based on the excess of the principal amount 
of the debentures over the fair value of the derivative component, after adjusting for an allocation of debt issuance costs. The effective 
portion of the gain or loss on the derivative instrument is reported in the consolidated statements of operations under financial expenses, 
net. See Note 2(x), “recently issued and adopted pronouncments”, for further details.

m.

Revenue recognition:

Effective January 1, 2018, the Company adopted the requirements of ASC 606 under the modified retrospective method of transition 
which was applied to all customer contracts that were not completed on the effective date of ASC 606. The Company implemented 
internal controls and key system functionality to enable the preparation of financial information on adoption. The adoption of ASC 606 
resulted in changes to the Company’s accounting policies for revenue recognition previously recognized under ASC 605 as detailed 
below.

Revenue recognition Policy

The Company derives its revenues from the sale of real-time cloud-based services for each of Cyren’s email security, web security, 
antimalware and advanced threat protection offerings.

The Company sells all of its solutions as subscription services, either through OEMs, which are considered end-users, or as complete 
security services directly to enterprises.

F-15

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The Company recognizes revenue under the core principle that transfer of control to the Company’s customers should be depicted in an 
amount reflecting the consideration the Company expects to receive in revenue. In order to achieve that core principle, the Company 
applies the following five-step approach:

1)

2)

Identification of the contract, or contracts, with the customer - The Company considers the terms and conditions of the 
contract and its customary business practice in identifying its contracts under ASC 606. The Company determines it has a 
contract with a customer when the contract is approved, the Company can identify each party’s rights regarding the services 
and products to be transferred, the Company can identify the payment terms for the services and products, the Company has 
determined the customer has the ability and intent to pay and the contract has commercial substance. At contract inception, the 
Company evaluates whether two or more contracts should be combined and accounted for as a single contract and whether the 
combined contract or single contract includes more than one performance obligation. The Company applies judgment in 
determining the customer’s ability and intent to pay, which is based on a variety of factors, including the customer’s historical 
payment experience or, in the case of a new customer, credit and financial information pertaining to the customer.

Identification of the performance obligation in the contract - Performance obligations promised in a contract are identified 
based on the services or products that will be transferred to the customer that are both i) capable of being distinct, whereby the 
customer can benefit from the service or product either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available 
from third parties or from the Company, and ii) distinct in the context of the contract, whereby the transfer of the services or 
products is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. To the extent a contract includes multiple promised 
services or products, the Company applies judgment to determine whether promised services or products are capable of being 
distinct and distinct in the context of the contract. If these criteria are not met the promised services or products are accounted 
for as a combined performance obligation.

3) Determination of the transaction price - The transaction price is determined based on the consideration to which the Company 
expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring services and products to the customer. Variable consideration is included in 
the transaction price if, in the Company’s judgment, it is probable that a significant future reversal of cumulative revenue under
the contract will not occur. Generally, the Company does not provide price protection, stock rotation, rebates, or right of return.
None of the Company’s contracts contain a significant financing component.

F-16

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Variable Consideration - Revenue from sales is recorded at the net sales price, which is the transaction price, and includes 
estimates of variable consideration. The amount of variable consideration that is included in the transaction price is 
constrained, and is included in the net sales price only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount 
of the cumulative revenue will not occur when the uncertainty is resolved. If the Company’s services or products do not meet 
certain service level commitments, the Company’s customers are entitled to receive service credits representing a form of 
variable consideration. The Company has not historically experienced any significant incidents affecting the defined levels of 
reliability and performance as required by the Company’s subscription contracts. Accordingly, there are no estimated refunds 
related to these contracts in the consolidated financial statements during the periods presented.

4) Allocation of the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract - If the contract contains a single 

performance obligation, the entire transaction price is allocated to the single performance obligation. Contracts that contain 
multiple performance obligations require an allocation of the transaction price to each performance obligation based on a 
relative standalone selling price (“SSP”) basis.

5) Recognition of revenue when, or as, the Company satisfies a performance obligation - The Company recognizes revenue when 
control of the services or products are transferred to the customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company 
expects to be entitled to in exchange for those services or products. The Company records its revenue net of any value added or 
sales tax.

Subscription Service Revenue - Subscription service revenue is derived from a subscription-based licensing model with contract terms 
typically ranging from one to three years, and consists of (1) subscription fees from the licensing of the Company’s security-as-a-
service platform or Threat Intelligence Services and (2) subscription fees for software with support and related future updates where the 
software updates are critical to the customers’ ability to derive benefit from the software due to the fast changing nature of the 
technology. These function together as one performance obligation. The hosted on-demand service arrangements do not provide 
customers with the right to take possession of the software supporting the hosted services. Support revenue is derived from ongoing 
security updates, upgrades, bug fixes, and maintenance. A time-elapsed method is used to measure progress because the Company 
transfers control evenly over the contractual period. Accordingly, the fixed consideration related to subscription service revenue is 
generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the contract term beginning on the date access is provided, as long as other revenue 
recognition criteria have been met. Most of the company’s contracts are non-cancelable over the contract term. Customers typically 
have the right to terminate their contract for cause if the Company fails to perform in accordance with the contractual terms. Some of 
the Company’s customers have the option to purchase additional subscription services at a stated price. These options are evaluated on a 
case-by-case basis but generally do not provide a material right as they are priced at or above the Company’s SSP and, as such, would 
not result in a separate performance obligation.

F-17

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Deferred Revenue - The Company records deferred revenue when cash payments are received in advance of the Company’s 
performance, and recognizes revenue over the contractual term.

Deferred commissions

The Company capitalizes sales commissions paid to internal sales personnel that are generally incremental to the acquisition of 
customer contracts. These costs are recorded as deferred commissions on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company 
determines whether costs should be deferred based on its sales compensation plans, if the commissions are incremental and 
would not have occurred absent the customer contract. Sales commissions for renewal of a subscription contract are not 
considered commensurate with the commissions paid for the acquisition of the initial subscription contract given the 
substantive difference in commission rate between new and renewal contracts. Commissions paid upon the initial acquisition 
of a contract are amortized over an estimated period of benefit while commissions paid related to renewal contracts are 
amortized over a contractual renewal period. Amortization is recognized based on the expected future revenue streams under 
the customer contracts. Amortization of deferred sales commissions is included in sales and marketing expense in the 
accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The Company determines the period of benefit for commissions paid for 
the acquisition of the initial subscription contract by taking into consideration factors such as peer estimates of technology 
lives and customer lives as well as the Company’s own historical data. The Company classifies deferred commissions as 
current or long-term based on the timing of when the Company expects to recognize the expense. The Company periodically 
reviews these deferred commission costs to determine whether events or changes in circumstances have occurred that could 
impact the period of benefit of these deferred contract acquisition costs. There were no material impairment losses recorded 
during the periods presented.

Impact of Adoption of ASC 606

The cumulative effect of the changes made to our January 1, 2018 balance sheet for the adoption of ASC 606 were as follows:

Current deferred commissions
Long-term deferred commissions
Accumulated deficit

Balance as of 
December 31, 
2017

$
$
$

-
-

$
$
(195,098) $

Impact of 
Adoption

Balance as of 
January 1, 
2018

682
1,129
1,811

$
$
$

682
1,129
(193,287)

In accordance with the requirements of ASC 606, the disclosure for the quantitative effect and the significant changes between 
the reported results under ASC 606 and those that would have been reported under ASC 605 on our consolidated statements of 
operations and balance sheets was as follows:

F-18

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

Consolidated Balance Sheet
Current deferred commissions
Long-term deferred commissions
Accumulated deficit

Consolidated Statements of Operations
Sales and Marketing

n.

Research and development costs, net:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

As of December 31, 2018

As Reported 
ASC 606

Impact of 
Adoption

Amounts 
under
ASC 605

$
$
$

$
887
$
1,880
(213,143) $

887
1,880
2,767

$
$
$

-
-
(210,376)

Year ended December 31, 2018

As Reported 
ASC 606

Impact of 
Adoption

Amounts 
under
ASC 605

$

16,202

$

(956) $

17,158

Research and development costs are charged to statements of operations as incurred, except for capitalized technology.

o.

Capitalized technology:

The Company capitalizes development costs incurred during the application development stage which are related to internal-use 
technology that supports its security services. Costs related to preliminary project activities and post implementation activities are 
expensed as incurred as research and development costs on the statements of operations. Capitalized internal-use technology is included 
in intangible assets on the balance sheet and is amortized on a straight-line basis over its estimated useful life, which is 
generally one to three years. Amortization expenses are recognized under cost of goods sold. Management evaluates the useful lives of 
these assets on an annual basis and tests for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances occur that could impact the 
recoverability of these assets.

F-19

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

p.

Government grants:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The Company received Israeli government grants for funding certain approved research and development projects. These grants are 
recognized at the time the Company is entitled to such grants, on the basis of the related costs incurred and recorded as a deduction of 
research and development costs. The deduction in research and development costs due to government grants amounted to $69 and $778 
in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

q.

Concentrations of credit risk:

The Company has no significant off-balance-sheet concentration of credit risk.

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash and cash 
equivalents and trade receivables. The majority of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are invested in dollars and are deposited in 
major banks in the United States, Germany, Iceland, UK and Israel. Such investments in the United States may be in excess of insured 
limits and are not insured in other jurisdictions. Management believes that the financial institutions that hold the Company’s 
investments are institutions with high credit standing, and accordingly, minimal credit risk exists with respect to these investments.

The trade receivables of the Company are derived from transactions with companies located primarily in North America, Europe, Israel 
and Asia. An allowance for doubtful accounts is determined with respect to those amounts that the Company has determined to be 
doubtful of collection. The provision for doubtful accounts amounted $20 and $445 at December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Bad 
debt benefit for each of the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $52 and $65, respectively.

r.

Accounting for stock-based compensation:

ASC 718 - “Compensation-stock Compensation”- (“ASC 718”) requires companies to estimate the fair value of equity-based payment 
awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is 
recognized as an expense over the requisite service periods in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.

The Company recognizes compensation expense for the value of its awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period of 
each of the awards, net of estimated forfeitures. Estimated forfeitures are based on actual historical pre-vesting forfeitures. ASC 718 
requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from 
those estimates. Estimated forfeitures are based on actual historical pre-vesting forfeitures (pursuant to the adoption of ASU 2016-09, 
the Company made a policy election to estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest).

F-20

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The Company estimates the fair value of stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The option-pricing model 
requires a number of assumptions, of which the most significant are the expected stock price volatility and the expected option term. 
Expected volatility was calculated based upon actual historical stock price movements over the most recent periods ending on the grant 
date, equal to the expected term of the options. The expected term of options granted represents the period of time that options granted 
are expected to be outstanding, based upon historical experience. The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield from U.S. treasury 
bonds with an equivalent term. The Company has historically not paid dividends and has no foreseeable plans to pay dividends.

The Company applies ASC 718, and ASC 505-50, “Equity Based Payments to Non-Employees” (“ASC 505-50”), with respect to 
options issued to non-employees.

The fair value for options granted in 2018 and 2017 is estimated at the date of grant using a Black-Scholes options pricing model with 
the following assumptions:

Stock options

Volatility
Risk-free interest rate
Dividend yield
Expected term (years)

s.

Basic and diluted loss per share:

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

49%-51%
2.3%-3.1%
0%
3.6-5.0

44%-51%
1.2%-2.1%
0%
3.5-5.1

Basic loss per share has been computed using the weighted-average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the year. Diluted loss 
per share is computed based on the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during each year, plus the weighted 
average number of dilutive potential ordinary shares considered outstanding during the year.

In 2018 and 2017 there is no difference between the denominator of basic and diluted loss per share.

t.

Severance pay:

The Company’s liability for severance pay in Israel is calculated pursuant to Israel’s Severance Pay Law based on the most recent 
salary of the employees multiplied by the number of years of employment as of the balance sheet date. Employees are entitled to one 
month’s salary for each year of employment or a portion thereof. The Company’s obligation for all of its Israeli employees is fully 
provided by monthly deposits with severance pay funds and insurance policies, and by an accrual. The value of those funds and policies 
is recorded as an asset in the Company’s balance sheet.

F-21

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The deposited funds include profits and losses accumulated up to the balance sheet date. The deposited funds may be withdrawn only 
upon the fulfillment of the obligation pursuant to Israel’s Severance Pay Law or labor agreements. The value of the deposited funds is 
based on the cash surrendered value of these policies.

Effective October, 2014, the Company’s agreements with new employees in Israel, are under Section 14 of the Severance Pay Law, 
1963. The Company’s contributions for severance pay have replaced its severance obligation. Upon contribution of the full amount of 
the employee’s monthly salary for each year of service, no additional calculations is conducted between the parties regarding the matter 
of severance pay and no additional payment is made by the Company to the employee. Further, the related obligation and amounts 
deposited on behalf of the employee for such obligation are not stated on the balance sheet, as the Company is legally released from the 
obligation to employees once the deposit amounts have been paid.

Severance benefit for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 was $108 and $20, respectively.

u.

Treasury shares:

The Company repurchases its ordinary shares from time to time on the open market and holds such shares as treasury shares. The 
Company presents the cost to repurchase treasury shares as a reduction in shareholders’ equity.

The Company reissues treasury shares under the stock purchase plan, upon exercise of option and upon issuance of shares upon 
acquisitions. Reissuance of treasury shares is accounted for in accordance with ASC 505-30 whereby gains are credited to additional 
paid-in capital and losses are charged to additional paid-in capital to the extent that previous net gains are included therein; otherwise to 
accumulated deficit.

v.

Income taxes:

The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with ASC 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 prescribes the use of 
the liability method whereby deferred tax asset and liability account balances are determined based on differences between financial 
reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in effect when the 
differences are expected to reverse. The Company provides a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to amounts more likely 
than not to be realized.

F-22

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

ASC 740 contains a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring a liability for uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate 
the tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more 
likely than not that, on an evaluation of the technical merits, the tax position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of any 
related appeals or litigation processes. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is more than 50% 
(cumulative basis) likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement.

w.

Comprehensive loss:

The Company accounts for comprehensive loss in accordance with ASC No. 220, “Comprehensive Income”. Comprehensive loss 
generally represents all changes in shareholders’ equity during the period except those resulting from investments by, or distributions to, 
shareholders. The Company determined that its items of other comprehensive income (loss) relate to gains and losses from functional 
currency translation adjustments on behalf of subsidiaries whose functional currency has been determined to be their local currency.

x.

Recently issued and adopted pronouncements: 

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and 
Cash Payments, which provides guidance with the intent of reducing diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash 
payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-15 during 2018. The adoption 
of this new guidance had no impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, statements of income and cash flows

In November 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-18, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Restricted 
Cash (ASU 2016-18), which requires companies to include amounts generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash 
equivalents in cash and cash equivalents when reconciling beginning-of-period and end-of-period total amounts shown on the statement 
of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-18 during the first quarter of 2018. The adoption of this new guidance had no material 
impact on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, statements of operations and cash flows.

F-23

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers Topic 
606. The standard replaced the revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP under Topic 605, and was required to be applied 
retrospectively to each prior period presented, or applied using a modified retrospective method with the cumulative effect recognized 
in the beginning retained earnings during the period of initial application. Subsequently, the FASB issued several additional ASUs 
related to ASU No. 2014-09, collectively they are referred to as the “new revenue standards”, which became effective for the Company 
beginning January 1, 2018. The Company adopted the standard using the modified retrospective method applied to those contracts 
which were not substantially completed as of the adoption date. See “m. Revenue recognition” above for further details.

In July 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update No. 2017-11, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815); Accounting for 
Certain Financial Instruments with Down Round Features which allows companies to exclude a down round feature when determining 
whether a financial instrument (or embedded conversion feature) is considered indexed to the entity’s own stock. As a result, financial 
instruments (or embedded conversion features) with down round features may no longer be required to be classified as liabilities. The 
Company adopted ASU 2017-11 effective January 1, 2018. The company will recognize the value of a down round feature only when it 
is triggered and the strike price has been adjusted downward. For convertible instruments with embedded conversion features 
containing down round provisions, the Company will recognize the value of the down round as a beneficial conversion discount to be 
amortized to earnings. If applicable, for equity-classified freestanding financial instruments, such as warrants, the Company will treat 
the value of the effect of the down round, when triggered, as a dividend and a reduction of income available to common shareholders in 
computing basic earnings per share.

F-24

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

y.

New accounting pronouncements not yet adopted: 

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, “Leases”, on the recognition, measurement, presentation and disclosure of leases for 
both parties to a contract (i.e., lessees and lessors). The new standard supersedes the lease requirements in Accounting Standards 
Codification (ASC) Topic 840, “Leases” and requires lessees, to classify leases as either finance or operating leases based on the 
principle of whether or not the lease is effectively a financed purchase by the lessee. This classification will determine whether lease 
expense is recognized based on an effective interest method or on a straight line basis over the term of the lease, respectively. A lessee 
is also required to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for all leases with a term greater than 12 months regardless of their 
classification. Leases with a term of 12 months or less will be accounted for in a manner similar to the accounting under existing 
guidance for operating leases today. The new standard requires lessors to account for leases using an approach that is substantially 
equivalent to existing guidance for sales-type leases, direct financing leases and operating leases.. In July 2018, the FASB also issued 
ASU 2018-11, Targeted Improvements to Topic 842, which provides an alternative transition method at the transition date, allowing 
entities to recognize a cumulative effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings upon adoption. The guidance is 
effective for the interim and annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The Company 
will adopt the new standard as of January 1, 2019. The Company will elect the optional transition approach to not apply ASU 2016-02 
in the comparative periods presented and the package of practical expedients. The Company will also elect the practical expedient to not 
account for lease and non-lease components separately for office space, datacenter and equipment operating leases, as applicable. The 
Company expects the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will result in the recognition of approximately $10,200 lease liabilities and right-of use 
assets, with the approximate entire portion being attributed to the Company’s office space. The Company does not expect the adoption 
of ASU 2016-02 to have a material impact on the consolidated statements of operations or to have any impact on its consolidated cash 
flows.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill 
Impairment. ASU 2017-04 eliminates step two of the goodwill impairment test and specifies that goodwill impairment should be 
measured by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount. Additionally, the amount of goodwill allocated to 
each reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount of net assets should be disclosed. ASU 2017-04 is effective for annual or 
interim goodwill impairment tests performed in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2019, and early adoption is permitted. The 
Company is currently assessing the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and footnote 
disclosures.

F-25

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 2: SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, “Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718) - Improvements to Non-employee 
Share-based Payment Accounting.” ASU 2018-07 was issued to simplify several aspects of the accounting for nonemployee share-
based payment transactions resulting from expanding the scope of Topic 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to include share-
based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. The amendments specify that Topic 718 applies to all 
share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations 
by issuing share-based payment awards. The ASU is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and interim periods 
within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact of the adoption of this standard on 
its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing 
Arrangement That Is a Service Contract (“ASU 2018-15”). ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs 
incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to 
develop or obtain internal-use software. The update to the standard is effective for interim an annual periods beginning after December 
15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. Entities can choose to adopt the ASU 2018-15 prospectively or retrospectively. The Company 
is currently assessing the impact of the adoption of this standard on its consolidated financial statements and footnote disclosures.

NOTE 3: PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Cost:
Computers and peripheral equipment
Office furniture and equipment
Leasehold improvements

Less accumulated depreciation

Property and equipment, net

Depreciation expense amounted to $1,856 and $1,303 in 2018 and 2017, respectively.

F-26

December 31

2018

2017

$

$

10,801
978
825

12,604

11,782
1,293
1,896

14,971

(7,996)

(12,184)

$

4,608

$

2,787

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 4: INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET

a.

Definite-lived intangible assets:

Original amounts:

Customer contracts and relationships
Technology
Trademarks

Total original amounts

Accumulated amortization:

Customer contracts and relationships
Technology
Trademarks

Accumulated amortization

Intangible assets, net

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

5,200
(*)18,768
1,586

5,326
(*)16,896
1,614

25,554

23,836

(4,107)
(11,661)
(984)

(3,744)
(8,235)
(839)

(16,752)

(12,818)

$

8,802

$

11,018

(*) Includes $10,971 and $8,877 capitalized technology as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Capitalized technology includes $1,423 and 

$4,081 for which amortization has not yet begun as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

b.

The intangible assets that are subject to amortization are amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method, 
except for customer relations which are amortized on an accelerated basis.

The following table sets forth the weighted average annual rates of amortization for the major classes of intangible assets:

Customer contracts and relationships
Technology
Trademarks

Total intangible assets

c.

Amortization expense amounted to $4,165 and $3,746 for 2018 and 2017, respectively.

F-27

Weighted 
average %

7
34
10

26

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 4: INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET (Cont.)

d.

