Alphabet Inc's Google is in talks to buy cybersecurity firm Mandiant, the Information reported on Monday, citing a person with knowledge of the discussion.

Mandiant's shares closed up 16% on the Nasdaq after the news.

The company, which has a market capitalization of about $4.53 billion, focuses on cyber-incident response and cybersecurity testing.

A deal could bolster Google's cloud computing business, which generates more than $19 billion annually but has been losing billions of dollars a year, and help it compete with bigger rival Microsoft Corp, which also is reportedly interested in buying Mandiant, the report added.  

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

Google and Mandiant did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

  - Reuters