Cyber Risk & Defense

Responding to Cyber Risks and Defending Against Cyberattacks is a 24/7 Proposition in Today’s Corporate Environment. If Your Company is Under Attack, You Need to Engage Experienced Litigation Counsel Immediately.

Is your company at risk for a cyberattack? Are you prepared to defend against hackers and other intruders seeking access to your company’s and clients’ data? While these were questions that allowed for a certain amount of uncertainty a decade ago, in today’s world companies need to be resolutely prepared. If you do not take legal action immediately, proprietary data could be lost forever, and your company could be at risk for lawsuits from its customers, shareholders, and employees.

But, even with the most extensive and up-to-date security controls, companies are still subject to vulnerabilities. Hackers around the world are working endlessly to find new ways in, and they are succeeding. According to data from Juniper, total losses from cyberattacks exceeded $2 trillion in 2019; and, according to CPO Magazine, global spending on cybersecurity is estimated to climb to more than $10 billion annually over the next decade.

Corporate Crisis Management Consultants for Cybersecurity Breaches

If your company has suffered a cybersecurity breach, or if your company is under the constant threat of cyberattacks, we can help. We are a team of former federal agents and highly-experienced data security consultants who specialize in helping U.S. companies mitigate risk and avoid catastrophic losses. We work with companies across the country to help them implement effective cybersecurity protocols, and we help companies of all sizes and in all industries respond to cyberattacks targeting corporate, consumer, and government data.

Cyber threats can take many forms. They can target many different types of data, and they can come in many different shapes and sizes. At Corporate Investigation Consulting, our expertise extends to helping companies successfully defend against, respond to, and overcome threats including:

• Private Hackers – Whether working independently or for hire, private hackers can wreak havoc for companies by targeting their sensitive and proprietary data. We help our clients uncover intrusions, identify intruders, and respond quickly to mitigate any potential losses.
• Foreign Intrusions – Foreign intruders seeking to disrupt U.S. markets or gain access to data with national security implications have become an increasing concern in recent years. We have the technological tools and capabilities required to track foreign intrusions around the world.
• Corporate Espionage – Corporate spies seeking access to research and development (R&D) data and other proprietary information can compromise millions of dollars’ worth of investment in the blink of an eye. We help our clients uncover cases of corporate espionage and gather the evidence they need in order to pursue appropriate legal remedies.
• Third–Party Vendor Cybersecurity Risks – When outside interests gain access to your company’s data through third-party vendors, these vendors may ultimately hold legal responsibility, but the consequences for your company can still be substantial. We help our clients assess third-party vendors’ vulnerabilities and execute timely responses to mitigate corporate crises.
• Malware and Ransomware – Malware, ransomware, and other viruses can infect companies’ entire information technology (IT) infrastructures. If your company’s data (or third-party data in your company’s custody and control) is at risk, we can help you control this risk and implement the necessary cybersecurity protocols to prevent similar attacks in the future.

This is How We Help Companies Targeted in Cyberattacks

When engaged to advise companies targeted in cyberattacks, we offer comprehensive cybersecurity consulting services focused on both responding to the immediate threat and preventing similar attacks in the future. This includes assisting with matters such as:

1. Responding to Breaches of Corporate Cybersecurity

First and foremost, we will determine what is necessary to respond to the breach itself. Among the various questions we will seek to answer, the single most important question is: Do the intruders still have access? If they do, then immediate action is required, and our corporate crisis management team will do what is necessary to bring an end to the attack.

There are various other aspects to responding to a corporate data security breach as well. Once the threat has been neutralized, we will work diligently to answer questions such as: Who were the intruders? Why did they target your company specifically? How did they get in, and does the risk remain? Whether your company’s, your employees’, or your customers’ data has been compromised, you need to have a comprehensive understanding of the attack in order to move forward.

2. Assessing Data and Financial Loss Due to Cyberattacks

Once the risk is contained, we will shift our focus to assessing your company’s losses—current and future. This will begin with gaining a comprehensive understanding of the data that were compromised. Utilizing state-of-the-art forensic investigative tools and tactics, we can determine where the intruders went, how deep they went, and what they took when they left.

When assessing the impact of a cyberattack, it is necessary to look beyond the compromised information itself. If the hackers stole proprietary information about products in your company’s pipeline, the information itself could be worth millions, but the market impact of competing against your company’s own R&D could be far greater. Are the intruders capable of using this information themselves, or will they most likely try to sell it to a third party? How usable is the information in its current form for experts outside of your company’s walls? In order to fully assess your company’s financial risk, these are the types of questions you need to ask and answer.

If the cyberattack targeted employee or customer data, then the analysis is different but no less important. Not only must your company assess the costs of remediation, but it must assess its litigation risk as well. We can examine all of the circumstances surrounding the breach to determine what information was accessed, and we can provide you with a detailed report of the affected employees or customers. We can also help you understand the implications for these individuals—and the resultant implications for your company as well.

3. Handling Data Breach Notifications and Other Compliance Issues

For cyberattacks that result in theft of credit information, health information, or other consumer data, companies will generally have obligations under federal breach notification laws. In these circumstances, breach notification compliance is imperative, as non-compliance can lead to federal enforcement action and also increase companies’ exposure to liability in civil litigation. Our consultants have extensive experience in this area, and we can assist in all aspects of breach notification compliance, from communicating with federal authorities to crafting appropriate notification language and managing the notification process.

Additionally, public companies that suffer losses due to cyberattacks may have disclosure obligations, and failure to make the requisite public filings could lead to costly enforcement action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Our consultants are experienced in this area as well, and we can assist you in making informed decisions about if, when, and how to report losses from cyberattacks.

4. Addressing Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities

Concurrently with assessing and mitigating the risks arising out of the attack, our consulting team will also assist your company’s IT department in addressing any and all outstanding cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This begins with a comprehensive data security threat assessment, and it culminates with assisting in the implementation of our data security recommendations. While the attackers may have targeted a particular vulnerability, this does not necessarily mean that other vulnerabilities do not exist. In order to adequately protect all sensitive and proprietary data, your company’s security protocols need to be fully comprehensive. We can ensure that they are.

5. Monitoring for Additional Threats and Losses

Due to the ongoing risk of cyberattacks, companies must continuously monitor the effectiveness of their cybersecurity measures. As threats morph and new tactics are uncovered, companies must continue to update their cybersecurity protocols as well. We provide our clients with ongoing cyberattack monitoring services, and we provide recommendations for when upgrades and additional data security measures are necessary.

We also provide ongoing monitoring services to assess continued risks arising out of prior data security breaches. For example, if the intruders stole R&D data, we can monitor the marketplace for signs of the data being used. We provide the same services for cybersecurity incidents involving theft of software code, recipes, customer lists, business strategies, and other types of information with commercial value as well. Bad actors know that their activities are likely to be monitored in the immediate aftermath of a cyberattack, and they also know that most companies do not continue their monitoring efforts long-term. So, they wait. When they decide to act, your company needs to be prepared to act as well.

Contact Us to Learn More about Our Cyber Risk and Defense Services

We provide cyber risk and defense consulting services to companies nationwide, and the former federal agents on our corporate crisis management team bring decades of high-level experience to helping our clients make informed, strategic, and timely decisions in the wake of cyberattacks. If you would like to learn more about our cyber risk and defense practice, we encourage you to get in touch.

To discuss your company’s situation with one of our former federal agents in confidence, call 214-692-2171 or tell us how we can help online today. We are available 24/7.