The estimated aggregate amortization expenses for the succeeding fiscal years are as follows:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Thereafter

Total

NOTE 5: GOODWILL

$

$

3,563
2,957
833
731
151
567

8,802

The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2018 and 2017 are as follows:

Balance at the beginning of the year

Foreign currency translation adjustments

Balance at the year end

NOTE 6: EARN-OUT CONSIDERATION

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

21,128

$

19,441

(609)

1,687

20,519

$

21,128

In conjunction with the 2012 acquisition of eleven, the Company entered into an earn-out agreement with the former shareholders that 
would pay additional consideration based on the revenue performance for the years ending 2012-2015. Subsequently in 2014 the 
Company had a legal dispute regarding the amount and timing of the earn-out payments and had entered into arbitral proceedings with 
the former shareholders of eleven. On March 9, 2017, the Company received the arbitral judgement. Pursuant to the judgement, the 
earn-out consideration balance was increased to reflect additional legal expenses and interest expenses covering the period up to 
December 31, 2016. During 2017 and 2018, the Company continued to accrue interest on the unpaid earn-out consideration balance. 
Such interest is reflected in the consolidated statements of operations under financial expenses, net. For the years ended December 31, 
2018 and 2017, the interest accrued amounted to $97 and $117, respectively. In May 2018, the Company made a partial payment of the 
earn-out consideration to five of the six former shareholders, in an amount of $604. The earn-out consideration balance presented on the 
Company’s balance sheet as of December 31, 2018 reflects the complete remaining liability relating to the earn-out, including accrued 
interest. For additional information, please refer to Note 7c(i).

F-28

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 7: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

a.

Cyren Ltd., which was incorporated in Israel, partially financed its research and development expenditures under programs sponsored 
by the Israel Innovation Authority (“IIA”) for the support of certain research and development activities conducted in Israel.

In connection with specific research and development, the Company received $3,699 of participation payments from the IIA through 
December 31, 2018. During 2018 and 2017, the Company received $228 and $718 grants from the IIA, respectively. In return for the 
IIA’s participation in this program, the Company is committed to pay royalties at a rate of 3% - 3.5% of the program’s developed 
product sales, up to 100% of the amount of grants received plus interest at annual LIBOR rate. The Company’s total commitment for 
royalties payable with respect to future sales, based on IIA participations received, net of royalties paid or accrued, totaled $2,921 and 
$2,734 as of December 31, 2018 and 2017, respectively. For the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, $156 and $144, 
respectively, were recorded as cost of revenues with respect to royalties due to the IIA.

b.

Operating leases:

Certain facilities of the Company are rented under non-cancellable operating lease agreements, which expire on various dates, the latest 
of which is in 2026.

Facilities rent expenses for 2018 and 2017 were $1,749 and $2,004, respectively.

Annual minimum future lease payments due under the above agreements (and motor vehicle leases, which expire in 2021), at the 
exchange rate in effect on December 31, 2018, are as follows:

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024 and thereafter

$

2,224
2,375
2,263
1,777
903
1,164

$

10,706

F-29

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 7: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Cont.)

c.

Litigations:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

i. Between 2014 and 2015 the Company entered into arbitral proceedings with the former shareholders of eleven regarding an escrow 
account and the earn-out consideration related to the purchase agreement of former eleven. With respect to these claims, on March 
9, 2017, the arbitrational panel provided their ruling in which it accepted the claims submitted by the former eleven shareholders 
with respect to the escrow amount and the 2013 earn-out liability. The arbitrational panel also ruled that Cyren pay legal expenses 
and interest on the claimed amounts, which were reflected in the year ending December 31, 2016 on the Company’s balance sheet 
and in the consolidated statements of operations under adjustment to earn-out consideration.

The escrow account has been released to the former shareholders. The arbitrational award related to the 2013 earn-out 
consideration was declared enforceable by the applicable courts in Germany. Accordingly, on May 30, 2018, the Company paid the 
portion of the earn-out consideration in the amount of $604 that was declared enforceable by the German district court. The 
Company did not pay the remainder of the earn-out consideration, including accrued legal and interest, which appear on the 
Company’s consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2018, and has filed an appeal to the German Federal Supreme Court 
challenging the enforceability of the remaining amounts.

In February 2019, the parties have signed a settlement agreement to resolve all pending claims, and on February 28, 2019 the 
Company paid $2,683 to settle the earn-out consideration in full.

ii. On June 28, 2017 a vendor filed a Statement of Claim in the Tel Aviv District Court (the “SOC”). According to the vendor’s SOC, 
the Company entered into an agreement with the vendor for receipt of services, based on a database developed by the vendor. In 
September 2015, the Company terminated the agreement with the vendor, effective as of December 31, 2015. The vendor claims 
that the Company continues to make use of the vendor’s database post termination thus breaching the agreement, infringing on the 
vendor’s rights and commercial secrets, and being unjustly enriched.

The vendor is claiming license fees of approximately $3,150 and an injunction relief ordering the Company and/or its customers to 
delete any remaining data and to cease from utilizing such data.

F-30

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 7: COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

The Company denies all claims and has filed a Statement of Defense on November 15, 2017. Pretrial was scheduled for May 15, 
2018. In accordance with the court’s recommendation from November 28, 2017, the parties agreed to examine a non-binding 
mediation process and have appointed a mediator. The parties agreed to conduct a third party audit of the Company’s databases in 
the scope of the mediation and the audit is currently being conducted. At this early stage, the Company is unable to make any 
estimations as to the outcome of this litigation.

In September 2018 and January 2019, the same vendor filed a lawsuit against two of the Company’s customers in the United States. 
The vendor alleges that the clients misappropriated the vendor’s trade secrets and is seeking injunctive relief and monetary 
damages in an amount to be determined. Both customers have contended that the allegations relate to the services they receive from 
the Company, and the Company has agreed to indemnify both clients against these claims. As such, the Company has taken over 
the representation in these lawsuits. At this early stage, the Company is unable to make any estimations as to the outcome of these 
litigations.

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

a.

General:

Ordinary shares confer upon their holders the right to receive notice to participate and vote in general shareholder meetings of the 
Company and to receive dividends, if declared.

b.

Public and Private Offerings:

On November 6, 2017, the Company completed a private offering to Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm (“WP”), of 
10,595,521 ordinary shares, nominal value ILS 0.15 per share at an offering price of $1.85 per share. The Company received total 
proceeds of $18,971, which is net of $631 issuance expenses. Subsequent to private offering, WP executed a share tender offer to the 
Company’s shareholders which was finalized on December 24, 2017, after which WP held approximately 52% of the Company’s 
shares.

c.

Conversion of convertible notes issued in 2017:

On March 27, 2017 the Company issued $6,300 aggregate principal amount of convertible notes in a private offering. The notes were 
unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Cyren and carried a 5.0% interest rate, payable semi-annually in (i) 50% cash and (ii) 50% 
cash or ordinary shares at Cyren’s election. The notes had a 2.5-year term and were expected to mature in September 2019, unless 
converted in accordance with their terms prior to maturity. The notes had a conversion price of $2.50 per share. The conversion price 
was subject to adjustment should future equity issuances be priced at less than $2.10 per share. In addition, the notes would be subject 
to immediate conversion upon any change in control in the Company.

On September 27, 2017, the Company issued 11,594 shares on account of accrued interest based on a conversion price of $2.50 per 
share.

On November 6, 2017, the Company completed a private offering to WP at a price per share of $1.85 as described in note 8b. above. 
According to the terms of the convertible notes, the conversion price was adjusted to $1.85.

F-31

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Cont.)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

On November 30, 2017, $925 of the convertible notes balance was converted into 500,000 shares at a price per share of $1.85.

On December 24, 2017, WP completed a share tender offer after which WP held approximately 52% of the Company’s shares. In 
accordance with the terms of the convertible notes, this constituted a change of control event, and the convertible notes including all 
accrued interest as of December 24, 2017 were converted into 2,944,813 shares at a price per share of $1.85.

d.

Issuance of new convertible notes:

On December 5, 2018 the Company issued $10,000 aggregate principal amount of convertible notes in a private offering. The notes are 
unsecured, unsubordinated obligations of Cyren and carry a 5.75% interest rate, payable semi-annually in (i) 50% cash and (ii) 50% 
cash or ordinary shares at Cyren’s election. The notes have a 3-year term and are expected to mature in December 2021, unless 
converted in accordance with their terms prior to maturity. The notes have a conversion price of $3.90 per share. The conversion price 
may be subject to adjustment using a weighted average ratchet mechanism based on the size and price of future equity offerings and the 
total shares outstanding. In addition, the notes would be subject to immediate conversion upon any change in control in the Company.

e.

Equity Incentive Plan:

In 1996, the Company adopted the 1996 CSI Stock Option Plan for granting options to its U.S. employees and consultants to purchase 
ordinary shares of the Company, which was replaced in 2006 by the 2006 U.S. Stock Option Plan. Until 1999, the Company issued 
options to purchase ordinary shares to its Israeli employees pursuant to individual agreements. In 1999, the Company approved the 
1999 Section 3(i) share option plan for its Israeli employees and consultants, (which was amended in 2003 and renamed the “Amended 
and Restated Israeli Share Option Plan”). On December 22, 2016, the Company’s shareholders approved a new stock option plan - the 
2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Equity Incentive Plan”). This plan, along with its respective Israeli appendix, has replaced all existing 
employee and consultants stock option plans which have terminated.

The Equity Incentive Plan allows for the issuance of Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”), as well as options. The options and RSUs 
generally vest over a period of four years. Options granted under the Equity Incentive Plan generally expire after six years from the date 
of grant. Options and RSUs cease vesting upon termination of the optionee’s employment or other relationship with the Company. The 
per share exercise price for options shall be no less than 100% of the fair market value per ordinary share on the date of grant. Any 
options and RSUs that are canceled or not exercised within the option term become available for future grant.

As of December 31, 2018, an aggregate of 1,755,919 ordinary shares of the Company are still available for future grant under the 
Equity Incentive Plan.

F-32

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Cont.)

f.

Non-Employee Directors stock option plan:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

In 1999, the Company adopted the 1999 Directors Stock Option Plan, and in 2008 shareholders approved an extension of the term of 
this plan through July 13, 2019. On December 15, 2006, the plan was extended through 2016. On December 22, 2016, the Company’s 
shareholders approved a new stock option plan - the 2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan (the “Non-Employee Director 
Plan”). This plan, along with its respective Israeli appendix, has replaced all existing Directors stock option plans which have 
terminated.

The Non-Employee Director Plan allows for the issuance of Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”), as well as options. Each option and RSU 
granted under the Non-Employee Plan generally vests over a period of four years. Each option has an exercise price equal to the fair 
market value of the ordinary shares on the grant date of such option. Options granted under the Non-Employee Director Plan generally 
expire after six years from the date of grant. Options and RSUs cease vesting upon termination of the relationship with the Company.

As of December 31, 2018, an aggregate of 270,214 ordinary shares of the Company are still available for future grant to non-employee 
directors.

g.

The finalization of the tender offer executed by WP, as described in note 8b., resulted in a Change of Control event (“COC”) in 
accordance with the Company’s equity incentive plans. As a result, as of December 24, 2017, fifty percent of all outstanding options 
became fully vested, and the remainder vested over a period of one year, or upon termination of the relationship with the optionee. In 
addition, as of December 24, 2017, all outstanding RSUs became fully vested in accordance with the Non-Employee Director Plan.

F-33

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Cont.)

h.

A summary of the Company’s employees and directors’ stock option activity under the plans is as follows:

Number of 
options

Weighted 
average 
exercise price

Outstanding at January 1, 2018

6,050,820

$

Granted
Exercised
Expired and forfeited

Outstanding at December 31, 2018

Options vested and expected to vest at December 31, 2018

Exercisable options at December 31, 2018

Weighted average fair value of options granted during the year

1,642,000
(671,354)
(546,484)

6,474,982

6,320,402

4,944,982

$

$

$

$

2.27

2.34
2.04
2.63

2.28

2.33

2.26

0.83

Weighted 
average 
remaining 
contractual 
term (years)

Aggregate 
intrinsic value

3.56

$

2,498

3.39

3.44

2.80

$

$

$

4,475

4,401

3,775

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had $1,757 of unrecognized compensation expense related to non-vested stock options, 
expected to be recognized over a remaining weighted average period of 3.27 years.

i.

The employee and directors options outstanding as of December 31, 2018, have been separated into ranges of exercise prices, as 
follows:

Exercise
price per
share

$1.44 - $1.93
$2.00 - $2.13
$2.29 - $2.79
$2.90 - $3.14
$3.20 - $3.32

Outstanding

Exercisable

Options
outstanding

Weighted average 
remaining
contractual
life in years

Weighted average 
exercise
price per
share

Options
exercisable

Weighted average 
exercise
price per
share

1,464,937
1,554,377
1,530,668
1,599,000
326,000

6,474,982

3.32
4.01
3.74
2.87
1.58

3.39

$
$
$
$
$

$

F-34

1.56
2.03
2.46
3.00
3.31

2.33

1,464,937
1,554,377
523,918
1,090,750
311,000

4,944,982

$
$
$
$
$

$

1.56
2.03
2.70
3.03
3.32

2.26

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Cont.)

j.

Options to non-employees and non-directors:

Issuance date

Options 
outstanding

Exercise price 
per share

Options 
exercisable

Exercisable 
through

February 13, 2013
August 1, 2013
May 14, 2014
February 18, 2015
February 10, 2016
January 24, 2017

$
$
$
$
$
$

5,000
150,000
3,000
3,000
40,000
25,000

226,000

3.14
3.08
3.32
3.00
1.44
2.00

Feb-19
Aug-19
May-20
Feb-21
Feb-22
Jan-23

5,000
150,000
3,000
3,000
40,000
25,000

226,000

The options vest and become exercisable at a rate of 1/16 of the options every three months.

As of December 31, 2018, the Company did not have any unrecognized compensation expense related to non-employee non-vested 
stock options.

k.

A summary of the Company’s RSUs activity for employees, directors and non-employees under the plans is as follows:

Outstanding at January 1, 2018

Granted
Vested
Forfeited

Outstanding at December 31, 2018

Number of 
RSUs

-

499,000
(10,000)
(10,000)

479,000

As of December 31, 2018, the Company had approximately $2,024 of unrecognized compensation expense related to RSUs, expected to 
be recognized over a weighted average period of 3.15 years.

F-35

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 8: SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (Cont.)

l.

The total stock-based compensation expense related to all of the Company’s equity-based awards, recognized for the years ended 
December 31, 2018 and 2017, was as follows:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Cost of revenues
Research and development
Sales and marketing
General and administrative

NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES

a.

Corporate tax structure:

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

$

174
407
387
472

207
505
553
795

1,440

$

2,060

i. Corporate tax rates and real capital gains tax in Israel were 23% in 2018 and 24% in 2017.

ii. The Company’s German subsidiary is subject to German tax at a consolidated rate of approximately 30%.

iii. Other Non-Israeli subsidiaries are taxed according to the tax laws in their respective countries of residence.

The Company does not provide deferred tax liabilities when it intends to reinvest earnings of foreign subsidiaries indefinitely. As 
of December 31, 2018 there are no undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries.

b.

Tax benefits under Israel’s Law for the Encouragement of Industry (Taxation), 1969:

The Company may currently qualify as an “industrial company” within the definition of the Law for the Encouragement of Industry 
(Taxation), as such, it may be eligible for certain tax benefits, including, inter alia, special depreciation rates for machinery, equipment 
and buildings, amortization of patents, certain other intangible property rights and deduction of share issuance expenses.

F-36

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES (Cont.)

c.

U.S. Tax Reform:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

On December 22, 2017, the United States enacted the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “U.S. Tax Reform”); a comprehensive tax legislation 
that includes significant changes to the taxation of business entities. These changes include several key tax provisions that might impact 
the Company, among others: (i) a permanent reduction to the statutory federal corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21% effective for 
tax years beginning after December 31, 2017; (ii) a partial limitation on the tax deductibility of business interest expense; (iii) a shift of 
the U.S. taxation of multinational corporations from a tax on worldwide income to a territorial system (along with certain rules designed 
to prevent erosion of the U.S. income tax base) and (iv) a one-time deemed repatriation tax on accumulated offshore earnings held in 
cash and illiquid assets, with the latter taxed at a lower rate.

d.

Net operating loss carry-forwards:

As of December 31, 2018, Cyren’s net operating loss carryforwards for tax purposes amounted to $80,126 and capital loss 
carryforwards of $17,824 which may be carried forward and offset against taxable income in the future, for an indefinite period.

As of December 31, 2018 the U.S. subsidiary had net operating loss carryforwards of $40,348 for federal tax purposes and $8,785 for 
state tax purposes. These losses may offset any future U.S. taxable income of the U.S. subsidiary and will expire in the years 2019 
through 2038.

On December 24, 2017, a “change in the respective ownership” event occurred upon the completion of the WP tender offer as described 
in note 8b, and in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Internal Revenue Code 382 of 1986 and similar state provisions. 
Therefore, utilization of U.S. net operating losses are subject to substantial annual limitation. Management believes that the annual 
limitations will result in the partial expiration of net operating losses before utilization.

Management currently believes that based upon its estimations for future taxable income, it is more likely than not that the deferred tax 
assets regarding the loss carryforwards will not be utilized in the foreseeable future. Thus, a valuation allowance was provided to reduce 
deferred tax assets to their realizable value.

F-37

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES (Cont.)

e.

Deferred income taxes:

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for 
financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. As of December 31, 2018 and 2017, the Company’s 
deferred taxes were in respect of the following:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Deferred tax assets:

Net operating loss carryforwards
Capital loss carryforwards
Other

Deferred tax assets before valuation allowance
Valuation allowance

Deferred tax asset, net of valuation allowance

Deferred tax liabilities:

Intangibles
Deferred revenue

Deferred tax liability

Deferred tax liability, net (*)

(*) The entire amount is due to foreign deferred taxes

f.

Reconciliation of the theoretical tax benefit (expense):

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

27,325
4,099
3,290

34,714
(33,634)

25,645
3,500
2,295

31,440
(30,177)

1,080

1,263

(1,973)
(237)

(2,210)

(2,432)
(186)

(2,618)

$

(1,130) $

(1,355)

For the year ended December 31, 2018, the main reconciling item between the Company’s statutory tax rate and the effective tax rate 
relates to the increase in the valuation allowance in the amount of $3,457 due to the increase in carryforward losses.

For the year ended December 31, 2017, the main reconciling item between the Company’s statutory tax rate and the effective tax rate 
relates to the increase in the valuation allowance in the amount of $3,494 due to the increase in carryforward losses (prior to the effect 
of the “change in the respective ownership” which resulted in a parallel decrease in the deferred tax asset and the valuation allowance).

The statutory tax rate used in the reconciliation is the Israeli corporate tax rate.

F-38

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES (Cont.)

g.

Loss before tax benefit (expense) consists of the following:

Domestic
Foreign

Loss before tax benefit (expense)

h.

Tax benefit (expense) is comprised of the following:

Current taxes:
Foreign
Domestic

Deferred taxes:

Foreign
Domestic

Tax benefit (expense), net

$

$

$

$

$

$

$

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

(13,570) $
(5,997)

(10,452)
(5,238)

(19,567) $

(15,690)

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

(28) $
-

(28) $

181
-

181

153

$

$

$

(133)
-

(133)

175
-

175

42

119
137
16

272

i.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of unrecognized tax benefits related to uncertain tax positions is as follows:

Beginning balance
Increases (decrease) related to tax positions taken during prior years
Effect of exchange rate

Ending balance

F-39

December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

$

272
94
(12)

354

$

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 9: INCOME TAXES (Cont.)

The entire amount of unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would reduce the Company’s annual effective tax rate. Unrecognized tax 
benefits are presented on the consolidated balance sheets under other long term liabilities.

j.

Tax assessments:

As of December 31, 2018, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries filed Israeli and foreign income tax returns. The statute of 
limitations relating to the consolidated Israeli income tax return is closed for all tax years up to and including 2014.

The statute of limitations related to tax returns of the Company’s U.S subsidiary is closed for all tax years up to and including 2014.

The statute of limitations related to tax returns of the Company’s German subsidiary is closed for all tax years up to and including 2013.

The Company believes that it has adequately provided for reasonably foreseeable outcomes related to tax audits and settlements. The 
final tax outcome of any Company tax audits could be different from that which is reflected in the Company’s income tax provisions 
and accruals. Such differences could have a material effect on the Company’s income tax provision and net income (loss) in the period 
in which such determination is made.

NOTE 10: SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting supported and defined by the components of an 
enterprise about which separate financial information is available, provided and is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision 
maker in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s chief operating decision maker is its Chief 
Executive Officer. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis. The 
company has one business activity, and there are no segment managers who are held accountable for operations, operating results and 
plans for levels or components below the consolidated unit level. Accordingly, the Company determined that it has one operating and 
reportable segment.

F-40

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 10: SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION (Cont.)

The following sets forth total revenue by solutions offered by geographic area based on billing address of the customer:

a.

