CYBERSECURITY FOR PRIVATE EQUITY & M&A

Attackers routinely establish persistence weeks or months before deploying ransomware. An acquisition can inherit an active intrusion — and the operational shutdown that follows.

BEC targeting wire transfers and deal communications is rampant in M&A. A compromised target company email account can redirect funds or leak deal terms before close.

FTC Safeguards, HIPAA, state privacy laws, and PCI-DSS violations don't disappear at closing. You may inherit material fines, breach notifications, and regulatory exposure.

Many lower-market companies rely on underpowered managed service providers with poor security hygiene — creating persistent risk across the portfolio.

A breach disclosed post-LOI can collapse negotiations, force price reductions, or trigger material adverse change clauses. Known risk is manageable; unknown risk is not.

Undisclosed pre-acquisition incidents can void cyber insurance coverage post-close. Understanding the target's insurance posture and claims history is critical.

Supply chain and vendor access is frequently the weakest link at acquisition targets. Shadow IT and unmanaged integrations introduce risk that isn't visible in a standard audit.

Merging networks, Active Directory environments, and cloud tenants without a security-first approach creates windows of elevated exposure that attackers actively exploit.