Before the deal is done, the cyber of mergers and acquisitions must be part of the decision-making. We identify risks, reveal hidden compromises, and provide clarity on the target’s security maturity.
Pre-Merger: Due Diligence & Risk Discovery
Threat Landscape Investigations
We research the target organisation’s exposure to external threats, assess adversary interest, and evaluate the likelihood of existing or attempted compromises.
We begin by conducting a threat actor report that takes into consideration your unique context and concerns. This is followed by thorough research to identify and profile potential threat actors, assessing their motivations, tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). The outcome is a comprehensive knowledge bank that not only highlights the most likely adversaries but also provides actionable intelligence to inform your security posture.
This service is particularly valuable during mergers and acquisitions, where understanding the threat landscape of an acquired entity is crucial. By profiling potential adversaries, we help you assess the likelihood of existing or attempted compromises, enabling you to make informed decisions and implement appropriate security measures.
Technical Due Diligence
Our technical due diligence dives deep into the target organisation’s environment, examining systems, applications, networks, and security controls in detail. We don’t just identify obvious vulnerabilities — we assess configuration weaknesses, outdated software, insecure processes, and gaps in monitoring or logging. This includes reviewing access controls, patch management practices, and cloud or on-premises infrastructure for hidden risks.
By highlighting both technical shortcomings and process hygiene issues, we provide a clear picture of where the organisation may be exposed. We also estimate the cost and effort required for remediation, giving you actionable insights to inform negotiations and integration planning. This ensures you understand the full spectrum of cyber risk before signing, reducing the likelihood of surprises after the deal closes.
Compromise Assessments
We perform investigations to uncover if malicious actors are already inside the target environment. This ensures you don’t acquire an ongoing breach or latent persistence that could undermine deal value.
By identifying active breaches, dormant malware, or embedded backdoors, we help prevent the acquisition of an organisation already compromised by threat actors. Detecting these issues early protects deal value, prevents costly post-acquisition remediation, and ensures that the acquired company can be securely integrated without inheriting unresolved cyber incidents. Our approach provides confidence that you’re acquiring a clean, resilient business rather than unknowingly taking on hidden risks.
Be Empowered to Make an Informed Purchase
Companies that manage cyber security risk better than others are inherently more valuable than those that don’t, especially if their value is determined by intellectual property and data assets.
Be Empowered to Make an Informed Purchase
Companies that manage cyber security risk better than others are inherently more valuable than those that don’t, especially if their value is determined by intellectual property and data assets.
Don’t Buy a Breach
Post-Merger: Integration & Resilience
Once the deal completes, integration is where value is either secured or lost. Our M&A Cyber Integration Service embeds resilience against cyber attack into the newly acquired organisation, aligning it rapidly with the acquiring company’s threat profile, compliance standards, and monitoring environment.
Our Process
Post-Purchase Cyber MOT
Every acquisition begins with a post-purchase Cyber MOT to baseline the likelihood of poor cyber hygiene and risk of compromise.
- If your results indicate a reason to be concerned, we may deliver a compromise assessment tailored to the acquiring party’s threat profile.
- A compromise assessment is a focused cybersecurity service we deliver to help you quickly determine whether your organisation has been breached, is currently compromised, or shows any signs of malicious activity. We carry out a thorough review of your logs, network traffic and endpoints, using threat intelligence to identify clear indicators of compromise, persistence techniques and attacker behaviour. Unlike ongoing monitoring or broad vulnerability scanning, a compromise assessment has well-defined objectives, is relatively straightforward in most cases, and is designed to be efficient rather than drawn out. This means we can give you clarity fast, draw a line under any issues, and provide you with the confidence that your environment is either secure or that any problems have been identified and contained.
After completing an acquisition, it’s critical to quickly assess the security posture of the newly acquired organisation. Our approach evaluates systems, processes, and employee practices to identify areas of weak cyber hygiene or heightened risk. When gaps or vulnerabilities are detected, we prioritise follow-up actions and targeted investigations, ensuring that potential threats are addressed immediately and that the acquired company is aligned with the acquiring organisation’s security standards. This proactive assessment reduces exposure and supports a smooth, secure integration.
Visibility & Monitoring Review
- If the acquired organisation has no security visibility, we conduct a visibility and monitoring assessment, identify the highest-priority assets, and ingest the relevant data in order of business criticality.
- If partial visibility exists, we onboard identified sources and integrate them into the acquiring party’s monitoring plan.
- If a SIEM is already in place: We work with your current supplier to maximise visibility and monitoring, to ensure you’re cyber defences are prioroitised.
Culture, Policy & Standards Alignment
We ensure that the acquired organisation fully aligns with the acquiring company’s cyber policies and compliance framework. This involves:
- Tailored employee training and awareness designed specifically to meet the acquirer’s requirements.
- Granular guidance on critical practices, including how to escalate security concerns, share information securely, and work safely while remote.
- Embedding the right behaviours and practices so that the acquired team reflects the acquirer’s culture, standards, and risk posture.
Secure Every Step of Integration
After a merger or acquisition, the real work begins. Rapidly aligning the acquired company’s systems, policies, and culture with your own ensures that cyber risks don’t slip through the cracks. By embedding visibility, monitoring, and compliance from day one, you protect your investment, maintain operational continuity, and turn a new acquisition into a resilient, secure part of your organisation.
What sets us apart?
Zero cost for onboarding log sources for PocketSIEM customers:endpoints, SaaS applications, infrastructure, and priority assets. Competitors will charge for this; we won’t.
Rapid standardisation:
We accelerate integration of acquired entities into your cyber ecosystem, securing your investment quickly.
Compliance-driven security:
We enforce the acquirer’s standards, ensuring consistent resilience across the group.
Additional Post-Merger Services
- Post-Purchase & Technical Integration Monitoring – ensure that the acquired environment is monitored effectively during the critical early stages of integration, with a full SOC and SIEM offering!
- Post-Technical Integration Defence Capabilities Assessment – test and evaluate the defence posture of the combined organisation once technical integration is complete.
The Result
After integration, acquired companies operate with clear security visibility and aligned policies, meeting the acquirer’s risk and compliance requirements. This structured approach to the cyber of mergers and acquisitions helps reduce vulnerabilities, streamline monitoring, and manage risk efficiently, giving you confidence that your new acquisition is protected and ready to contribute safely to your long-term business goals.
Ready to secure your next deal?
Whether you need due diligence for the cyber of mergers and acquisitions, a post-merger cyber integration service, or a compromise assessment and cyber risk management plan, our experts can help.
Get in touch with th4ts3cur1ty.company today to protect your investment and ensure a cyber resilient future.