The following sets forth total revenue by solutions offered by geographic area based on billing address of the customer:

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

United States
Europe
Asia Pacific
Israel
Other

Year ended 
December 31,

2018

2017

$

$

16,391
14,318
2,625
2,261
305

12,407
12,992
2,724
2,397
279

$

35,900

$

30,799

b. Major customers:

During the year ended December 31, 2018, 17% of the Company’s revenues were derived from customer A. During the year 
ended December 31, 2017, no customer accounted for more than 10% of total revenue.

c.

The following sets forth the Company’s property and equipment by geographic area:

Israel
United States
Germany
Other

NOTE 11: FINANCIAL EXPENSE, NET

Income:

Interest on cash and cash equivalents
Foreign currency exchange differences, net

Expenses:

Change in fair value of embedded conversion feature on convertible notes
Interest and accretion of discount
Foreign currency exchange differences, net
Other

F-41

$

$

$

December 31

2018

2017

$

1,217
1,623
1,453
315

4,608

$

685
1,490
287
325

2,787

Year ended December 31,

2018

2017

$

58
-

58

-
(135)
(131)
(47)

(313)

2
-

2

(1,349)
(735)
(248)
(50)

(2,382)

$

(255) $

(2,380)

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except share and per share data)

NOTE 12: RELATED PARTIES

a.

Balances with related parties:

Prepaid expenses (*)

(*) Related to a software license agreement with a related party. See note 12b. for further details.

b.

Transactions with related parties:

Bad debt collected (*)

Gain from sale of investment in affiliate (*)

Software licensing expenses (**)

CYREN LTD. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES

December 31

2018

2017

6

$

31

Year ended December 31,

2018

2017

-

-

25

$

$

$

226

450

21

$

$

$

$

(*) Transactions with imatrix. The effects arising from imatrix’s bad debt were recorded under general and administrative expenses on the consolidated 

statements of operations. The gain from the sale of the investment in imatrix was recorded as other income on the consolidated statements of 
operations.

(**) Expenses arising from a software licensing agreement which was executed in March 2017. At the time of execution, the vendor was not a related 
party. On December 24, 2017, upon completion of the tender offer by WP, the vendor became a related party. The expenses were recorded under 
research and development expenses net, on the consolidated statements of operations.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

F-42

CYREN LTD.
NOTICE OF GRANT 

Exhibit 10.3

Cyren Ltd. (the “Company”) has granted to the Participant an award (the “Award”) of certain units pursuant to the Cyren Ltd. 2016 Equity Incentive 
Plan (the “Plan”), each of which represents the right to receive on the applicable Settlement Date one (1) share of Stock, as follows:

Participant:

_______________

Employee ID:

_______________

Date of Grant:

_______________

Total Number of Units:

___________, subject to adjustment as provided by the Restricted Stock Units Agreement.

Settlement Date:

Except as provided by the Restricted Stock Units Agreement, the date on which a Unit becomes a Vested Unit.

Vesting Start Date:

_______________

Vested Units:

Except as provided in the Restricted Stock Units Agreement and provided that the Participant’s Service has not 
terminated prior to the applicable date, the number of Vested Units (disregarding any resulting fractional Unit) as of 
any date is as follows:

Special Terms:

Effect of Change in Control.

[     ] 

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in the Plan, in the event of a Change in Control (as defined in the 
Plan) transaction and the Participant’s employment with the Surviving Company is Involuntarily Terminated (as 
defined below) as a result of the Change in Control transaction and not otherwise for Cause, 100% of the 
Participant’s Award shall fully vest automatically, effective immediately prior and subject to the closing of the 
Change in Control transaction (or, if such Involuntary Termination occurs within 12 months after the effective date 
of a Change in Control transaction, the Award shall fully vest upon such termination date).

In addition, to the extent that the Acquiror shall assume or substitute the Award in the context of the Change in 
Control transaction, and the Participant remains employed by the Surviving Company, 50% of the unvested Award 
shall vest automatically, effective immediately prior and subject to the closing of the Change in Control transaction 
and the remaining 50% of the unvested Award shall vest upon the earlier of the (i) one year anniversary of the 
closing of the Change in Control transaction, provided that the Participant remains employed by the Surviving 
Company as of such date, (ii) the original vesting date for such Award or (iii) an Involuntary Termination of the 
Participant’s employment not for Cause prior to such one year anniversary.

In the event that the Awards under the Plan are not assumed, substituted or cashed-out by the Acquiror upon the 
closing of a Change in Control transaction, and the Acquiror terminates the Plan upon the closing of the Change in 
Control transaction, the Participant’s Award shall fully vest automatically, effective immediately prior and subject to 
the closing of the Change of Control transaction.

“Involuntary Termination” shall mean the termination of Participant’s service by reason of:

(a) Participant’s involuntary dismissal or discharge by the Company other than for Cause, or

(b) Participant’s voluntary resignation following (A) a change in Participant’s position with the Company (or the 

applicable parent or subsidiary employing Participant) which materially reduces Participant’s duties and 
responsibilities, (B) a reduction in Participant’s level of compensation (including base salary, fringe benefits and 
target bonus under any corporate performance based bonus or incentive programs) by more than ten percent 
(10%) or (C) a relocation of Participant’s place of employment by more than fifty (50) kilometers, provided and only 
if such change, reduction or relocation is effected without Participant’s consent.

“Surviving Company” shall mean the Company or any other entity controlled or under common control of the 

Acquiror that will employ the Participant following a Change in Control transaction.

Superseding Agreement:

None

By their signatures below or by electronic acceptance or authentication in a form authorized by the Company, the Company and the Participant agree that 
the Award is governed by this Grant Notice and by the provisions of the Restricted Stock Units Agreement, annexed hereto, and the Plan, both of which 
are made a part of this document, and by the Superseding Agreement, if any. The Participant acknowledges that copies of the Plan, the Restricted Stock 
Units Agreement and the prospectus for the Plan are available on the Company’s internal website and may be viewed and printed by the Participant for 
attachment to the Participant’s copy of this Grant Notice. The Participant represents that the Participant has read and is familiar with the provisions of the 
Restricted Stock Units Agreement and the Plan, and hereby accepts the Award subject to all of their terms and conditions.

CYREN LTD.

By:  

[officer name]
[officer title]

PARTICIPANT

Signature

Date

Address

ATTACHMENTS:

2016 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended to the Date of Grant; and Plan Prospectus

2

CYREN LTD.
RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS AGREEMENT
(For Employees)

Cyren Ltd. has granted to the Participant named in the Notice of Grant of Restricted Stock Units (the “Grant Notice”) to which this Restricted 

Stock Units Agreement (the “Agreement”) is attached an Award consisting of Restricted Stock Units (each a “Unit”) subject to the terms and conditions 
set forth in the Grant Notice and this Agreement. The Award has been granted pursuant to and shall in all respects be subject to the terms conditions of 
the Cyren Ltd. 2016 Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as amended to the Date of Grant, the provisions of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
By signing the Grant Notice, the Participant: (a) acknowledges receipt of and represents that the Participant has read and is familiar with the Grant Notice, 
this Agreement, the Plan and a prospectus for the Plan prepared in connection with the registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission of the 
shares issuable pursuant to the Award (the “Plan Prospectus”), (b) accepts the Award subject to all of the terms and conditions of the Grant Notice, this 
Agreement and the Plan and (c) agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the Committee upon any questions 
arising under the Grant Notice, this Agreement or the Plan.

1. DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION.

or the Plan.

1.1 Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Grant Notice 

1.2 Construction. Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of 
any provision of this Agreement. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the 
singular. Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

2. ADMINISTRATION.

All questions of interpretation concerning the Grant Notice, this Agreement, the Plan or any other form of agreement or other document 

employed by the Company in the administration of the Plan or the Award shall be determined by the Committee. All such determinations by the 
Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest in the Award, unless fraudulent or made in bad faith. Any and all 
actions, decisions and determinations taken or made by the Committee in the exercise of its discretion pursuant to the Plan or the Award or other 
agreement thereunder (other than determining questions of interpretation pursuant to the preceding sentence) shall be final, binding and conclusive upon 
all persons having an interest in the Award. Any Officer shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company with respect to any matter, right, 
obligation, or election which is the responsibility of or which is allocated to the Company herein, provided the Officer has apparent authority with respect 
to such matter, right, obligation, or election.

3

3. THE AWARD.

3.1 Grant of Units. On the Date of Grant, the Participant shall acquire, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Total Number 

of Units set forth in the Grant Notice, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 8. Each Unit represents a right to receive on a date determined in 
accordance with the Grant Notice and this Agreement one (1) share of Stock.

3.2 No Monetary Payment Required. The Participant is not required to make any monetary payment (other than applicable tax 

withholding, if any) as a condition to receiving the Units or shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Units, the consideration for which shall be past 
services actually rendered or future services to be rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by 
applicable law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit 
having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Units.

4. VESTING OF UNITS.

Units acquired pursuant to this Agreement shall become Vested Units as provided in the Grant Notice. For purposes of determining the 

number of Vested Units following an Ownership Change Event, credited Service shall include all Service with any corporation which is a Participating 
Company at the time the Service is rendered, whether or not such corporation is a Participating Company both before and after the Ownership Change 
Event.

5. COMPANY REACQUISITION RIGHT.

5.1 Grant of Company Reacquisition Right. Except to the extent otherwise provided by the Superseding Agreement, if any, in the 

event that the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason or no reason, with or without cause, the Participant shall forfeit and the Company shall 
automatically reacquire all Units which are not, as of the time of such termination, Vested Units (“Unvested Units”), and the Participant shall not be 
entitled to any payment therefor (the “Company Reacquisition Right”).

5.2 Ownership Change Event, Non-Cash Dividends, Distributions and Adjustments. Upon the occurrence of an Ownership Change 

Event, a dividend or distribution to the stockholders of the Company paid in shares of Stock or other property, or any other adjustment upon a change in 
the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 8, any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, 
periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend policy) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of the Participant’s 
ownership of Unvested Units shall be immediately subject to the Company Reacquisition Right and included in the terms “Units” and “Unvested Units”
for all purposes of the Company Reacquisition Right with the same force and effect as the Unvested Units immediately prior to the Ownership Change 
Event, dividend, distribution or adjustment, as the case may be. For purposes of determining the number of Vested Units following an Ownership Change 
Event, dividend, distribution or adjustment, credited Service shall include all Service with any corporation which is a Participating Company at the time 
the Service is rendered, whether or not such corporation is a Participating Company both before and after any such event.

4

6. SETTLEMENT OF THE AWARD.

6.1 Issuance of Shares of Stock. Subject to the provisions of Section 6.3, the Company shall issue to the Participant on the Settlement 

Date with respect to each Vested Unit to be settled on such date one (1) share of Stock. The Settlement Date with respect to a Unit shall be the date on 
which such Unit becomes a Vested Unit as provided by the Grant Notice (an “Original Settlement Date”); provided, however, that if the Original 
Settlement Date would occur on a date on which a sale by the Participant of the shares to be issued in settlement of the Vested Units would violate the 
Trading Compliance Policy of the Company and if the Company has allowed the Participant to satisfy its tax obligations pursuant to Section 7.2 of this 
Agreement, the Settlement Date for such Vested Units shall be deferred until the next day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading 
Compliance Policy, but in any event on or before the 15th day of the third calendar month following calendar year of the Original Settlement Date. Shares 
of Stock issued in settlement of Units shall not be subject to any restriction on transfer other than any such restriction as may be required pursuant to 
Section 6.3, Section 7 or the Company’s Trading Compliance Policy.

6.2 Beneficial Ownership of Shares; Certificate Registration. The Participant hereby authorizes the Company, in its sole discretion, 

to deposit any or all shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the settlement of the Award with the Company’s transfer agent, including any 
successor transfer agent, to be held in book entry form, or to deposit such shares for the benefit of the Participant with any broker with which the 
Participant has an account relationship of which the Company has notice. Except as provided by the foregoing, a certificate for the shares acquired by the 
Participant shall be registered in the name of the Participant, or, if applicable, in the names of the heirs of the Participant.

6.3 Restrictions on Grant of the Award and Issuance of Shares. The grant of the Award and issuance of shares of Stock upon 

settlement of the Award shall be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of federal, state or foreign law with respect to such securities. No 
shares of Stock may be issued hereunder if the issuance of such shares would constitute a violation of any applicable federal, state or foreign securities 
laws or other law or regulations or the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. The inability of the 
Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the 
lawful issuance of any shares subject to the Award shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue such shares as to which such 
requisite authority shall not have been obtained. As a condition to the settlement of the Award, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any 
qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any representation or 
warranty with respect thereto as may be requested by the Company.

6.4 Fractional Shares. The Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares upon the settlement of the Award.

5

7. TAX WITHHOLDING.

7.1 In General. At the time the Grant Notice is executed, or at any time thereafter as requested by a Participating Company, the 
Participant hereby authorizes withholding from payroll and any other amounts payable to the Participant, and otherwise agrees to make adequate 
provision for, any sums required to satisfy the federal, state, local and foreign tax (including any social insurance) withholding obligations of the 
Participating Company, if any, which arise in connection with the Award, the vesting of Units or the issuance of shares of Stock in settlement thereof. The 
Company shall have no obligation to deliver shares of Stock until the tax withholding obligations of the Participating Company have been satisfied by the 
Participant.

7.2 Assignment of Sale Proceeds. Subject to compliance with applicable law and the Company’s Trading Compliance Policy, if 

permitted by the Company, the Participant may satisfy the Participating Company’s tax withholding obligations in accordance with procedures 
established by the Company providing for delivery by the Participant to the Company or a broker approved by the Company of properly executed 
instructions, in a form approved by the Company, providing for the assignment to the Company of the proceeds of a sale with respect to some or all of the 
shares being acquired upon settlement of Units.

7.3 Withholding in Shares. The Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to require the Participant to satisfy all or any 

portion of a Participating Company’s tax withholding obligations by deducting from the shares of Stock otherwise deliverable to the Participant in 
settlement of the Award a number of whole shares having a fair market value, as determined by the Company as of the date on which the tax withholding 
obligations arise, not in excess of the amount of such tax withholding obligations determined by the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates, if 
required to avoid liability with respect to classification of the Award under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

7.4 THE PARTICIPANT IS ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH A TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX 

CONSEQUENCES OF RECEIVING THE AWARD OR SHARES OF STOCK ISSUED UPON VESTING OF THE AWARD OF OR 
TRANSFERRING THE SHARES OF STOCK.

8. ADJUSTMENTS FOR CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE.

Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company and the requirements of Section 409A of the Code to the extent 
applicable, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, 
reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination 
of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the 
stockholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (other than regular, periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend 
policy) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number of 
Units subject to the Award and/or the number and kind of shares or other property to be issued in settlement of the Award, in order to prevent dilution or 
enlargement of the Participant’s rights under the Award. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not 
be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” Any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other 
than regular, periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend policy) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of 
ownership of Units acquired pursuant to this Award will be immediately subject to the provisions of this Award on the same basis as all Units originally 
acquired hereunder. Any fractional Unit or share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole 
number. Such adjustments shall be determined by the Committee, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.

6

9. RIGHTS AS A STOCKHOLDER, DIRECTOR, EMPLOYEE OR CONSULTANT.

The Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares which may be issued in settlement of this Award until 
the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the 
Company). No adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date the shares are issued, 
except as provided in Section 8. If the Participant is an Employee, the Participant understands and acknowledges that, except as otherwise provided in a 
separate, written employment agreement between a Participating Company and the Participant, the Participant’s employment is “at will” and is for no 
specified term. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to continue in the Service of a Participating Company or interfere in 
any way with any right of the Participating Company Group to terminate the Participant’s Service at any time.

10. LEGENDS.

The Company may at any time place legends referencing any applicable federal, state or foreign securities law restrictions on all 

certificates representing shares of stock issued pursuant to this Agreement. The Participant shall, at the request of the Company, promptly present to the 
Company any and all certificates representing shares acquired pursuant to this Award in the possession of the Participant in order to carry out the 
provisions of this Section.

11. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 409A.

It is intended that any election, payment or benefit which is made or provided pursuant to or in connection with this Award that may 

result in Section 409A Deferred Compensation shall comply in all respects with the applicable requirements of Section 409A (including applicable 
regulations or other administrative guidance thereunder, as determined by the Committee in good faith) to avoid the unfavorable tax consequences 
provided therein for non-compliance. In connection with effecting such compliance with Section 409A, the following shall apply:

11.1 Separation from Service; Required Delay in Payment to Specified Employee. Notwithstanding anything set forth herein to the 

contrary, no amount payable pursuant to this Agreement on account of the Participant’s termination of Service which constitutes a “deferral of 
compensation” within the meaning of the Treasury Regulations issued pursuant to Section 409A of the Code (the “Section 409A Regulations”) shall be 
paid unless and until the Participant has incurred a “separation from service” within the meaning of the Section 409A Regulations. Furthermore, to the 
extent that the Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of the Section 409A Regulations as of the date of the Participant’s separation 
from service, no amount that constitutes a deferral of compensation which is payable on account of the Participant’s separation from service shall be paid 
to the Participant before the date (the “Delayed Payment Date”) which is first day of the seventh month after the date of the Participant’s separation from 
service or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death following such separation from service. All such amounts that would, but for this Section, become 
payable prior to the Delayed Payment Date will be accumulated and paid on the Delayed Payment Date.

7

payment of any benefits under this Agreement in any manner which would not be in compliance with the Section 409A Regulations.

11.2 Other Changes in Time of Payment. Neither the Participant nor the Company shall take any action to accelerate or delay the 

11.3 Amendments to Comply with Section 409A; Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the 
contrary, the Company is authorized to amend this Agreement, to void or amend any election made by the Participant under this Agreement and/or to 
delay the payment of any monies and/or provision of any benefits in such manner as may be determined by the Company, in its discretion, to be necessary 
or appropriate to comply with the Section 409A Regulations without prior notice to or consent of the Participant. The Participant hereby releases and 
holds harmless the Company, its directors, officers and stockholders from any and all claims that may arise from or relate to any tax liability, penalties, 
interest, costs, fees or other liability incurred by the Participant in connection with the Award, including as a result of the application of Section 409A.

11.4 Advice of Independent Tax Advisor. The Company has not obtained a tax ruling or other confirmation from the Internal Revenue

Service with regard to the application of Section 409A to the Award, and the Company does not represent or warrant that this Agreement will avoid 
adverse tax consequences to the Participant, including as a result of the application of Section 409A to the Award. The Participant hereby acknowledges 
that he or she has been advised to seek the advice of his or her own independent tax advisor prior to entering into this Agreement and is not relying upon 
any representations of the Company or any of its agents as to the effect of or the advisability of entering into this Agreement.

12. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

12.1 Termination or Amendment. The Committee may terminate or amend the Plan or this Agreement at any time; provided, 

however, that except as provided in the Grant Notice in connection with a Change in Control, if applicable, no such termination or amendment may have 
a materially adverse effect on the Participant’s rights under this Agreement without the consent of the Participant unless such termination or amendment 
is necessary to comply with applicable law or government regulation, including, but not limited to, Section 409A. No amendment or addition to this 
Agreement shall be effective unless in writing.

12.2 Nontransferability of the Award. Prior to the issuance of shares of Stock on the applicable Settlement Date, neither this Award 
nor any Units subject to this Award shall be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, 
or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights 
with respect to the Award shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.

8

reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.

12.3 Further Instruments. The parties hereto agree to execute such further instruments and to take such further action as may 

restrictions on transfer set forth herein, be binding upon the Participant and the Participant’s heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

12.4 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company and, subject to the 

12.5 Delivery of Documents and Notices. Any document relating to participation in the Plan or any notice required or permitted 

hereunder shall be given in writing and shall be deemed effectively given (except to the extent that this Agreement provides for effectiveness only upon 
actual receipt of such notice) upon personal delivery, electronic delivery at the e-mail address, if any, provided for the Participant by a Participating 
Company, or upon deposit in the U.S. Post Office or foreign postal service, by registered or certified mail, or with a nationally recognized overnight 
courier service, with postage and fees prepaid, addressed to the other party at the address of such party set forth in the Grant Notice or at such other 
address as such party may designate in writing from time to time to the other party.

(a) Description of Electronic Delivery. The Plan documents, which may include but do not necessarily include: the Plan, the 

Grant Notice, this Agreement, the Plan Prospectus, and any reports of the Company provided generally to the Company’s stockholders, may be delivered 
to the Participant electronically. In addition, if permitted by the Company, the Participant may deliver electronically the Grant Notice to the Company or 
to such third party involved in administering the Plan as the Company may designate from time to time. Such means of electronic delivery may include 
but do not necessarily include the delivery of a link to a Company intranet or the Internet site of a third party involved in administering the Plan, the 
delivery of the document via e-mail or such other means of electronic delivery specified by the Company.

