Mergers and acquisitions are high-risk endeavors, sometimes with billions of dollars and corporate reputations at stake. But one way to help lessen the danger is by conducting a thorough cybersecurity review during the due diligence process. The consulting and professional services team at Trustwave works closely with firms across the globe undertaking M&A deals of all sizes.

According to the recent Verizon Data Breach Investigations report, 45% of breaches featured hacking in 2020. With high-value information such as user credentials and credit card information being stored on personal devices and transmitted freely online, hacking techniques have evolved to become more sophisticated than ever before.

‍Cybersecurity breaches have been on the rise, and it's expected that by 2023, they'll have grown to 15.4 million. While technological advancements have made it easy for organizations to upgrade their security measures, malicious hackers are now using sophisticated tools. This means that in addition to implementing strict cybersecurity policies, you also have to take proactive measures to reduce your cybersecurity risks.

The modern enterprise network is a complex, highly connected ecosystem of hardware, software, services, communication protocols, virtual resources, and people; who all work together to support business operations. IT networks are now the backbones of organizations everywhere, so cyberattacks aimed at breaking down network security are a huge threat for companies and stakeholders.

With the sharp increase in remote working worldwide, companies have endured a proliferation of cybersecurity risks — and, consequently, increased their spending to protect stakeholders. One factor that influences the level of corporate cybersecurity, and your effectiveness in mitigating cybersecurity threats, is the proper deployment of reactive and proactive cybersecurity measures.

Key risk indicators are important for every business. And while “KRIs” vary from one industry to the next — for example, what’s important for agribusiness is different from what’s important for pharmaceutical firms — no matter what the KRIs look like, they’re all instrumental for managing operational risk. Think of a key risk indicator as a pressure gauge measuring the amount of some risk your company has.

The U.S. Federal Government needs to improve its information security risk management policies to keep pace with the dynamic threats to Federal networks and supply chains.