Google’s proposed $32 billion deal to acquire cybersecurity firm Wiz has garnered antitrust scrutiny from the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Bloomberg reports that DOJ officials are uneasy that the acquisition could limit rivals' access to security tools.

The deal, announced back in March, would be Google’s most expensive acquisition in the company’s history. However, officials are reportedly concerned that the purchase would allow it to dominate the cloud security market after the tech giant previously acquired rival platforms Mandiant and Siemplify.

Analysis of the proposed acquisition by the DOJ is still in early stages, with officials examining how the merger would impact the pair as well as its competitors and customers.

Google expects the deal to close in 2026, but the DOJ probe could last months and potentially push back the completion timeline. Were the deal to fall through, reports suggest Google would have to pay Wiz a break fee of around $3.2 billion, though the pair have not confirmed the exact amount.

Google had tried to acquire Wiz in a deal worth $23 billion last July, but the offer was turned down, with the cybersecurity firm’s board having expressed concerns about potential regulatory issues.

Upon announcing the acquisition, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the deal would “turbocharge improved cloud security and the ability to use multiple clouds.”

If the deal gets the green light, Wiz would be integrated into the Google Cloud group to create a unified security platform, combining Wiz’s Cloud Security Platform with Google Security Operations.

The tech giant's $5.4 billion purchase of Mandiant in March 2022 was met with similar scrutiny from the DOJ, which expressed potential competition concerns. It ultimately waved the deal through that July, with the acquisition completed two months later.

Google’s $500 million purchase of Israeli cybersecurity startup Siemplify fared far better in terms of receiving the regulatory green light back in January 2022.

The DOJ probe into Google’s deal to buy Wiz is the latest in a growing number of such investigations. US courts are considering a proposal to dismantle the company's search monopoly, which could involve divesting Chrome and some of its advertising tools.

Google is actively challenging this proposal while US District Judge Amit Mehta is currently weighing less severe remedies designed to enhance market competition.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the tech giant is attempting to overturn a record $4.7 billion European Commission (EC) fine after its Android operating system was found to unfairly favor Google’s apps for pre-installation on new smartphones.

The company’s appeal to quash the fine was dealt a blow this week after the European Court of Justice’s advocate general advised the court to throw out the overturn attempts.