(b) Consent to Electronic Delivery. The Participant acknowledges that the Participant has read Section 12.5(a) of this 

Agreement and consents to the electronic delivery of the Plan documents and, if permitted by the Company, the delivery of the Grant Notice, as described 
in Section 12.5(a). The Participant acknowledges that he or she may receive from the Company a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically at 
no cost to the Participant by contacting the Company by telephone or in writing. The Participant further acknowledges that the Participant will be 
provided with a paper copy of any documents if the attempted electronic delivery of such documents fails. Similarly, the Participant understands that the 
Participant must provide the Company or any designated third party administrator with a paper copy of any documents if the attempted electronic delivery 
of such documents fails. The Participant may revoke his or her consent to the electronic delivery of documents described in Section 12.5(a) or may 
change the electronic mail address to which such documents are to be delivered (if Participant has provided an electronic mail address) at any time by 
notifying the Company of such revoked consent or revised e-mail address by telephone, postal service or electronic mail. Finally, the Participant 
understands that he or she is not required to consent to electronic delivery of documents described in Section 12.5(a).

12.6 Integrated Agreement. The Grant Notice, this Agreement and the Plan, together with the Superseding Agreement, if any, shall 
constitute the entire understanding and agreement of the Participant and the Participating Company Group with respect to the subject matter contained 
herein or therein and supersede any prior agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations, or warranties among the Participant and the 
Participating Company Group with respect to such subject matter. To the extent contemplated herein or therein, the provisions of the Grant Notice, this 
Agreement and the Plan shall survive any settlement of the Award and shall remain in full force and effect.

between Delaware residents entered into and to be performed entirely within the State of Delaware.

12.7 Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware as such laws are applied to agreements 

together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

12.8 Counterparts. The Grant Notice may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which 

*     *     *

9

CYREN LTD.
NOTICE OF GRANT OF RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS
(For Non-Employee Directors)

Exhibit 10.4

Cyren Ltd. (the “Company”) has granted to the Participant an award (the “Award”) of certain units pursuant to the Cyren Ltd. 2016 Non-Employee 
Director Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), each of which represents the right to receive on the applicable Settlement Date one (1) share of Stock, as 
follows:

Participant:

________________

Date of Grant:

________________

Total Number of Units:

, subject to adjustment as provided by the Restricted Stock Units Agreement.

Settlement Date:

Except as provided by the Restricted Stock Units Agreement, the date on which a Unit becomes a Vested Unit.

Vesting Start Date:

Vested Units:

Except as provided in the Restricted Stock Units Agreement and provided that the Participant’s Service has not 
terminated prior to the applicable date, the number of Vested Units (disregarding any resulting fractional Unit) as of 
any date is determined by multiplying the Total Number of Units by the “Vested Ratio” determined as of such date, 
as follows:

[  ]

Accelerated Vesting:

Notwithstanding any other provision contained in this Grant Notice or the Restricted Stock Units Agreement, the 
total Number of Units shall become Vested Units immediately prior and subject to the closing of a Change in 
Control transaction, provided that the Participant’s Service has not terminated prior to the date of closing of the 
Change in Control transaction.

Superseding Agreement:

None

By their signatures below or by electronic acceptance or authentication in a form authorized by the Company, the Company and the Participant agree that 
the Award is governed by this Grant Notice and by the provisions of the Restricted Stock Units Agreement, annexed hereto, and the Plan, both of which 
are made a part of this document, and by the Superseding Agreement, if any. The Participant acknowledges that copies of the Plan, the Restricted Stock 
Units Agreement and the prospectus for the Plan are available on the Company’s internal website and may be viewed and printed by the Participant for 
attachment to the Participant’s copy of this Grant Notice. The Participant represents that the Participant has read and is familiar with the provisions of the 
Restricted Stock Units Agreement and the Plan, and hereby accepts the Award subject to all of their terms and conditions.

CYREN LTD.

By: 

[officer name]
[officer title]

PARTICIPANT

Signature

Date

Address

ATTACHMENTS:

2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan, as amended to the Date of Grant; and Plan Prospectus

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CYREN LTD.
RESTRICTED STOCK UNITS AGREEMENT
(For Non-Employee Directors) 

Cyren Ltd. has granted to the Participant named in the Notice of Grant of Restricted Stock Units (the “Grant Notice”) to which this Restricted 

Stock Units Agreement (the “Agreement”) is attached an Award consisting of Restricted Stock Units (each a “Unit”) subject to the terms and conditions 
set forth in the Grant Notice and this Agreement. The Award has been granted pursuant to and shall in all respects be subject to the terms conditions of 
the Cyren Ltd. 2016 Non-Employee Director Equity Incentive Plan (the “Plan”), as amended to the Date of Grant, the provisions of which are 
incorporated herein by reference. By signing the Grant Notice, the Participant: (a) acknowledges receipt of and represents that the Participant has read and 
is familiar with the Grant Notice, this Agreement, the Plan and a prospectus for the Plan prepared in connection with the registration with the Securities 
and Exchange Commission of the shares issuable pursuant to the Award (the “Plan Prospectus”), (b) accepts the Award subject to all of the terms and 
conditions of the Grant Notice, this Agreement and the Plan and (c) agrees to accept as binding, conclusive and final all decisions or interpretations of the 
Committee upon any questions arising under the Grant Notice, this Agreement or the Plan.

1. DEFINITIONS AND CONSTRUCTION.

or the Plan.

1.1 Definitions. Unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Grant Notice 

1.2 Construction. Captions and titles contained herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the meaning or interpretation of 
any provision of this Agreement. Except when otherwise indicated by the context, the singular shall include the plural and the plural shall include the 
singular. Use of the term “or” is not intended to be exclusive, unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

2. ADMINISTRATION.

All questions of interpretation concerning the Grant Notice, this Agreement, the Plan or any other form of agreement or other document 

employed by the Company in the administration of the Plan or the Award shall be determined by the Committee. All such determinations by the 
Committee shall be final, binding and conclusive upon all persons having an interest in the Award, unless fraudulent or made in bad faith. Any and all 
actions, decisions and determinations taken or made by the Committee in the exercise of its discretion pursuant to the Plan or the Award or other 
agreement thereunder (other than determining questions of interpretation pursuant to the preceding sentence) shall be final, binding and conclusive upon 
all persons having an interest in the Award. Any Officer shall have the authority to act on behalf of the Company with respect to any matter, right, 
obligation, or election which is the responsibility of or which is allocated to the Company herein, provided the Officer has apparent authority with respect 
to such matter, right, obligation, or election.

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3. THE AWARD.

3.1 Grant of Units. On the Date of Grant, the Participant shall acquire, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Total Number 

of Units set forth in the Grant Notice, subject to adjustment as provided in Section 9. Each Unit represents a right to receive on a date determined in 
accordance with the Grant Notice and this Agreement one (1) share of Stock.

3.2 No Monetary Payment Required. The Participant is not required to make any monetary payment (other than applicable tax 

withholding, if any) as a condition to receiving the Units or shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Units, the consideration for which shall be past 
services actually rendered or future services to be rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if required by 
applicable law, the Participant shall furnish consideration in the form of cash or past services rendered to a Participating Company or for its benefit 
having a value not less than the par value of the shares of Stock issued upon settlement of the Units.

4. VESTING OF UNITS.

Units acquired pursuant to this Agreement shall become Vested Units as provided in the Grant Notice. For purposes of determining the 

number of Vested Units following an Ownership Change Event, credited Service shall include all Service with any corporation which is a Participating 
Company at the time the Service is rendered, whether or not such corporation is a Participating Company both before and after the Ownership Change 
Event.

5. COMPANY REACQUISITION RIGHT.

5.1 Grant of Company Reacquisition Right. Except to the extent otherwise provided by the Superseding Agreement, if any, in the 

event that the Participant’s Service terminates for any reason or no reason, with or without cause, the Participant shall forfeit and the Company shall 
automatically reacquire all Units which are not, as of the time of such termination, Vested Units (“Unvested Units”), and the Participant shall not be 
entitled to any payment therefor (the “Company Reacquisition Right”).

5.2 Ownership Change Event, Non-Cash Dividends, Distributions and Adjustments. Upon the occurrence of an Ownership Change 

Event, a dividend or distribution to the stockholders of the Company paid in shares of Stock or other property, or any other adjustment upon a change in 
the capital structure of the Company as described in Section 9, any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other than regular, 
periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend policy) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of the Participant’s 
ownership of Unvested Units shall be immediately subject to the Company Reacquisition Right and included in the terms “Units” and “Unvested Units”
for all purposes of the Company Reacquisition Right with the same force and effect as the Unvested Units immediately prior to the Ownership Change 
Event, dividend, distribution or adjustment, as the case may be. For purposes of determining the number of Vested Units following an Ownership Change 
Event, dividend, distribution or adjustment, credited Service shall include all Service with any corporation which is a Participating Company at the time 
the Service is rendered, whether or not such corporation is a Participating Company both before and after any such event.

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6. SETTLEMENT OF THE AWARD.

6.1 Issuance of Shares of Stock. Subject to the provisions of Section 6.3, the Company shall issue to the Participant on the Settlement 

Date with respect to each Vested Unit to be settled on such date one (1) share of Stock. The Settlement Date with respect to a Unit shall be the date on 
which such Unit becomes a Vested Unit as provided by the Grant Notice (an “Original Settlement Date”); provided, however, that if the Original 
Settlement Date would occur on a date on which a sale by the Participant of the shares to be issued in settlement of the Vested Units would violate the 
Trading Compliance Policy of the Company and if the Company has allowed the Participant to satisfy its tax obligations pursuant to Section 7.2 of this 
Agreement, the Settlement Date for such Vested Units shall be deferred until the next day on which the sale of such shares would not violate the Trading 
Compliance Policy, but in any event on or before the 15th day of the third calendar month following calendar year of the Original Settlement Date. Shares 
of Stock issued in settlement of Units shall not be subject to any restriction on transfer other than any such restriction as may be required pursuant to 
Section 6.3, Section 7 or the Company’s Trading Compliance Policy.

6.2 Beneficial Ownership of Shares; Certificate Registration. The Participant hereby authorizes the Company, in its sole discretion, 

to deposit any or all shares acquired by the Participant pursuant to the settlement of the Award with the Company’s transfer agent, including any 
successor transfer agent, to be held in book entry form, or to deposit such shares for the benefit of the Participant with any broker with which the 
Participant has an account relationship of which the Company has notice. Except as provided by the foregoing, a certificate for the shares acquired by the 
Participant shall be registered in the name of the Participant, or, if applicable, in the names of the heirs of the Participant.

6.3 Restrictions on Grant of the Award and Issuance of Shares. The grant of the Award and issuance of shares of Stock upon 

settlement of the Award shall be subject to compliance with all applicable requirements of federal, state or foreign law with respect to such securities. No 
shares of Stock may be issued hereunder if the issuance of such shares would constitute a violation of any applicable federal, state or foreign securities 
laws or other law or regulations or the requirements of any stock exchange or market system upon which the Stock may then be listed. The inability of the 
Company to obtain from any regulatory body having jurisdiction the authority, if any, deemed by the Company’s legal counsel to be necessary to the 
lawful issuance of any shares subject to the Award shall relieve the Company of any liability in respect of the failure to issue such shares as to which such 
requisite authority shall not have been obtained. As a condition to the settlement of the Award, the Company may require the Participant to satisfy any 
qualifications that may be necessary or appropriate, to evidence compliance with any applicable law or regulation and to make any representation or 
warranty with respect thereto as may be requested by the Company.

6.4 Fractional Shares. The Company shall not be required to issue fractional shares upon the settlement of the Award.

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7. TAX WITHHOLDING.

7.1 In General. At the time the Grant Notice is executed, or at any time thereafter as requested by a Participating Company, the 
Participant hereby authorizes withholding from payroll and any other amounts payable to the Participant, and otherwise agrees to make adequate 
provision for, any sums required to satisfy the federal, state, local and foreign tax (including any social insurance) withholding obligations of the 
Participating Company, if any, which arise in connection with the Award, the vesting of Units or the issuance of shares of Stock in settlement thereof. The 
Company shall have no obligation to deliver shares of Stock until the tax withholding obligations of the Participating Company have been satisfied by the 
Participant.

7.2 Assignment of Sale Proceeds. Subject to compliance with applicable law and the Company’s Trading Compliance Policy, if 

permitted by the Company, the Participant may satisfy the Participating Company’s tax withholding obligations in accordance with procedures 
established by the Company providing for delivery by the Participant to the Company or a broker approved by the Company of properly executed 
instructions, in a form approved by the Company, providing for the assignment to the Company of the proceeds of a sale with respect to some or all of the 
shares being acquired upon settlement of Units.

7.3 Withholding in Shares. The Company shall have the right, but not the obligation, to require the Participant to satisfy all or any 

portion of a Participating Company’s tax withholding obligations by deducting from the shares of Stock otherwise deliverable to the Participant in 
settlement of the Award a number of whole shares having a fair market value, as determined by the Company as of the date on which the tax withholding 
obligations arise, not in excess of the amount of such tax withholding obligations determined by the applicable minimum statutory withholding rates, if 
required to avoid liability with respect to classification of the Award under generally accepted accounting principles in the United States.

7.4 THE PARTICIPANT IS ADVISED TO CONSULT WITH A TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX 

CONSEQUENCES OF RECEIVING THE AWARD OR SHARES OF STOCK ISSUED UPON VESTING OF THE AWARD OF OR 
TRANSFERRING THE SHARES OF STOCK.

8. ADJUSTMENTS FOR CHANGES IN CAPITAL STRUCTURE.

Subject to any required action by the stockholders of the Company and the requirements of Section 409A of the Code to the extent 
applicable, in the event of any change in the Stock effected without receipt of consideration by the Company, whether through merger, consolidation, 
reorganization, reincorporation, recapitalization, reclassification, stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, split-up, split-off, spin-off, combination 
of shares, exchange of shares, or similar change in the capital structure of the Company, or in the event of payment of a dividend or distribution to the 
stockholders of the Company in a form other than Stock (other than regular, periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend 
policy) that has a material effect on the Fair Market Value of shares of Stock, appropriate and proportionate adjustments shall be made in the number of 
Units subject to the Award and/or the number and kind of shares or other property to be issued in settlement of the Award, in order to prevent dilution or 
enlargement of the Participant’s rights under the Award. For purposes of the foregoing, conversion of any convertible securities of the Company shall not 
be treated as “effected without receipt of consideration by the Company.” Any and all new, substituted or additional securities or other property (other 
than regular, periodic cash dividends paid on Stock pursuant to the Company’s dividend policy) to which the Participant is entitled by reason of 
ownership of Units acquired pursuant to this Award will be immediately subject to the provisions of this Award on the same basis as all Units originally 
acquired hereunder. Any fractional Unit or share resulting from an adjustment pursuant to this Section shall be rounded down to the nearest whole 
number. Such adjustments shall be determined by the Committee, and its determination shall be final, binding and conclusive.

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9. RIGHTS AS A STOCKHOLDER, DIRECTOR, EMPLOYEE OR CONSULTANT.

The Participant shall have no rights as a stockholder with respect to any shares which may be issued in settlement of this Award until 
the date of the issuance of such shares (as evidenced by the appropriate entry on the books of the Company or of a duly authorized transfer agent of the 
Company). No adjustment shall be made for dividends, distributions or other rights for which the record date is prior to the date the shares are issued, 
except as provided in Section 8. If the Participant is an Employee, the Participant understands and acknowledges that, except as otherwise provided in a 
separate, written employment agreement between a Participating Company and the Participant, the Participant’s employment is “at will” and is for no 
specified term. Nothing in this Agreement shall confer upon the Participant any right to continue in the Service of a Participating Company or interfere in 
any way with any right of the Participating Company Group to terminate the Participant’s Service at any time.

10. LEGENDS.

The Company may at any time place legends referencing any applicable federal, state or foreign securities law restrictions on all 

certificates representing shares of stock issued pursuant to this Agreement. The Participant shall, at the request of the Company, promptly present to the 
Company any and all certificates representing shares acquired pursuant to this Award in the possession of the Participant in order to carry out the 
provisions of this Section.

11. COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 409A.

It is intended that any election, payment or benefit which is made or provided pursuant to or in connection with this Award that may 

result in Section 409A Deferred Compensation shall comply in all respects with the applicable requirements of Section 409A (including applicable 
regulations or other administrative guidance thereunder, as determined by the Committee in good faith) to avoid the unfavorable tax consequences 
provided therein for non-compliance. In connection with effecting such compliance with Section 409A, the following shall apply:

11.1 Separation from Service; Required Delay in Payment to Specified Employee. Notwithstanding anything set forth herein to the 

contrary, no amount payable pursuant to this Agreement on account of the Participant’s termination of Service which constitutes a “deferral of 
compensation” within the meaning of the Treasury Regulations issued pursuant to Section 409A of the Code (the “Section 409A Regulations”) shall be 
paid unless and until the Participant has incurred a “separation from service” within the meaning of the Section 409A Regulations. Furthermore, to the 
extent that the Participant is a “specified employee” within the meaning of the Section 409A Regulations as of the date of the Participant’s separation 
from service, no amount that constitutes a deferral of compensation which is payable on account of the Participant’s separation from service shall be paid 
to the Participant before the date (the “Delayed Payment Date”) which is first day of the seventh month after the date of the Participant’s separation from 
service or, if earlier, the date of the Participant’s death following such separation from service. All such amounts that would, but for this Section, become 
payable prior to the Delayed Payment Date will be accumulated and paid on the Delayed Payment Date.

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payment of any benefits under this Agreement in any manner which would not be in compliance with the Section 409A Regulations.

11.2 Other Changes in Time of Payment. Neither the Participant nor the Company shall take any action to accelerate or delay the 

11.3 Amendments to Comply with Section 409A; Indemnification. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the 
contrary, the Company is authorized to amend this Agreement, to void or amend any election made by the Participant under this Agreement and/or to 
delay the payment of any monies and/or provision of any benefits in such manner as may be determined by the Company, in its discretion, to be necessary 
or appropriate to comply with the Section 409A Regulations without prior notice to or consent of the Participant. The Participant hereby releases and 
holds harmless the Company, its directors, officers and stockholders from any and all claims that may arise from or relate to any tax liability, penalties, 
interest, costs, fees or other liability incurred by the Participant in connection with the Award, including as a result of the application of Section 409A.

11.4 Advice of Independent Tax Advisor. The Company has not obtained a tax ruling or other confirmation from the Internal Revenue

Service with regard to the application of Section 409A to the Award, and the Company does not represent or warrant that this Agreement will avoid 
adverse tax consequences to the Participant, including as a result of the application of Section 409A to the Award. The Participant hereby acknowledges 
that he or she has been advised to seek the advice of his or her own independent tax advisor prior to entering into this Agreement and is not relying upon 
any representations of the Company or any of its agents as to the effect of or the advisability of entering into this Agreement.

12. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

12.1 Termination or Amendment. The Committee may terminate or amend the Plan or this Agreement at any time; provided, 

however, that except as provided in the Grant Notice in connection with a Change in Control, if applicable, no such termination or amendment may have 
a materially adverse effect on the Participant’s rights under this Agreement without the consent of the Participant unless such termination or amendment 
is necessary to comply with applicable law or government regulation, including, but not limited to, Section 409A. No amendment or addition to this 
Agreement shall be effective unless in writing.

12.2 Nontransferability of the Award. Prior to the issuance of shares of Stock on the applicable Settlement Date, neither this Award 
nor any Units subject to this Award shall be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, exchange, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, 
or garnishment by creditors of the Participant or the Participant’s beneficiary, except transfer by will or by the laws of descent and distribution. All rights 
with respect to the Award shall be exercisable during the Participant’s lifetime only by the Participant or the Participant’s guardian or legal representative.

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reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.

12.3 Further Instruments. The parties hereto agree to execute such further instruments and to take such further action as may 

restrictions on transfer set forth herein, be binding upon the Participant and the Participant’s heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns.

12.4 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the Company and, subject to the 

12.5 Delivery of Documents and Notices. Any document relating to participation in the Plan or any notice required or permitted 

hereunder shall be given in writing and shall be deemed effectively given (except to the extent that this Agreement provides for effectiveness only upon 
actual receipt of such notice) upon personal delivery, electronic delivery at the e-mail address, if any, provided for the Participant by a Participating 
Company, or upon deposit in the U.S. Post Office or foreign postal service, by registered or certified mail, or with a nationally recognized overnight 
courier service, with postage and fees prepaid, addressed to the other party at the address of such party set forth in the Grant Notice or at such other 
address as such party may designate in writing from time to time to the other party.

(a) Description of Electronic Delivery. The Plan documents, which may include but do not necessarily include: the Plan, the 

Grant Notice, this Agreement, the Plan Prospectus, and any reports of the Company provided generally to the Company’s stockholders, may be delivered 
to the Participant electronically. In addition, if permitted by the Company, the Participant may deliver electronically the Grant Notice to the Company or 
to such third party involved in administering the Plan as the Company may designate from time to time. Such means of electronic delivery may include 
but do not necessarily include the delivery of a link to a Company intranet or the Internet site of a third party involved in administering the Plan, the 
delivery of the document via e-mail or such other means of electronic delivery specified by the Company.

(b) Consent to Electronic Delivery. The Participant acknowledges that the Participant has read Section 12.5(a) of this 

Agreement and consents to the electronic delivery of the Plan documents and, if permitted by the Company, the delivery of the Grant Notice, as described 
in Section 12.5(a). The Participant acknowledges that he or she may receive from the Company a paper copy of any documents delivered electronically at 
no cost to the Participant by contacting the Company by telephone or in writing. The Participant further acknowledges that the Participant will be 
provided with a paper copy of any documents if the attempted electronic delivery of such documents fails. Similarly, the Participant understands that the 
Participant must provide the Company or any designated third party administrator with a paper copy of any documents if the attempted electronic delivery 
of such documents fails. The Participant may revoke his or her consent to the electronic delivery of documents described in Section 12.5(a) or may 
change the electronic mail address to which such documents are to be delivered (if Participant has provided an electronic mail address) at any time by 
notifying the Company of such revoked consent or revised e-mail address by telephone, postal service or electronic mail. Finally, the Participant 
understands that he or she is not required to consent to electronic delivery of documents described in Section 12.5(a).

12.6 Integrated Agreement. The Grant Notice, this Agreement and the Plan, together with the Superseding Agreement, if any, shall 
constitute the entire understanding and agreement of the Participant and the Participating Company Group with respect to the subject matter contained 
herein or therein and supersede any prior agreements, understandings, restrictions, representations, or warranties among the Participant and the 
Participating Company Group with respect to such subject matter. To the extent contemplated herein or therein, the provisions of the Grant Notice, this 
Agreement and the Plan shall survive any settlement of the Award and shall remain in full force and effect.

between Delaware residents entered into and to be performed entirely within the State of Delaware.

12.7 Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Delaware as such laws are applied to agreements 

together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

12.8 Counterparts. The Grant Notice may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which 

* * *

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THIS NOTE AND THE SECURITIES ISSUABLE UPON CONVERSION HEREOF HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES 
ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “ACT”), OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT AND 
NOT WITH A VIEW TO, OR IN CONNECTION WITH, THE SALE OR DISTRIBUTION THEREOF. THEY MAY NOT BE SOLD, OFFERED FOR 
SALE, PLEDGED, HYPOTHECATED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED IN THE ABSENCE OF A REGISTRATION STATEMENT IN EFFECT 
WITH RESPECT TO THE SECURITIES UNDER SUCH ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR UNLESS (i) SOLD 
PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND (ii) AT 
THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY, AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH 
REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO THE COMPANY.

Exhibit 10.7

No. __

US$

CYREN LTD.
CONVERTIBLE NOTE

December 5, 2018

Israel

FOR VALUE RECEIVED, Cyren Ltd., an Israeli company (“Company”), promises to pay to ___________ (“Investor”), the principal sum 
of _______ US Dollars ($_______), or such lesser amount as shall then equal the outstanding principal amount hereof, together with interest below all on
the terms set forth below. This Note is issued pursuant to the Convertible Note Subscription Agreement of even date herewith (as amended, modified or
supplemented, the “Subscription Agreement”) between Company and the Investor.

The following is a statement of the rights of Investor and the conditions to which this Note is subject, and to which the Investor hereof, by the 

acceptance of this Note, agrees:

1) Principal.

a) The aggregate unpaid principal amount of this Note shall be due and payable on December 5, 2021 (the “Maturity Date”).

2)

Interest.

a) The Company shall pay interest from the date of this Note on the unpaid principal balance of this Note at a rate equal to five and three quarters 

percent (5.75%) per annum, computed on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed.

b)

Interest shall be paid semi-annually (on June 5 and December 5 of each year during the term of the Note, or the next business day should such 
date not fall on a business day), until the Maturity Date or conversion of the full principal amount of this Note into Note Shares (as defined in the 
Subscription Agreement) as provided herein.

c) On the earlier of: (i) the date of full conversion of this Note into Note Shares and (ii) the Maturity Date, the Company shall pay any unpaid and 

accrued interest as of such date.

d) At the option of the Company, and upon twenty (20) days’ written notice prior to each applicable interest payment, half of such interest payment 
may be paid in Note Shares (such shares to be issued at the 30-trading day VWAP on Nasdaq as of the applicable Determining Date) and the 
other half shall be paid in cash. Should such written notice not be timely provided, the full interest payment shall be payable in cash. Cash 
interest shall be paid to the Investor’s account in accordance with the wire instructions set forth in Schedule I.

For purposes of this Section 2, "The Determining Date" means the date seven days prior to each applicable interest payment. “VWAP” shall 
mean the daily share volume-weighted average closing price for the Company’s ordinary shares on the Nasdaq Stock Market on each trading day 
during the 30 trading days prior to the Determining Date. The VWAP will be determined without regard to after-hours trading or any other 
trading outside of the regular trading session trading hours.

3) Conversion.

a) Conversion Right. At the option of the Investor and by providing the Company with the original Note and executed subscription form, in the 

form attached as Schedule II hereto (the “Subscription Form”), the principal amount remaining due under the Note or a portion thereof may be 
converted into Note Shares of the Company at any time from the date of issuance and until the Maturity Date. Subject to Section 3(f) below, the 
number of Note Shares into which this Note may be converted shall be determined by dividing the amount of principal remaining due on this 
Note as of the date of conversion by an amount equal to $3.90 (the “Conversion Price”). For example, if the remaining principal amount of the 
Note is $1,000,000 then 256,410 Note Shares would be issued upon its full conversion.

b) Effect of Conversion of Notes. As promptly as practicable after the Company receives a duly executed Subscription Form for the number of 
Note Shares specified in the Subscription Form (such date of receipt, the “Conversion Date”), the Company will cause to be delivered to the 
Investor, and send to the Investor at its respective address specified in the Subscription Form, a certificate (which may be in book-entry form) for 
the appropriate number of Note Shares, which will not exceed that number which the Investor is entitled to purchase pursuant to the Note 
Certificate surrendered. No fractional shares will be issued upon conversion of this Note and the Company shall round-down, to the nearest 
whole number, the number of Note Shares issuable in connection with any conversion hereunder.

c) Subscription for Less than Entitlement. In the event of any partial conversion of this Note, the Investor, upon conversion thereof, will be entitled 

to receive a new Note in respect of the balance of the principal amount which remains due and unconverted.

d) Conversion at Maturity Date. To the extent that this Note is not converted by the Maturity Date, then the rights of the Investor to convert this 
Note and receive Note Shares with respect to any principal amount remaining unconverted on such date shall cease and be of no further effect.

e) Termination of Rights. All rights with respect to this Note shall terminate upon conversion hereof.

f) Adjustment of Conversion Price.

(i) Subject to sub-section f(ii) below, if the Company shall raise funds through issuances of its ordinary shares or other securities convertible 
into its ordinary shares (excluding issuance of ordinary shares, options or other securities pursuant to equity or incentive benefit plans and 
excluding ordinary shares or securities issued in connection with previously issued convertible securities) (“New Issuance”), at a price per 
share which is less than the Conversion Price, then the Conversion Price shall be adjusted and reduced, to a price equal to a fraction (A) the 
numerator of which shall be (1) the product obtained by multiplying (x) the number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately 
prior to such New Issuance by (y) the Conversion Price in effect immediately prior to such New Issuance, plus (2) the total amount of 
consideration received by the Company from the New Issuance, and (B) the denominator of which shall be (1) the number of ordinary 
shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to such New Issuance, plus (2) the number of such new ordinary shares issued under such 
New Issuance. Such adjustment shall become effective on the date of such New Issuance.

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For the foregoing case set forth in this section f(i), the formula can be expressed algebraically as follows:

P’ = 

(N*P) + C
N +n

where:

P =  The Conversion Price prior to the New Issuance.

P’ =   New Conversion Price after the New Issuance.

N =   Total number of Company ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately prior to New Issuance.

n =   Number of ordinary shares issued in the New Issuance.

C =  Total amount of consideration received by the Company for the New Issuance.

(ii) Notwithstanding section f(i) above, in the event that the Company: shall raise funds through issuances of its ordinary shares or other 
securities convertible into its ordinary shares (excluding issuance of ordinary shares, options or other securities pursuant to equity or 
incentive benefit plans and excluding ordinary shares or securities issued in connection with previously issued convertible securities) in a 
private placement offering at a price per share which is less than US$3.00 in which the Investor is not invited to participate in such private 
placement offering (collectively, a “Private Offering Issuance”), then the Conversion Price shall be adjusted and reduced, to a price which 
will be equal to the price per share implied in such Private Offering Issuance. If the Private Offering Issuance includes warrants or other 
inducements, the “implied price” will deduct the (Black-Scholes) calculated value of the warrants or other inducements. Such adjustment 
shall become effective on the closing date of such Private Offering Issuance.

g) Mandatory Conversion upon M&A Transaction

If at any time following the execution of this Note but prior to its full conversion, the Company consummates an M&A Transaction (as defined 
below), then immediately prior to the closing of such M&A Transaction, the remaining due and unpaid principal amount together with any 
accrued and unpaid interest shall be converted into an amount of Note Shares in accordance with Section 3(f). However, if the consideration in 
an M&A Transaction is at a price less than the Conversion Price, then the remaining due and unpaid principal amount together with any accrued 
and unpaid interest through the closing date of the M&A Transaction shall be repaid immediately prior to the closing of such M&A Transaction. 
For the purposes of this Note, the term "M&A Transaction" shall mean the occurrence of: (i) a merger (except where the holders of equity 
interests or the voting rights of the Company prior to the consummation of such transaction hold (directly or indirectly) more than 50% of the 
equity interests or the voting rights of the surviving entity following such transaction), or (ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the Company’s 
assets or shares, or (iii) a transfer of - or grant of an exclusive license to - all or substantially all of the Company’s intellectual property to, any 
other company, or any other entity or person, other than a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, (iv) in the event that pursuant to a 
transaction or series of transactions a person or entity acquires fifty percent (50%) or more of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company 
or the right to appoint or elect at least fifty percent (50%) or more of the members of the Board (excluding any person or entity that owns greater 
than 50% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company on the date hereof); or (v) any transaction which results in the company going 
private (whether by tender offer, merger, or otherwise).

4) Registration Rights. 

a) Automatic Registration. No later than 30 days after the Maturity Date, the Company shall prepare and file with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (the “SEC”), a registration statement on Form F-3 (or any successor form thereto) and, if not then available to the Company, 
another applicable form covering the resale of any Registrable Securities outstanding on the Maturity Date and shall use its commercially 
reasonable efforts to have such registration statement declared effective as soon as reasonably practicable thereafter.

b) Demand Registration. Provided that at least $1,000,000 of the principal amount of the Note has been converted, the Investor may demand, and 
the Company will, as soon as reasonably practicable, file and use its commercially reasonable efforts to effect the requested registration of 
Registrable Securities on Form F-3 (or any successor form thereto) and, if not then available to the Company, another applicable form.

3

c) Piggy-Back Registration. If, during the term of the Note, and provided that at least $1,000,000 of the principal amount of the Note is outstanding, 
the Company shall determine to register any of its securities either for its own account or the account of another security holder or holders, other 
than a registration statement relating solely to employee or director benefit plans, the Company will:

(i) give advance written notice of the proposed registration to the Investor; and

(ii) include in such registration any Registrable Securities as are specified in a written request made by the Investor and received by the 

Company within ten (10)  days after such written notice from the Company is received by the Investor.

For purposes of this Section 4, “Registrable Securities” mean the Note Shares; provided, however, that Registrable Securities shall not include:  
(i) any Note Shares that have already been registered under the Securities Act; (ii) any Shares that have been sold or transferred by the Investor 
thereof; (iii) any Note Shares that are eligible to be freely resold without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 or another applicable exemption. The 
registration rights in this Section 4 shall be subject to the priority rights of WP XII Investments B.V. (“WP”) as set forth in the Registration Rights 
Agreement between WP and the Company dated November 6, 2017 and filed as Exhibit 4.11 to the Company’s Form 20-F filed on April 27, 2018.

5) Restrictive Covenants. Without prior approval of the Investor, the Company shall not:

a)

issue new Debt that is senior to or ranks pari passu with the Note;

b)

sell assets in an aggregate amount exceeding $300,000 over a twelve month period, including account receivables; or

c)

issue new Debt that matures prior to the Note;

For the purpose of this Section 5, "Debt" means any obligation for the repayment of money in respect of or pursuant to moneys borrowed and 
amounts raised pursuant to any note, facility or the issue of bonds, debentures, or any similar instrument having the commercial effect of borrowing; 
provided, however, that Debt shall not include: the Note, hedging transactions, standby letters of credit or bank guarantees, the acquisition cost of 
assets or services to the extent payable on deferred payment terms, and the amount of any liability in respect of any inter-company guarantee, 
indemnity or other legally binding instrument to assure payment of, or against loss in respect of non-payment. Notwithstanding the provisions above,
and subject to the investor's right of first offer (which shall be held open for up to 10 days), the Company may effect one or more additional note 
closings with additional investors in an additional aggregate principal amount of up to $5 million which additional closing(s) shall be completed 
only following the execution by any subsequent investor(s) of a subscription agreement and note in form and substance similar to Investor’s 
subscription agreement and note, respectively, but in any event on no more preferable terms than Investor’s subscription agreement and note.

6) Events of Default. If any of the following events shall occur, the Investor may, so long as such condition exists and following the expiry of any cure 
period noted below, declare the entire principal and unpaid accrued interest hereon immediately due and payable, by notice in writing to Company:

a)

b)

c)

a failure by Company to pay as and when due the principal and interest due on this Note or any portion thereof, and such failure shall continue 
for a period of thirty (30) days following written notice from Investor to the Company of such failure; or

a failure by Company in any material respect to perform any term, covenant or agreement contained in this Note or the Subscription Agreement 
and such default is not cured by Company within thirty (30) days after the Investor has given Company written notice of such default; or

the institution by Company of dissolution proceedings, or the appointment of a receiver, trustee, or other similar official of Company, or the 
making by Company of an assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the admission by Company in writing of its inability to pay its debts 
generally as they become due, in each case, which has not been cancelled or terminated within ten (10) days.

4

7) Successors and Assigns. The Company and Investor hereby agree that neither this Note nor any rights hereunder may be assigned, conveyed or 

transferred, in whole or in part, without the Company’s prior written consent, which the Company may withhold in its reasonable 
discretion; provided, however, that this Note may be assigned, conveyed or transferred without the prior written consent of the Company to any 
person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with Investor; provided, 
further, that such transferee executes an acknowledgement that such transferee is subject to all the terms and conditions of this Note and satisfies the 
Company as to compliance with applicable securities law as provided in the Subscription Agreement.  Subject to the aforementioned, the rights and 
obligations of the Company and Investor under this Note shall be binding upon and benefit their respective permitted successors, assigns, heirs, 
administrators and transferees.

8) Waiver and Amendment. Except as expressly provided herein, neither this Note nor any term hereof may be amended, waived, discharged or 

terminated other than by a written instrument signed by the Company and the Investor.

9) Notices. All notices and other communications under this Note shall be in writing and shall be delivered in person or sent by documented overnight 
delivery service (a) if to the Investor, at the address of the Investor set forth in the Subscription Agreement, or (b) if to the Company, to the attention 
of its General Counsel at its principal offices at 10 Ha-Menofim St., 5th Floor, Herzliya, 4672561. Unless otherwise specified in this Note, all such 
notices and other written communications shall be effective (and considered delivered and received for the purposes of this Note) (i) if delivered, 
upon delivery or (ii) if sent by documented overnight delivery service, three (3) days following the date on which such the notice was sent.

10) No Shareholder Rights. Nothing contained in this Note shall be construed as conferring upon the Investor or any other person the right to vote or to 

consent or to receive notice as a shareholder in respect of meetings of shareholders for the election of directors of Company or any other matters or 
any rights whatsoever as a shareholder of Company.

11) Governing Law; Venue. This Note and all actions arising out of or in connection with this Note shall be governed by and construed in accordance 
with the laws of Israel, without regard to its conflicts of law provisions. The parties expressly stipulate that any litigation under this Agreement shall 
be brought in Israel. The parties agree to submit to the sole and exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the courts of Tel-Aviv, Israel.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Company has caused this Note to be issued as of the date first written above.

Acknowledged and Agreed:

INVESTOR:

By: 
Title: 

CYREN LTD.

By:

Name:
Title:

5

SCHEDULE I – INVESTOR WIRE INSTRUCTIONS

6

SCHEDULE II - SUBSCRIPTION FORM

Cyren Ltd.
10 Ha-Menofim St., 5th Floor
Herzliya, 4672561 Israel

Attention: General Counsel

To:

Cyren Ltd.

The undersigned holder of the enclosed Note (the “Investor”) hereby subscribes for ____ ordinary shares (the “Shares”) of Cyren Ltd. (the “Company”) 
at a conversion price of $[3.901] per Share on the terms and conditions of the enclosed Note. The Investor represents that, at the time of conversion of the 
Note, all of the representations and warranties contained in the Convertible Note Subscription Agreement between the Company and the Investor pursuant 
to which the Note was issued are true and accurate.  

The undersigned acknowledges that the Shares shall bear such restrictive legends as may be required by applicable securities law.

The Investor hereby directs that the Shares hereby subscribed for be registered in its name and delivered to the following address.

DATED this _____ day of ______________________, 20___.

In the presence of:

Name and Signature of Witness
Name and Signature of Investor

Please print below your name and address in full.

Name:

Address:

1 Subject to adjustment as set forth in the Note

7

Lior Samuelson
1304 Stamford Way
Reston, VA 20194

Dear Lior,

Exhibit 10.11

November 19, 2013

On behalf of Commtouch Inc. (the “Company”) and Commtouch Software Ltd, the Israeli based parent to the Company (“CTLTD”, together with the 
Company, “Commtouch”), I am pleased to offer you the position of Chief Executive Officer. While your base of operations shall be in the United States 
and your formal employment will be with the Company, you shall act as the Chief Executive Officer of both CTLTD and the Company. You shall report 
to the Board of Directors of CTLTD (“Board”). Additionally, you will remain the Chairman of the Board of the Company and the Board shall nominate 
you for reelection as Chairman of CTLTD at the next regularly scheduled annual shareholders’ meeting as well as nominate you to hold the positions of 
both Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board.

Commencement Date:

Provided you accept the offer contained herein and provided the undersigned Commtouch representative has signed a copy of this offer letter indicating 
Commtouch’s agreement to the terms herein, your term as Chief Executive Officer of Commtouch will commence as soon as the requisite number of 
votes of shareholders approve, which shall be no later than the date of the next regularly scheduled annual shareholders’ meeting currently scheduled for 
December 23, 2013 (“Start Date”). You will be a full-time employee.

Base Compensation and Employment Status:

Your compensation package will include a base salary of $21,000 per month or $252,000 on a yearly basis, based on a full-time schedule. Any 
subsequent year base salaries shall be set in advance of the anniversary of the Start Date.

Salary will be paid in accordance with the Company’s standard payroll practices, currently on a semi-monthly basis. Notwithstanding anything that may 
be interpreted to the contrary herein, your employment shall remain at all times “at will”, and you are classified as an exempt employee.

Chief Executive Officer Bonus for 2014

As Chief Executive Officer, you will be entitled to earn an annual MBO bonus of $90,000; 85% based on performance and 15% discretionary.

i. Performance Bonus: If during the 2014 calendar year, the Commtouch organization meets certain pre-defined (by the Compensation Committee) 
financial performance metrics, as evidenced by the consolidated financial statements of the CTLTD, pre-defined employee KPIs and the Compensation 
Committee’s evaluation; all in accordance with and subject to the Executive Compensation Policy applicable to corporate officers (a copy of which is 
attached to this offer letter as Exhibit “A”), you shall earn an annual bonus 85% of $90,000 for your service in 2014 calendar year as a senior corporate 
officer.

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

ii. Discretionary Bonus: Should the Compensation Committee determine that sufficient progress has been made in the advance of general organization 
goals during the 2014 calendar year, the Compensation Committee will authorize payment to you of an additional bonus of up to 15% of $90,000 for your 
service in 2014 calendar year as a senior corporate officer.

In addition to the terms stated above, the earning of the aforementioned bonuses is conditioned on your remaining in the role of Chief Executive Officer 
through the date the bonuses are to be paid – subject to the provisions below under the “Termination” section. Any bonuses earned by you for a given 
year in accordance with the above shall be paid on April 1 of the following year.

For your first partial year of employment as Chief Executive Officer or if subsequently the Company terminates your employment for any reason other 
than Good Cause (as that term is defined below), you shall be entitled to a pro rata amount of your annual MBO bonus earned upon the date of 
termination of your employment as Chief Executive Officer. Should you voluntarily terminate your employment as Chief Executive Officer prior to the 
end of one year, you shall not be entitled to any MBO compensation for the year in which your termination occurred.

A MBO bonus earned by you for a given year in accordance with the above shall be paid following the end of a year in accordance with the Executive 
Compensation Policy.

Option Grant:

We will recommend to the Board of Directors or a committee thereof that you receive a grant of 360,000 options for purchase of Ordinary Shares in the 
Company’s parent company, Commtouch Software Ltd., under terms of the Company’s U.S. stock option plan and subject to the applicable option 
agreement. Your grant, if approved, will vest over a four year period, with the first 25% vesting twelve months following the grant date and thereafter in 
equal monthly increments for thirty six months, assuming your continued employment. The Grant Date will be the date that the Board of Directors or 
committee thereof approves the grant and have an exercise price equal to the fair market value of an Ordinary Share on the grant date.

Additionally, we will recommend that your option grant agreement include an acceleration of vesting provision in the event of a the sale of all or 
substantially all the assets of the Company; any merger, consolidation or acquisition of the Company with, by or into another corporation, entity or 
person; or any change in the ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting capital stock of the Company in one or more related transactions 
(“Change in Control”).

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

2

Employee Benefits/Vacation Accrual: 

Provided that you timely complete all necessary applications/relevant documents, once you become a full-time employee you will be eligible to 
participate in our standard employee benefit plans, as they are currently defined and as modified from time to time by the Company.

You will accrue vacation at a rate of four (4) weeks per year, in accordance with Company policy, as set forth in the Employee Manual, subject to the 
Company’s policies as to carrying over and cashing out vacation.

Place of Employment 

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, you are required to work out of the Company’s office in McLean, VA Monday through Friday of each week, subject 
to the Company’s holiday schedule as published from time to time. Travel to other locations may be necessary to fulfill your responsibilities, and you will 
be visiting CTLTD and the Company’s offices in California, Germany and Iceland.

In addition to the Company’s travel policy, the company will pay for all housing expenses, e.g., corporate housing, rent for local housing, related to time 
spent visiting CTLTD up to a maximum for $25,000 per year.

Termination

You shall serve as an “at will” employee and, therefore, your employment (including these terms) may be terminated at any time by either the Company 
or you. Notwithstanding, both you and the Company agree to give each other 30 days’ advance written notice of termination. However, the Company may 
terminate your employment for Good Cause without such advance notice. “Good Cause” shall mean (i) an action by you involving a willful and wholly 
wrongful act; (ii) your being convicted of, or pleading guilty to, a felony; (iii) an intentional, material and substantial violation by you of a Company rule, 
regulation, policy or procedure; or (iv) a substantial and material neglect of your duties.

i.

Should the Company terminate your employment other than for Good Cause or disability, you shall be entitled to a severance as follows:

a. A one-time payment equal to 6 multiplied by your current monthly base salary at the time notice of termination was given, plus an 

amount equal to one half of the annual allotment of vacation days.

b. Payment of your costs of securing continued medical, dental and vision coverage through COBRA (or the relevant state equivalent, if 
applicable) for a period of up to six months following termination (subject only to your electing and remaining eligible for such 
coverage), unless providing such reimbursement would be treated as discriminatory under applicable tax or other law. The Company 
will be billed directly for COBRA amounts.

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

3

ii.

iii.

c. The options that would have vested in the six months following termination will be accelerated and deemed vested.

d. The bonuses provided for in this letter and later agreed upon, may be earned, pursuant to the conditions stated above, and, if so earned, 

will be paid pro rata for that part of the year that you worked

e. The option exercise period for all stock options that are vested at the date of termination shall be extended to end on 180th calendar day 
following the date of termination (but in no event later than the expiration date of the term of such options as set forth in the option 
agreement(s)).

Payment of your severance under paragraphs a. and b. above shall be made within forty-five days following termination of your 
employment as Chief Executive Officer, provided you sign a release with the terms set out in section iii. below that is effective by the earlier 
of the 60th day after employment ends or such date as the Company specifies in the release. Payments would then be made after the release 
becomes effective. Payment of your severance under paragraph d. shall be paid at the time indicated under the bonus section above. The 
Company shall be entitled to withhold from the gross amount of the severance payment any amount on behalf of taxes, etc., as required by 
law, and the net amount paid to you shall be considered full and final payment of severance hereunder by the Company. You also agree that 
the provisions of Exhibit C apply to your compensation in accordance with its terms.

Subject to the applicability of this Termination section and the Company accordingly fully performing its obligations thereunder and as 
required by law, you agree to waive the right to make any and all claims, actions or demands of any kind against CTLTD or the Company, 
or any affiliates, subsidiaries, assignees, successors, employees, officers or directors thereof relating to the termination of your employment 
and your terms of employment, including any alleged right to additional compensation (collective, “Claims”). In this regard, you also 
waive, release and promise never to assert any such Claims, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected against CTLTD or the Company 
and/or their affiliates, subsidiaries, assignees, successors, employees, directors or agents, whether or not you are aware of the nature or 
extent of the Claims at the time that the General Release becomes effective. You therefore waive your rights under Section 1542 of the 
California Civil Code or the similar law of any other State. Section 1542 states:

“A General Release does not extend to Claims which the Creditor does not know or suspect to exist in his favor at the time of 
executing the General Release, which, if known to him must have materially affected his settlement with the Debtor.”

iv.

Prior to your departure (whether voluntarily or involuntarily), you shall be obligated to make all reasonable efforts to transfer your 
responsibility to your successor or supervisor, by assisting and coordinating with such person and helping familiarize him/her with the 
Company/CTLTD and your responsibilities.

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

4

Additional Terms

Any usage of a home office must receive the advance permission of the Compensation Committee. You agree that any such usage is not at the request of 
the Company, and you voluntarily waive any and all claims against the Company arising out of or relating to the use of your home, or a portion thereof, as 
an office on behalf of Commtouch, including claims relating to the sufficiency of the space utilized in performing your duties for Commtouch. 
Furthermore, you agree to fully indemnify and hold harmless Commtouch against any claims of any kind pertaining to your home, including those 
relating to your possession, upkeep, usage, ownership or rental of your home. The Company will provide for a personal computer that can be used at your 
home office or in the Company offices, and will reimburse you for telephonic communications charges directly relating to Company business performed 
at your home office.

Any expenses incurred by you shall be reimbursed by the Company upon receipt of an appropriate expense report. Appropriate expense reports shall be 
submitted by you in a timely manner, in accordance with Company policy, namely within two weeks of the incurrence of the expense. The failure to 
timely submit expense reports may be deemed by the Company, in its sole discretion, as sufficient cause to reject a request for reimbursement. Expense 
reimbursements are further subject to the terms of Exhibit C hereto.

Should you agree to employment as described herein, the terms described in this letter, as well as the policies and conditions set forth in the Company’s 
Employee Manual and periodic Company written updates, shall constitute the terms of your employment. This letter constitutes the entire and final 
expression of the agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements, oral and written, between the 
parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. This letter may only be amended, canceled or discharged or any obligations thereunder waived 
through a writing signed by you and the Chair of the Compensation Committee or any executive officer of the Company (other than you) duly authorized 
either by the Board or the Compensation Committee. You are encouraged to review the Company’s Employee Manual, a copy of which will be provided 
to you at the offices of the Company.

In signing this letter, you agree that the procedural and substantive laws of Virginia, without regard to laws pertaining to conflicts of law, shall govern 
your employment. Furthermore, any dispute arising hereunder, including both statutory and non-statutory claims, initially shall be referred to mediation in 
accordance with the Mediation Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit “B”. Thereafter, if the parties are unable to resolve a dispute via mediation, the 
parties may bring any action before the courts or other governmental bodies having proper jurisdiction in the matter. TO THE EXTENT NOT 
PROHIBITED BY APPLICABLE LAW THAT CANNOT BE WAIVED, THE COMPANY AND YOU HEREBY WAIVE, AND COVENANT THAT 
THEY WILL NOT ASSERT (WHETHER AS PLAINTIFF, DEFENDANT OR OTHERWISE), ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, 
SUIT OR OTHER PROCEEDING ARISING IN WHOLE OR IN PART UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS LETTER, WHETHER NOW 
EXISTING OR HEREAFTER ARISING, AND WHETHER SOUNDING IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, THE PARTIES AGREE THAT 
ANY PARTY MAY FILE A COPY OF THIS PARAGRAPH WITH ANY COURT AS WRITTEN EVIDENCE OF THE KNOWING, VOLUNTARY 
AND BARGAINED-FOR AGREEMENT AMONG THE PARTIES IRREVOCABLY TO WAIVE THEIR RIGHTS TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY 
PROCEEDING WHATSOEVER BETWEEN THEM RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR TO ANY OF THE MATTERS CONTEMPLATED 
UNDER THIS LETTER, RELATING TO YOUR EMPLOYMENT.

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

5

All notices required or permitted under this letter must be in writing and will be deemed effective upon personal delivery or three business days following 
deposit in a United States Post Office, by certified mail, postage prepaid, or one business day after it is sent for next-business day delivery via a reputable 
nationwide overnight courier service in the case of notice to the Company at its then principal headquarters, and in the case of notice to you to the current 
address on file with the Company. Notice to the Company must include a separate notice to the General Counsel of the Company. Either party may 
change the address to which notices are to be delivered by giving notice of such change to the other party in the manner set forth in this paragraph.

Please confirm your acceptance by signing and returning a copy of this letter along with the attached Acceptance and Acknowledgment Form and Exhibit 
“B”. This offer is contingent upon its acceptance by November 19, 2013. You will be required to sign an appropriate NDA and inventions assignment 
concurrent with the commencement of your employment.

Lior, we are excited about the possibility of having you become an employee and begin your service in the Chief Executive Officer role and look forward 
to a productive future together. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

/s/ Yair Bar-Touv
Name
Compensation Committee, Chair

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

6

ACCEPTANCE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have read, understand and accept the foregoing terms of employment.

I understand that this letter does not constitute a contract of employment for any specific period of time but will create an “employment at will”
relationship where the relationship can be terminated by me or by the Company at any time for any reason, with or without cause. This statement 
supersedes any contrary representations, which may have been made to me.

I understand that this offer of employment is contingent upon my providing verification of my eligibility to work in the United States per the Public Law, 
the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. I will also be expected to complete and execute an Employee Invention Assignment and 
Confidentiality Agreement, an employment application, and an agreement to comply with the Company’s policies and guidelines as a condition of 
employment.

I understand that you do not wish me to utilize any confidential or proprietary material of any former employer in performing my duties for the Company, 
or to violate any obligation to my former employers, and I have not and will not do so.

Acknowledged, Accepted and Agreed on November 19, 2013.

Lior Samuelson
Name

/s/ Lior Samuelson
Signature

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

7

EXHIBIT “A”
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION POLICY

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

8

EXHIBIT “B”
EFFECT OF SECTION 409A OF THE CODE

Six Month Delay. If and to the extent any portion of any payment, compensation or other benefit provided to you in connection with 

your employment termination is determined to constitute “nonqualified deferred compensation” within the meaning of Section 409A and you are 
a specified employee as defined in Section 409A(a)(2)(B)(i) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (“Section 409A”), as determined by the 
Company in accordance with its procedures, by which determination you hereby agree that you are bound, such portion of the payment, 
compensation or other benefit shall not be paid before the earlier of (i) the expiration of the six month period measured from the date of your 
“separation from service” (as determined under Section 409A) or (ii) the tenth day following the date of your death following such separation 
from service (the “New Payment Date” ). The aggregate of any payments that otherwise would have been paid to you during the period between 
the date of separation from service and the New Payment Date shall be paid to you in a lump sum in the first payroll period beginning after such 
New Payment Date, and any remaining payments will be paid on their original schedule.

General 409A Principles. For purposes of the letter to which this Exhibit is attached (the “letter”), a termination of employment or 

Separation from Service will mean a “separation from service” as defined in Section 409A and the regulations and other guidance issued 
thereunder. For purposes of the letter, each amount to be paid or benefit to be provided will be construed as a separate identified payment for 
purposes of Section 409A, and any payments that are due within the “short term deferral period” as defined in Section 409A or paid in a manner 
consistent with Treas. Reg. § 1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) will not be treated as deferred compensation unless applicable law requires otherwise. Neither 
the Company nor you will have the right to accelerate or defer the delivery of any such payments or benefits except to the extent specifically 
permitted or required by Section 409A. The letter is intended to comply with the provisions of Section 409A and letter shall, to the extent 
practicable, be construed in accordance therewith. Terms defined in the letter or this Exhibit will have the meanings given such terms under 
Section 409A if and to the extent required to comply with Section 409A. In any event, the Company makes no representations or warranty and 
will have no liability to you or any other person if any provisions of or payments under the letter or this Exhibit are determined to constitute 
deferred compensation subject to Code Section 409A but not to satisfy the conditions of that section.

Expense Timing. Payments with respect to reimbursements of business expenses will be made in the ordinary course in accordance 

with the Company’s procedures (generally within ___ days after you have submitted appropriate documentation, which you must do within two 
weeks after incurring the expenses) and, in any case, on or before the last day of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the 
relevant expense is incurred. The amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement, or in-kind benefits provided, during a calendar year may not 
affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement, or in-kind benefits to be provided, in any other calendar year, and the right to reimbursement or 
in-kind benefits is not subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.

www.commtouch.com
7925 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 5200, McLean, VA 22102 ● tel: 703-760-3320 ● fax: 703-760-3321

9

Exhibit 10.12

Employment Agreement

Made and entered into in Herzliya on May 16, 2013
Between
Commtouch Software Ltd. 
1 Sapir St., Herzliya
(Hereinafter: the “Company”)

And 
Name: Lior Kohavi
7 Ella St., Ramat HaSharon
(Hereinafter: the “Employee”)

Whereas the Company wishes to hire the Employee as CTO, all subject to and in accordance with the provisions of this agreement;

The parties have therefore agreed and stipulated between them as follows:

1.

Preamble and Interpretation

1.1.

1.2.

1.3.

The preamble to this agreement is an integral part hereof.

Section titles appear for convenience purposes only and they may not be used in the interpretation of this agreement.

Anything written in the masculine is considered to be written in the feminine, as applicable.

2.

The Parties’ Representations

The parties represent and agree as follows:

2.1.

2.2.

2.3.

This is a personal, specific agreement that governs the relationship between the Company and the Employee, and therefore, no
general and/or specific collective agreement that applies to Company’s employees, if any, will apply to the Employee.

This agreement exhausts all payments and/or benefits and/or other terms of any kind and type to which the Employee is entitled
from  the  Company,  and  the  Employee  will  not  be  entitled  to  any  payment  and/or  benefit  from  the  Company  unless  they  are
expressly set forth in this agreement.

The relationship  between  the  Employee and the Company will not  be subject  to any custom between  the Company and other
employees, if any, and/or to any practice, unless they are expressly adopted in this agreement, and to the extent that they are thus
adopted. If the Company gives the Employee any benefit or payment which is not set forth in this agreement in a particular case
– such grant will not establish a custom between the parties and/or obligate the Company in additional or other cases.

3.

Job Description

3.1.

3.2.

4.

Salary

It is hereby agreed that the Employee will work at the Company and the Company will hire him for this position. The Company
may change the tasks the Employee will be required to carry out within his position, as it will see fit at its exclusive discretion,
from time to time.

With regards to the performance of his role, the Employee will be subordinate to a superior on the Company’s behalf, and he
will follow his instructions, according to the Company’s policy and procedures, as applicable from time to time.

4.1.

The Employee’s gross monthly salary will be NIS 49,600 (hereinafter: the “Base Salary”).

In  addition,  the  Employee  will  be  entitled  to  a  NIS  12,400  global  monthly  payment  for  overtime  work  (hereinafter:  the
“Overtime Pay”). The Company will pay the Employee the Overtime Pay ex gratia, regardless of whether or not the Employee
worked overtime in the relevant month. If the Company is required to make any additional payment for overtime, the Employee
will  return  all  amounts  the  Company  paid  as  Overtime  Pay  to  the  Company,  plus  all  fringe  benefits  paid  with  respect  to  that
component.  As  the  Employee’s  position  requires  an  extraordinary  level  of  personal  trust,  the  Employee  might  have  to  work
beyond the standard work hours. Regardless, the Employee will not be entitled to any additional consideration due to overtime
work in addition to the Overtime Pay. The Base Salary and the Overtime Pay are referred to hereinafter as the “Salary.” The
Salary includes payment for travel expenses.

The Salary will be paid to the Employee on the dates the Company will stipulate, but no later than the 9th of each month with
respect to the past month.

4.2.

4.3.

The Salary will be updated according to the provisions of the general market-wide collective agreements regarding cost-of-living
increases.

The  Employee  accepts  that  the  Company  will  make  the  permissible  deductions  out  of  the  Salary  according  to  the  Wage
Protection Law, 1958.

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5.

Bonus Plan

1.1.

1.2

1.3.

1.4.

1.5.

1.6.

1.7.

1.8.

The Company intends to give the Employee an annual bonus according to the plan that the Company may revise and modify
from time to time at its exclusive discretion.

The Employee will be entitled to a bonus payment that will be determined, inter alia, based on his annual evaluation, which is
based on criteria that match the terms of the bonus plan (see the bonus objectives section).

If in the first year of his employment, the Employee did not work for a full fiscal year, the bonus will be calculated according to
the part of the year in which the Employee worked in practice.

An employee who stops being a Company employee for any reason whatsoever prior to the end of the fiscal year will not be
entitled to a bonus.

The bonus payment will not be considered part of the Salary and no fringe benefits will be paid with respect to it.

The bonus will be paid after the Company’s Board of Directors confirms the Company’s annual results.

The bonus plan’s initial objectives will be defined for the Employee in the first month of his employment, according to the MBO
(Management by Objectives) Model the Company implements.

As a signing bonus, the Employee will receive $20,000 for the first year of his employment in the Company, and $20,000 for the
second year of his employment at the Company. If the Employee leaves the Company before a year has passed from the bonus
date – he will return the bonus to the Company on the day he leaves.

3

The bonus objectives: 30% of the annual salary: NIS 223,200.

6.

Annual Leave

6.1.

6.2.

7.

Sick Leave

7.1.

7.2.

The Employee will be entitled to 24 days of annual leave.

The Employee will coordinate his vacations with his superiors in the Company and will take its needs into account.

The Employee will be entitled to sick leave, as stipulated by law, after presentation of a sick note by a qualified physician.

The parties agree that sick leave may not be redeemed during the term of employment and after the employee-employer relations
comes to an end.

8.

9.

Convalescence Pay

The Employee is entitled to convalescence pay at the terms and at the rates stipulated in the law.

Fringe benefits – the Company will duly make payments to the National Insurance Institute on your behalf.

You will be included in an executive insurance policy, as follows:

Executive insurance –The Company will pay 8.3% of you Salary on your behalf (not including additions and/or benefits) for
the policy’s severance pay component. This amount will be distributed according to the Employee’s instructions to the insurance
agent,  provided  that  it  does  not  exceed  8.3%  of  your  monthly  Salary.  Furthermore,  the  Company  will  contribute  5%  of  your
above-mentioned monthly Salary with respect to the executive insurance policy’s benefits component, on the condition that you
contribute an amount equal to 5% of your monthly Salary, through the Company. Moreover, the Company will make a monthly
contribution for employment disability insurance according to the Company’s custom, as a derivative of the gross Salary.

4

From the first day of your employment, a continuing education fund will be opened for you – the Company will contribute
7.5%  of  your  monthly  Salary  and  also  deduct  2.5%  of  your  monthly  Salary  for  said  continuing  education  fund,  all  up  to  the
statutory cap.

Moreover, the Company will pay you, as a monthly bonus, the difference (NIS 3471.6) between the Company’s contribution up
to the above cap (7.5% x NIS 15,712) and the Company’s full contribution (7.5% x 62,000) based on your Salary. This bonus
will  be  canceled  if  the  Company  decides  to  make  full  contributions  with  respect  to  the  continuing  education  fund  for  all
Company employees.

10.

Work Hours

The work hours quota is based on 43 work hours a week, and your Salary is global; the Company is not committed to any quota of hours.
The hours quota will be determined by the Company’s management, according to the Company’s needs, as applicable from time to time.

11.

The Company’s Option Plan 

You will be entitled to 270,000 options, subject to the approval of the Company’s Board of Directors. At the recommendation of your
superiors and subject to your achievements, you will be included in other Company option plans.

Additionally,  we  will  recommend  that  your  option  grant  agreement  include  an  acceleration  of  vesting  provision  in  the  event  that  the
Company is the target of an acquisition by third party i.e. 100% vesting if you are terminated as a result of the acquisition, and 50% at
closing if you remain with the Company and 50% on the earlier of your one year anniversary of the acquisition on your termination by the
successor Company thereafter.

12.

Vehicle – you are eligible to participate in the Company’s leasing program, which is an integral part of this contract. In the framework of
this plan, you may use a Company car and the monthly cost of the lease will be deducted from your gross Salary, as set forth in section 4.

5

13.

The Employee’s Undertakings

13.1.

13.2.

13.3.

13.4.

The  Employee  undertakes  to  dedicate  his  time,  energy,  skill,  knowledge,  and  experience  to  his  work  at  the  Company,  to  the
extent required of him, to work for it faithfully and act to the best of his ability to advance the Company’s business and interests.

The Employee will not receive any consideration or any benefit from any entity whatsoever in connection with his work at the
Company, including from Company customers or vendors, directly or indirectly.

The Employee undertakes to immediately notify the Company of any matter or subject in which he has a personal interest and
that might cause a conflict of interests with his work in the Company.

The Employee declares and undertakes that the execution hereof and the performance of the duties do not constitute a breach of
any previous undertaking, express or implicit, to which the Employee is subject under any agreement and/or under any law.

14.

Employment Start Date

This agreement is made for an undefined period commencing on June 1, 2013.

15.

Termination of the Employee-Employer Relationship

If either party wishes to terminate this contract, it must give the other party 90 days written notice. The foregoing notwithstanding, the
Company may terminate the agreement immediately subject to payment in lieu of prior notice. The foregoing notwithstanding, until the
first three months of employment have passed, the parties will be obligated to give prior notice pursuant to the Prior Notice Law, 2001. In
any event in which either you or the Company have given such notice, the Company may terminate your employment on the notice date
or at any time thereafter, provided that the advance notice fee is paid.

This section will not apply if it transpires that you are in breach of this contract and/or have acted dishonestly and/or unfaithfully toward
the Company and/or you are convicted with an offense involving moral turpitude and/or another offense whose circumstances, ethically,
are  such  that  the  Company  will  be  of  the  opinion  that  your  continued  employment  will  cause  the  Company  harm.  In  such  case,  the
Company  may  terminate  your  employment  with  no  advance  notice,  and  you  will  not  be  entitled  to  severance  pay.  Upon  notice  of  the
termination of your employment and/or the termination of your employment for any reason whatsoever, you undertake to transfer your
position at the Company to a person whose identity the Company will determine, upon the Company’s demand, in an orderly fashion, to
the Company’s satisfaction, at the time and in the manner the Company shall determine. If such a transfer of position is required after the
end of the advance notice period and/or after the termination of your employment at the Company, as applicable, you will be entitled to
wages (with no extras) for the days you will fulfill your above undertaking.

6

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

The Employee will sign a declaration of nondisclosure and non-compete as set forth in Appendix A.

All rules and guidelines in place at the Company, as they apply on the date hereof and as the Company may modify and adjust them from
time to time, regarding all or some of the Company’s employees, as applicable, also apply to the Employee and are considered a part of the
terms hereof.

This is a personal, special agreement that governs the relationship between the Employee and the Company and that exclusively establishes
the terms of his employment at the Company. No agreement, memorandum, understanding, promise, representation, custom, or summary,
whether made in writing and/or orally between the parties before this agreement, shall have any effect.

The  terms  of  this  agreement  and  the  appendixes  thereto  are  confidential  and  are  considered  “Confidential  Information,” as  defined  in
Appendix  A.  Without  derogating  from  the  contents  of  Appendix  A,  you  undertake  to  keep  the  agreement  and  its  specific  details  in
confidence (including the terms of the Employee’s employment at the Company) and not to disclose them to any third party.

Titles in this agreement and its appendixes are intended for convenience only and may not be used in the interpretation of this agreement or
its appendixes.

If any one or more of the provisions of this agreement and its appendixes is found to be unenforceable or somehow invalid, this will not
affect or detract from the legality, force, and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this agreement or its appendixes.

This  offer will only take  effect as  a binding agreement  after you sign  this  document  on  its  margins and deliver it to your superior in  the
Company, no later than May 14, 2013.

23.

Lior, we wish you and us good luck on our journey.

In witness whereof the parties have set their hand:

/s/ Lior Samuelson
The Company

/s/ Lior Kohavi
The Employee

7

Appendix A

Nondisclosure and Non-Compete

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

For purposes of this appendix – “Confidential Information” means any information that is in any way recognized as Company information
that the Employee received from the Company or during the course of his work at the Company or in his capacity as a Company employee,
directly or indirectly, in the past, present, or future, in writing, orally, and/or otherwise, including information that concerns the Company’s
and/or  third  parties’ commercial  or  business  activities  in  any  way  relating  to  the  Company,  professional,  financial,  and  marketing
information, customer lists, work methods, procedures, and information that concerns an email project and information that will be gathered
and/or accumulated by the Employee in connection with the above objectives, including information that concerns the Company’s and/or
third parties’ business and commercial activities that in any way concern the Company. It is clarified that all of the foregoing Confidential
Information is the exclusive property of the Company.

“Vendor” – means  a  person,  company,  agency,  partnership,  government  entity,  or  any  other  local  or  foreign  entity  that  provides  and/or
markets and/or sells and/or leases and/or rents and/or transfers to the Company and/or through it, products and/or services and/or rights, of
any  kind,  directly  or  indirectly,  including  anyone  providing  services  and/or  consulting  to  the  Company  and/or  through  it,  directly  or
indirectly, in Israel or abroad, in any of the Company’s fields of business.

“Company” – refers to Commtouch Software Ltd. and any subsidiary, affiliated company, and/or related company, and any entity under its
control.

The Employee is aware and accepts that the contents of this appendix are intended to protect the Company’s and the Employee’s fair and
legitimate interests, and the Employee is aware of the importance of these clauses to the Company and its past and future business activity.

Nondisclosure

During the term of his employment, the Employee undertakes not to transfer or use the Company’s Confidential Information except within
the Company and for it, for its benefit only; he will not disclose or distribute any Confidential Information, directly or indirectly; he will
keep  everything  that  concerns  the  Company’s  business  and  affairs  secret  and  will  in  no  way  harm  the  Company’s  reputation  and/or  its
clientele. Is clarified that the undertaking in this subsection is for an unlimited time.

At all times after the end of the Employee’s employment at the Company, the Employee undertakes not to transfer or use the Company’s
Confidential Information; he will not disclose or distribute any Confidential Information, directly or indirectly; he will keep everything that
concerns  the  Company’s  business  and  affairs  in  confidence  and  will  in  no  way  harm  the  Company’s  reputation  and/or  its  clientele.  It  is
clarified that the undertaking in this subsection is not limited in time.

The  Employee  undertakes  to  use  maximum  caution  to  prevent  any  third  party  from  becoming  aware  of  or  receiving  any  Confidential
Information.

Without detracting from the generality of the foregoing, the Employee undertakes not to remove any object and/or document and/or product
and/or  material  and/or  Confidential  Information  he  will  receive  within  the  framework  of  his  work  at  the  Company  from  the  Company’s
offices, including if these were prepared in the course of his work at the Company and/or in connection with it and/or in connection with its
businesses and/or plans, other than as part of his duties.

The  Employee  will  not  copy  and/or  allow  others  to  duplicate,  copy,  photocopy,  print,  and/or  otherwise  make  a  copy  of  the  Confidential
Information, except within his position.

The Employee states that all documents and/or product and/or software and/or other objects received by him in the course of his work for
the  Company  will  be  the  exclusive  property  of  the  Company  at  all  times,  and  the  Employee  waives  any  right  of  lien  or  attachment  with
respect to such a document and/or object. For the avoidance of doubt, this also applies to photocopies and/or copies of such documents.

Immediately  upon  the  end  of  the  Employee’s  employment  at  the  Company,  for  any  reason  whatsoever,  the  Employee  will  return  all
Confidential Information and/or any Company material in his possession, if any, to the Company.

A-1

6.

Service Inventions

The  Employee  hereby  declares  and  undertakes  that  any  invention,  development,  and/or  idea  and/or  sample  and/or  model  and/or  program
and/or algorithm (hereinafter: “Service Invention”) that will be made and/or developed in the course of and/or as a result of his work at the
Company, on his own or with others, will be the exclusive property of the Company, and he does not nor will he have any right whatsoever
to them. Without derogating from the above, the Employee hereby grants and assigns any right whatsoever if and when such a right may
exist  to  the  Company  in  advance.  This  section  does  not  derogate  from  the  provisions  of  any  law.  The  salary  the  Company  pays  the
Employee is and will be the full and final consideration paid for all rights in such a Service Invention.

The Employee undertakes to notify the Company immediately of any invention, development, enhancement, or method that are in any way
relevant to the Company’s engagements. The Employee also undertakes to sign any document the Company and/or others on its behalf may
require at any time, upon demand, to protect any Service Invention and/or transfer it to the Company pursuant to this document.

The Employee declares and confirms that his inventions, alone and/or with others, before he started working at the Company are the ones
listed below and he has no other besides them:

7.

Non-Compete

Throughout the entire term of the Employee’s employment at the Company, the Employee undertakes not to engage in any subject related to
all types of email, and not to compete against the Company in any way whatsoever; not to work and/or engage in any other occupation that
may harm the Company and/or the performance of his duties, directly or indirectly, and as part of this, not to engage in direct or indirect
commercial  relationships  with  the  Company’s  customers  and/or  vendors  regarding  any  product  and/or  service  the  Company  markets  or
provides.

For  six  months  following  the  end of  the  Employee’s  employment  at  the  Company  (hereinafter:  the  “Additional  Period”),  the  Employee
undertakes not to engage in any matter that concerns all kinds of antispam, and not to compete in any way in any area in the Company’s
field  of  business  in  which  he  was  directly  involved,  not  to  engage  any  direct  or  indirect  commercial  relationship  with  the  Company’s
customers and/or vendors regarding any product and/or service the Company markets or provides.

Throughout the Additional Period, the Employee will not work, directly and/or indirectly, for any of the Company’s customers and/or agents
and/or vendors and/or distributors, with whom he has a direct relationship or if it involves competition against the Company and/or harm to
its interests and/or disclosure of Company commercial secrets and/or Confidential Information.

Throughout the Additional Period, for whatever reason, the Employee will not engage in any occupation or provide any service that may
place it in competition against the Company or in conflict of interest with it, unless he received the Company’s prior written consent.

Each of the provisions of this appendix is independent and separate, gives rise to additional liability, and they are cumulative with respect to
the remaining provisions hereof.

The provisions hereof do not detract from, but rather add to, the provisions of any law.

/s/ Lior Kohavi
Employee’s name and signature

A-2

8.

9.

19.5.13
Date

Amendment to Section 15 of the May 16, 2013 Employment Contract
Between Lior Kohavi, I.D. No. 024966509 (hereinafter: the “Employee”)
And Cyren Ltd. (formerly Commtouch Software Ltd) (hereinafter: the “Company”)

Below are details of the amended section:

If  either  party  wishes  to  terminate  this  contract,  it  must  give  the  other  party  90  days  written  notice.  The  foregoing  notwithstanding,  the
Company may terminate the agreement immediately subject to payment in lieu of prior notice. The foregoing notwithstanding, during the first
three months of employment, the parties will be obligated to give prior notice pursuant to the Prior Notice Law, 2001. In any event in which
either you or the Company have given such notice, the Company may terminate your employment on the notice date or at any time thereafter,
provided that the advance notice fee is paid. At the end of your employment and subject to the provisions of any law, the Company will release
the executive insurance policy and continuing education fund to you, including contributions made to said fund as severance pay.

At  the  end  of  your  employment  and  subject  to  the  provisions  of  any  law,  the  Company  will  release  the  executive  insurance  policy  and
continuing  education  fund  to  you,  including  contributions  made  to  said  fund  as  severance  pay.  The  foregoing  notwithstanding  and  without
derogating  from  the  provisions  of  any  law,  the  Company  reserves  the  right  not  to  transfer  the  severance  pay  accumulated  in  the  executive
insurance/allowance/pension policy to the Employee, if he did not complete a term of 12 consecutive months of employment.

This section will not apply if it transpires that you are in breach of this contract and/or have acted dishonestly and/or unfaithfully toward the
Company and/or you are charged with an offense involving moral turpitude and/or another offense whose circumstances, ethics-wise, are such
that  the  Company  will  be  of  the  opinion  that  your  continued  employment  will  cause  the  Company  harm.  In  such  case,  the  Company  may
terminate  your  employment  with  no  advance  notice,  and  you  will  not  be  entitled  to  severance  pay.  Upon  notice  of  the  termination  of  your
employment and/or the termination of your employment for any reason whatsoever, you undertake to transfer your position at the Company to
a person whose identity the Company will determine, upon the Company’s demand, in an orderly fashion, to the Company’s satisfaction, at the
time and in the manner the Company shall determine. If such a transfer of position is required after the end of the advance notice period and/or
after the termination of your employment at the Company, as applicable, you will be entitled to wages (with no additions) due to the workdays
in which you will perform your foregoing duty.

All other sections of the agreement remain unchanged.

Signed by:

/s/ Lior Kohavi 
The Employee

/s/ Lior Samuelson 
The Company 

A-3

Exhibit 10.13

EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT

1. CYREN GmbH

and

2. Atif Ahmed

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TERM OF APPOINTMENT
EMPLOYEE WARRANTIES
DUTIES
PLACE OF WORK
HOURS OF WORK
SALARY
EXPENSES
COMMISSION PAYMENTS
PRIVATE INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS
CAR ALLOWANCE
HOLIDAYS
INCAPACITY
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
PAYMENT IN LIEU OF NOTICE
TERMINATION WITHOUT NOTICE
GARDEN LEAVE
OBLIGATIONS ON TERMINATION
POST-TERMINATION RESTRICTIONS
DISCIPLINARY AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
DATA PROTECTION
COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS
ENTIRE AGREEMENT
VARIATION
THIRD PARTY RIGHTS
AGREED TERMS / INTERPRETATIONS
GOVERNING LAW AND JURISDICTION
MISCELLANEOUS

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PARTIES

(1)

(2)

1.

1.1

1.2

1.3

1.4

2.

2.1

2.2

3.

3.1

CYREN GmbH incorporated and registered in Germany whose registered office is at Hardenbergplatz 2, D-10623 Berlin, Germany (the 
“Company”).

Atif Ahmed of 13 Sylverns Court, Warfield, Berkshire, RG42 3SL, United Kingdom - (the “Employee”).

Term of Appointment

The Appointment shall be deemed to have commenced on the Commencement Date (Employee start date will be July 11, 2016) and shall 
continue, subject to the remaining terms of this agreement, until terminated by either party giving the other not less than 90 days’ to the end of 
the month prior notice in writing.

The first 6 months of the Appointment shall be a probationary period and the Appointment may be terminated during this period at any time on 
one month’s notice or payment in lieu of notice. The Company may, at its discretion, extend the probationary period for up to a further 3 months. 
During the probationary period the Employee’s performance and suitability for continued employment will be monitored. At the end of the 
probationary period the Employee will be informed in writing if he has successfully completed his probationary period.

No employment with a previous employer counts towards the Employee’s period of continuous employment with the Company.

The Employee consents to the transfer of his employment under this agreement to an Associated Employer at any time during the Appointment.

Employee warranties

The Employee represents and warrants to the Company that, by entering into this agreement or performing any of his obligations under it, he will 
not be in breach of any express or implied terms of any contract or other obligation binding on him.

The Employee warrants that he is entitled to work in the United Kingdom without any additional approvals and will notify the Company 
immediately if he ceases to be so entitled during the Appointment.

Duties

The Employee shall serve the Company as Vice President, Sales - EMEA or such other role as the Company considers appropriate to the 
Employee’s skills and experience.

3.2

During the Appointment the Employee shall:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

Unless prevented by Incapacity, devote the whole of his time, attention and abilities to the business of the Company;

faithfully and diligently exercise such powers and perform such duties as may from time to time be assigned to him by the Company 
together with such person or persons as the Company may appoint to act jointly with him;

comply with all reasonable and lawful directions given to him by the Company;

promptly make such reports to the Chief Executive Officer (Line Manager) in connection with the affairs of the Company on such matters 
and at such times as are reasonably required;

report his own wrongdoing and any wrongdoing or proposed wrongdoing of any other employee or director of the Company to the 
General Manager of the Company immediately on becoming aware of it;

to act in the best interests of the Company and use his best endeavours to promote, protect, develop and extend the business of the 
Company;

consent to the Company monitoring and recording any use that he makes of the Company’s electronic communications systems for the 
purpose of ensuring that the Company’s rules are being complied with and for legitimate business purposes; and

(h)

comply with any electronic communication systems policy that the Company may issue from time to time.

1

3.3

3.4

4.

4.1

4.2

4.3

5.

5.1

5.2

6.

6.1

6.2

6.3

6.4

6.5

7.

7.1

7.2

7.3

The Employee shall comply with any Company rules, policies and procedures issued from time to time. To the extent that there is any conflict 
between the terms of this agreement, the Employee’s offer letter and any Company rules, policies and procedures, this agreement shall prevail.

All documents, manuals, hardware and software provided for the Employee’s use by the Company, and any data or documents (including copies) 
produced, maintained or stored on the Company’s computer systems or other electronic equipment (including mobile phones), remain the 
property of the Company.

Place of Work

The Employee’s normal place of work is at the Employee’s home office or such other place which the Company may reasonably require for the 
proper performance and exercise of his duties.

The Employee agrees to travel on the Company’s or any Group Company’s business (both within the United Kingdom and abroad) as may be 
required for the proper performance of his duties under the Appointment.

During the Appointment the Employee shall not be required to work outside the United Kingdom for any continuous period of more than one 
month.

Hours of Work

The Employee’s normal working hours shall be 9am to 5:30pm on Mondays to Fridays (with a one hour lunch break) and such additional hours 
as are necessary for the proper performance of his duties and allowing for the international nature of the Company’s business and time zone 
differences. The Employee acknowledges that he shall not receive further remuneration in respect of such additional hours.

The Employee agrees to exclude his right to limit working time to 48 hours a week on average under the Working Time Regulations 1998, 
subject to his right to revoke this election on 3 months’ written notice to the Company.

Salary

The Employee shall be paid an initial salary of £150,000 per annum.

The Employee’s salary shall accrue from day to day and be payable monthly in arrears on or about the 30th of each month directly into the 
Employee’s bank or building society.

The Employee’s salary shall be reviewed by his Line Manager annually at the beginning of each calendar year. The Company is under no 
obligation to award an increase following a salary review. There will be no review of the salary after notice has been given by either party to 
terminate the Appointment.

The Company may deduct from the salary, or any other sums owed to the Employee, any money owed to the Company or any Group Company 
by the Employee.

The parent company CYREN Ltd. will recommend to the Board of Directors or a committee thereof that you receive a grant of 140,000 options 
for purchase of Ordinary Shares in CYREN Ltd., under terms of the Company´s stock option plan. Your grant, if approved, will vest over a four 
year period, with the first 25% vesting twelve month following the grant date and thereafter in equal monthly increments for thirty six months. 
The Grant Date will be the date that the Board of Directors or committee thereof approves the grant and have an exercise price equal to the fair 
market value of an Ordinary Share on the grand date.

Expenses

The Company shall reimburse (or procure the reimbursement of) all reasonable expenses wholly, properly and necessarily incurred by the 
Employee in the course of the Appointment, subject to production of VAT receipts or other appropriate evidence of payment.

The Employee shall abide by the Company’s policies on expenses as communicated to him or set out in the Company’s expenses policy from 
time to time.

The Company will provide the employee with a stipend of up to £3,000 for purchasing office equipment as needed to properly conduct the job 
from a home office.

2

8.

8.1

8.2

8.3

8.4

9.

9.1

9.2

10.

10.1

Commission Payments

The Company will pay the Employee commission payments subject to the terms of the Company’s commission plan which will be issued to the 
Employee for each calendar year. In the event a new plan is not formulated and issued to the Employee in any subsequent calendar year, the plan 
for the preceding calendar year shall continue to apply.

The Employee’s anticipated annual variable commission payments are £150,000 per annum.

For the first six months of employment, starting in August 2016, full commission payout in the amount of £12,500 per month is guaranteed, 
provided your employment is not terminated prior to completion of that period (and if terminated, only the amounts covering the period of your 
employment are guaranteed, unless termination was for “cause” as set forth under Section 16.1 below, in which case the guarantee is void). If the 
actual commission earned in those first six months is higher than the guarantee, then the higher amount will be paid out.

Any commission payments shall not be pensionable.

Private Insurance Contributions

The Company will pay to the Employee a contribution towards the cost of private medical insurance of up to £1600 per month, which will be 
payable with and in the same manner as the salary in accordance with Clause 6. The private medical contribution shall not be treated as part of 
the basic salary for any purpose.

The Company will also contribute £5000 per annum as a pension contribution.

Car Allowance

Provided that the Employee holds a current driving license, the Employee shall receive a car allowance for the use of the Employee’s own car of 
£10,000 per annum and 45 pence per mile, which shall be payable together with and in the same manner as the salary in accordance with clause 
6. The car allowance and the miles fees shall not be treated as part of the basic salary for any purpose.

11.

Holidays

11.1

11.2

11.3

11.4

11.5

The Employee shall be entitled to 25 days’ paid holiday in each holiday year in addition to the usual public holidays. The Company’s holiday 
year runs between 1 January and 31 December. If the Appointment commences or terminates part way through a holiday year, the Employee’s 
entitlement during that holiday year shall be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Holiday shall be taken at such time or times as shall be approved in advance by his Line Manager. The Employee shall not without the consent 
of his Line Manager carry forward any accrued but untaken holiday entitlement to a subsequent holiday year.

The Employee shall have no entitlement to any payment in lieu of accrued but untaken holiday except on termination of the Appointment. The 
amount of such payment in lieu shall be 1/260th of the Employee’s full-time equivalent salary for each untaken day of the outstanding 
entitlement.

If, on termination of the Appointment the Employee has taken in excess of his accrued holiday entitlement, the Company shall be entitled to 
recover from the Employee by way of deduction from any payments due to the Employee or otherwise one day’s pay calculated at 1/260th of the 
Employee’s full-time equivalent salary for each excess day.

If either party has served notice to terminate the Appointment, the Company may require the Employee to take any accrued but unused holiday 
entitlement during the notice period. Any accrued but unused holiday entitlement shall be deemed to be taken during any period of Garden Leave 
under clause 17.

3

12.

Incapacity

12.1

12.2

12.3

12.4

If the Employee is unable to come to work for any reason and his absence has not previously been authorised by the Company, the Employee 
must inform his Line Manager and the HR Department of the Company immediately. The Employee must confirm the reasons for absence in 
writing as soon as practicable.

Following the Employee’s return to work after a period of absence due to sickness of 7 calendar days or less the Employee will have to complete 
a self-certification form. Self-certification forms will be retained in our records.

If the Employee is absent from work due to sickness for more than 7 calendar days (including weekends) he must provide the Company with a 
medical certificate by the 8th day of sickness. The Employee must thereafter provide weekly medical certificates to cover any continued absence 
due to the same cause.

Subject to the Employee’s compliance with the Company’s sickness absence procedures (as amended from time to time), he shall continue to 
receive his full salary and contractual benefits during any period of absence due to Incapacity for up to an aggregate of two weeks in any 52 
week period. Such payment shall be inclusive of any statutory sick pay due in accordance with applicable legislation in force at the time of 
absence.

12.5 Whether or not the Employee is absent by reason of Incapacity, he will at the request of the Board agree to have a medical examination by a 

doctor appointed and paid for by the Company. Subject to compliance by the Company with the Access to Medical Reports Act 1998 (if 
applicable), the Employee authorises the Company pursuant to the Access to Medical Reports Act 1988 (if applicable) to have unconditional 
access to any report(s) (including copies) produced as a result of any examination from time to time required by the Board.

13.

Confidential Information

13.1

13.2

13.3

The Employee acknowledges that in the course of the Appointment he will have access to Confidential Information. The Employee has therefore 
agreed to accept the restrictions in this clause 13.

The Employee shall not (except in the proper course of his duties), either during the Appointment or at any time after its termination (however 
arising), use or disclose to any person, company or other organisation whatsoever (and shall use his best endeavours to prevent the publication or 
disclosure of) any Confidential Information. This shall not apply to:

(a)

(b)

(c)

any use or disclosure authorised by the Board or required by law;

any information which is already in, or comes into, the public domain other than through the Employee’s unauthorised disclosure; or

any protected disclosure within the meaning of section 43A of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Confidential Information includes information (whether or not recorded in documentary form, or stored on any magnetic or optical disk or 
memory) relating to the business, products, affairs and finances of the Company or any Group Company for the time being confidential to the 
Company or any Group Company and trade secrets including, without limitation, technical data and know-how relating to the business of the 
Company or any Group Company or any of its or their business contacts, including in particular (by way of illustration only and without 
limitation):

(a) details of the requirements of contractors (whether they be clients, suppliers, consultants or other contractors) of the Company including, 

without limitation, the fees and commissions charged to or by them and the terms of business with them;

(b) any information or document relating to:

(i)

the Company’s expansion plans, business strategy and marketing plans;

(ii) the Company’s financial information, results and forecasts;

(iii) the Company’s employees and officers and of the remuneration and other benefits paid to them; and

(iv) any incident or investigation relating to the Company’s operations or business.

4

(c) information relating to pitches and tenders contemplated, offered or undertaken by the Company; and

(d) confidential reports or research commissioned by or provided to the Company.

14.

Intellectual Property

14.1

The Employee will promptly disclose to the Company and keep confidential all inventions, copyright works, designs or technical know-how 
conceived or made by him alone or with others in the course of his employment. The Executive will hold all such intellectual property on trust 
for the Company and will do everything necessary or desirable or requested by the Company at the Company’s expense to vest the intellectual 
property fully in the Company and/or to secure patent or other appropriate forms of protection for the intellectual property. Decisions as to the 
protection or exploitation of any intellectual property shall be in the absolute discretion of the Company.

15.

Payment in Lieu of Notice

15.1

Notwithstanding clause 1, the Company may, in its sole and absolute discretion, terminate the Appointment at any time and with immediate 
effect by paying a sum in lieu of notice (“Payment in Lieu”) equal to the basic salary (as at the date of termination) which the Employee would 
have been entitled to receive under this agreement during the notice period referred to in clause 1 (or, if notice has already been given, during the 
remainder of the notice period) less income tax and National Insurance contributions. For the avoidance of doubt, the Payment in Lieu shall not 
include any element in relation to:

(a)

(b)

any bonus or commission payments that might otherwise have been due during the period for which the Payment in Lieu is made;

any payment in respect of benefits which the Employee would have been entitled to receive during the period for which the Payment in 
Lieu is made; and

(c)

any payment in respect of any holiday entitlement that would have accrued during the period for which the Payment in Lieu is made.

15.2

The Company may pay any sums due under clause 15.1 in equal monthly instalments until the date on which the notice period referred to at 
clause 1 would have expired if notice had been given. The Employee shall be obliged to seek alternative income during this period and to notify 
the Company of his efforts to do so (including supporting evidence of the same) and of any income so received or otherwise payable to him. The 
instalment payments shall then be reduced by the amount of such income.

15.3

The Employee shall have no right to receive a Payment in Lieu unless the Company has exercised its discretion in clause 15.1. Nothing in this 
clause 15 shall prevent the Company from terminating the Appointment in breach.

16.

Termination without Notice

16.1

The Company may also terminate the Appointment with immediate effect without notice or payment in lieu of notice and with no liability to 
make any further payment to the Employee (other than in respect of amounts accrued due at the date of termination) if the Employee:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

is guilty of any gross misconduct affecting the business of the Company or any Group Company;

commits any serious or repeated breach or non-observance of any of the provisions of this agreement or refuses or neglects to comply 
with any reasonable and lawful directions of the Company;

is, in the reasonable opinion of the Board, negligent and incompetent in the performance of his duties;

is declared bankrupt or makes any arrangement with or for the benefit of his creditors or has a county court administration order made 
against him under the County Court Act 1984;

is convicted of any criminal offence (other than an offence under any road traffic legislation in the United Kingdom or elsewhere for 
which a fine or non-custodial penalty is imposed);

5

(f)

(g)

(h)

becomes of unsound mind (which includes lacking capacity under the Mental Capacity Act 2005), or a patient under any statute relating to 
mental health;

ceases to be eligible to work in the United Kingdom;

is guilty of any fraud or dishonesty or acts in any manner which in the opinion of the Company brings or is likely to bring the Employee 
or the Company or any Group Company into disrepute or is materially adverse to the interests of the Company or any Group Company;

(i)

is guilty of a serious breach of any rules issued by the Company from time to time regarding its electronic communications systems.

16.2

The rights of the Company under clause 16.1 are without prejudice to any other rights that it might have at law to terminate the Appointment or 
to accept any breach of this agreement by the Employee as having brought the agreement to an end. Any delay by the Company in exercising its 
rights to terminate shall not constitute a waiver thereof.

17.

Garden Leave

17.1

Following service of notice to terminate the Appointment by either party, or if the Employee purports to terminate the Appointment in breach of 
contract, the Company may by written notice place the Employee on Garden Leave for the whole or part of the remainder of the Appointment.

17.2

During any period of Garden Leave:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

(g)

the Company shall be under no obligation to provide any work to the Employee and may revoke any powers the Employee holds on 
behalf of the Company or any Group Company;

the Company may require the Employee to carry out alternative duties or to only perform such specific duties as are expressly assigned to 
the Employee, at such location (including the Employee’s home) as the Company may decide;

the Employee shall continue to receive his basic salary and all contractual benefits in the usual way and subject to the terms of any benefit 
arrangement;

the Employee shall remain an employee of the Company and bound by the terms of this agreement;

the Employee shall ensure that his Line Manager knows where he will be and how he can be contacted during each working day (except 
during any periods taken as holiday in the usual way);

the Company may exclude the Employee from any premises of the Company or any Group Company; and

the Company may require the Employee not to contact or deal with (or attempt to contact or deal with) any officer, employee, consultant, 
client, customer, supplier, agent, distributor, shareholder, adviser or other business contact of the Company or any Group Company.

18.

Obligations on Termination

18.1

On termination of the Appointment (however arising) or, if earlier, at the start of a period of Garden Leave, the Employee shall:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

resign immediately without compensation from any office or trusteeship that he holds in or on behalf of the Company or any Group 
Company;

subject to clause 17.2, immediately deliver to the Company all documents, books, materials, records, correspondence, papers and 
information (on whatever media and wherever located) relating to the business or affairs of the Company or any Group Company or its 
business contacts, any keys, credit card and any other property of the Company or any Group Company including any car provided to the 
Employee, which is in his possession or under his control;

irretrievably delete any information relating to the business of the Company or any Group Company stored on any magnetic or optical 
disk or memory and all matter derived from such sources which is in his possession or under his control outside the Company’s premises; 
and

provide a signed statement that he has complied fully with his obligations under this clause 18.1 together with such reasonable evidence of 
compliance as the Company may request.

6

19.

Post-Termination Restrictions

19.1

In this clause the words and expressions set out below shall have the following meanings:

“Capacity”:

as agent, consultant, director, employee, owner, partner, shareholder or in any other capacity.

“Restricted 
Business”: 

“Restricted 
Customer”: 

“Restricted 
Person”: 

the business of the Company or those parts of the business of the Company and any Group Company with which the 
Employee was involved to a material extent in the twelve months before Termination.

any firm, company or person who, during the twelve months before Termination, was a customer or prospective 
customer of or was in the habit of dealing with the Company or any Group Company, and with whom the Employee 
had personal dealings or in relation to which he was in possession of confidential information in the course of 
employment.

anyone employed or engaged by the Company or any Group Company at the level of engineer, sales manager or 
above and who could materially damage the interests of the Company or any Group Company if they were involved 
in any Capacity in any business concern which competes with any Restricted Business and with whom the Employee 
dealt in the six months before Termination in the course of employment.

“Termination”:

the date of termination of the Employee’s employment with the Company however caused.

19.2

In order to protect the confidential information, trade secrets and business connections of the Company and each Group Company to which he 
has access as a result of the Appointment, the Employee covenants with the Company in any capacity (for itself and as trustee and agent for each 
Group Company) that he shall not:

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

for 6 months after Termination solicit or endeavour to entice away from the Company or any Group Company the business or custom of a 
Restricted Customer with a view to providing goods or services to that Restricted Customer in competition with any Restricted Business;

for 6 months after Termination be involved with the provision of goods or services to (or otherwise have any business dealings with) any 
Restricted Customer in the course of any business concern which is in competition with any Restricted Business;

for 6 months after Termination, be involved with any business concern which is (or intends to be) in competition with any Restricted 
Business;

for 6 months after Termination in the course of any business concern which is in competition with any Restricted Business, offer to 
employ or engage any Restricted Person;

for 6 months after Termination in the course of any business concern which is in competition with any Restricted Business solicit or 
endeavour to entice away from the Company or any Group Company any Restricted Person; or

(f)

at any time after Termination, represent himself as connected with the Company or any Group Company in any Capacity.

7

19.3

None of the restrictions in clause 19.2 shall prevent the Employee from:

(a)

(b)

(c)

holding an investment by way of shares or other securities of not more than 5% of the total issued share capital of any company, whether 
or not it is listed or dealt in on a recognised stock exchange;

being engaged or concerned in any business concern insofar as the Employee’s duties or work shall relate solely to geographical areas 
where the business concern is not in competition with any Restricted Business; or

being engaged or concerned in any business concern, provided that the Employee’s duties or work shall relate solely to services or 
activities of a kind with which the Employee was not concerned to a material extent in the 12 months before Termination.

19.4

The restrictions imposed on the Employee by this clause 19 apply to him acting:

(a)

(b)

directly or indirectly; and

on his own behalf or on behalf of, or in conjunction with, any firm, company or person.

19.5

19.6

19.7

19.8

19.9

The period[s] for which the restrictions in clause 19 apply shall be reduced by any period that the Employee spends on Garden Leave 
immediately before Termination.

If the Employee receives an offer to be involved in a business concern in any Capacity during the Appointment, or before the expiry of the last of 
the covenants in this clause 19, the Employee shall give the person making the offer a copy of this clause 19 and shall tell the Company the 
identity of that person as soon as possible.

The Company and the Employee agree that the restrictions in this clause 19 are reasonable and necessary to protect the Company’s legitimate 
business interests.

Each of the restrictions in this clause 18 is intended to be separate and severable. If any of the restrictions shall be held to be void but would be 
valid if part of their wording were deleted, such restriction shall apply with such deletion as may be necessary to make it valid or effective.

The Employee will, at the request and expense of the Company, enter into a separate agreement with any Group Company in which he agrees to 
be bound by restrictions corresponding to those restrictions in this clause 19 (or such of those restrictions as the Company deems appropriate) in 
relation to that Group Company.

20.

Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures

20.1

The Employee is subject to the Company’s disciplinary and grievance procedures and the Company has adopted the ACAS disciplinary and 
grievance procedure, copies of which are available from your Line Manager or the ACAS website. These procedures do not form part of the 
Employee’s contract of employment.

20.2

If the Employee wants to raise a grievance, he may apply in writing to his Line Manager.

20.3

If the Employee wishes to appeal against a disciplinary decision he may apply in writing to the General Manager of the Company.

20.4

The Company may suspend the Employee from any or all of his duties no longer than is reasonably necessary during any period in which the 
Company is investigating any disciplinary matter involving the Employee or while any disciplinary procedure against the Employee is 
outstanding, with the ability to extend the period of suspension as the Company in its absolute discretion deems necessary for the purpose of 
completing any such investigation or related disciplinary process.

20.5

During any period of suspension:

(a)

(b)

(c)

the Employee shall continue to receive his basic salary and all contractual benefits in the usual way and subject to the terms of any benefit 
arrangement;

the Employee shall remain an employee of the Company and bound by the terms of this agreement;

the Employee shall ensure that his Line Manager knows where he will be and how he can be contacted during each working day (except 
during any periods taken as holiday in the usual way);

8

(d)

(e)

the Company may exclude the Employee from his place of work or any other premises of the Company; and

the Company may require the Employee not to contact or deal with (or attempt to contact or deal with) any officer, employee, consultant, 
client, customer, supplier, agent, distributor, shareholder, adviser or other business contact of the Company or any Group Company.

21.

Data Protection

21.1

The Employee consents to the Company or any Group Company processing data relating to the Employee for legal, personnel, administrative 
and management purposes and in particular to the processing of any sensitive personal data (as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998) relating 
to the Employee, including, as appropriate:

(a)

(b)

(c)

information about the Employee’s physical or mental health or condition in order to monitor sick leave and take decisions as to the 
Employee’s fitness for work;

the Employee’s racial or ethnic origin or religious or similar information in order to monitor compliance with equal opportunities 
legislation;

information relating to any criminal proceedings in which the Employee has been involved for insurance purposes and in order to comply 
with legal requirements and obligations to third parties.

21.2

The Company may make such information available to any Group Company, those who provide products or services to the Company or any 
Group Company (such as advisers and payroll administrators), regulatory authorities, potential or future employers, governmental or quasi-
governmental organisations and potential purchasers of the Company or the business in which the Employee works.

22.

Collective Agreements

There is no collective agreement which directly affects the Appointment.

23.

Entire Agreement

23.1

This agreement constitutes the whole agreement between the parties (and in the case of the Company, as agent for any Group Companies) and 
supersedes all previous discussions, correspondence, negotiations, arrangements, understandings and agreements between them.

24.

Variation

No variation or agreed termination of this agreement shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the parties (or their authorised 
representatives).

25.

Third Party Rights

No person other than a party to this agreement may enforce any of its terms.

26.

Agreed Terms / Interpretations

The definitions and rules of interpretation in this clause 26 apply in this agreement.

Appointment: the employment of the Employee by the Company on the terms of this agreement.

Associated Employer: has the meaning given to it in the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Board: the board of directors of the Company as duly constituted from time to time (including any committee of the board duly appointed by it).

Commencement Date: July 11, 2016.

Garden Leave: any period during which the Company has exercised its rights under clause 16.

Group Company: the Company, its Subsidiaries or Holding Companies from time to time and any Subsidiary of any Holding Company from 
time to time.

Incapacity: any sickness or injury which prevents the Employee from carrying out his duties.

9

Pre-Contractual Statement: any undertaking, promise, assurance, statement, representation, warranty or understanding (whether in writing or 
not) of any person (whether party to this agreement or not) relating to the Employee’s employment under this agreement which is not expressly 
set out in this agreement.

Subsidiary and Holding Company: in relation to a company mean “subsidiary” and “holding company” as defined in section 1159 of the 
Companies Act 2006.

27.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

27.1

27.2

This agreement and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual 
disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law.

The parties irrevocably agree that the courts of England and Wales shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute or claim that arises out 
of or in connection with this agreement or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims).

28.

Miscellaneous

28.1

The headings in this agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not affect its construction.

28.2

A reference to a particular law is a reference to it as it is in force for the time being taking account of any amendment, extension, or re-enactment 
and includes any subordinate legislation for the time being in force made under it.

28.3

Unless the context otherwise requires, a reference to one gender shall include a reference to the other genders.

28.4

Unless the context otherwise requires, words in the singular include the plural and in the plural include the singular.

This document has been executed as a deed and is delivered and takes effect on the date stated at the beginning of it.

Berlin, June 28, 2016

/s/ Ulrich Jansen
Ulrich Jansen
General Manager CYREN GmbH

June 29, 2016

/s/ Atif Ahmed
Atif Ahmed
Employee

10

List of Subsidiaries of the Company

Subsidiary

Cyren Inc.
Cyren Iceland hf
Cyren Gesellschaft mbH
Cyren UK Ltd.

Exhibit 21

Jurisdiction of Incorporation/Organization

Ownership

Delaware
Iceland
Germany
United Kingdom

100%
100%
100%
100%

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration Nos. 333-223050, 333-180453, 333-
174748, 333-162104) pertaining to stock option plans of Cyren Ltd., of our report dated March 28, 2019 with respect to the consolidated financial 
statements of Cyren Ltd. and its subsidiaries,  included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2018.

Tel Aviv, Israel
March 28, 2019

/s/ KOST, FORER, GABBAY & KASIERER
KOST, FORER, GABBAY & KASIERER
A Member of EY Global

Exhibit 23.1

CERTIFICATION BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

Exhibit 31.1

I, Lior Samuelson, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cyren Ltd.

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
report.

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects

the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report.

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-
15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a.

b.

c.

d.

designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or  caused  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by
others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements
for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most
recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to

the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a.

b.

all  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in  the  design  or  operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  which  are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal
control over financial reporting.

Date:  March 28, 2019

By:

/s/ Lior Samuelson
Lior Samuelson
Chief Executive Officer

CERTIFICATION BY THE CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

Exhibit 31.2 

I, J. Michael Myshrall, certify that:

1.

I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cyren Ltd.

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this
report.

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects

the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report.

4. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-
15(f)) for the registrant and have:

a.

b.

c.

d.

designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or  caused  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures  to  be  designed  under  our
supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by
others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our
supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements
for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most
recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to

the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a.

b.

all  significant  deficiencies  and  material  weaknesses  in  the  design  or  operation  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  which  are
reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal
control over financial reporting.

Date: March 28, 2019

By:

/s/ J. Michael Myshrall
J. Michael Myshrall
Chief Financial Officer

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO 
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

Exhibit 32.1

In connection with the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cyren Ltd. (the “Company”) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, as filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), Lior Samuelson, Chief Executive Officer, and J. Michael Myshrall, Chief
Financial Officer, of the Company, do each certify, pursuant to Section 18 U.S.C. §1350, as adopted pursuant to §906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,
that, to his knowledge:

1.

2.

the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and

the  information  contained  in  the  Report  fairly  presents,  in  all  materials  respects,  the  financial  condition  and  results  of  operations  of  the
Company.

Date: March 28, 2019

By:

By:

/s/ Lior Samuelson
Lior Samuelson
Chief Executive Officer

/s/ J. Michael Myshrall
J. Michael Myshrall
Chief Financial Officer