Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and Acquisitions

In the complex realm of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), intertwining networks or services with an unvetted organization or partner is not just a business decision—it's a security imperative. Ensuring a seamless and secure transition is crucial. ProCheckUp's rigorous M&A security assessment demystifies the intricate cybersecurity landscape of your potential partners. By providing a transparent view into their digital vulnerabilities, we empower stakeholders—including third-party legal firms—to exercise expert due diligence, thereby mitigating cyber risks effectively.

When companies are furnished with a detailed insight into a target's security stance, they gain the advantage of preemptively addressing vulnerabilities. This not only influences informed acquisition decisions but can also offer leverage in negotiating a more favorable purchase price. Importantly, even after the M&A ink dries, it's pivotal to conduct a security assessment before integrating IT systems.

Why Choose ProCheckUp’s M&A Security Assessment?
Our service is tailor-made to offer a comprehensive security blueprint of any imminent acquisition, granting businesses the essential insights needed to assess the feasibility and potential pitfalls of an M&A venture.

Our Holistic Approach: The Eight Phases

Compromise Assessment

Dive deep into the network environment to unearth environmental risks, current security threats, and persistent malicious activities. This phase prioritizes the swift identification and remediation of:

• Data breaches and sabotage attempts
• Command and control actions
• Unusual user account behaviors
• Malware and their persistence patterns
• Potential vulnerabilities across network, host, and apps

External Vulnerability Assessment / Penetration Testing

Regularly probe the external infrastructure to guarantee that all potential threats are identified and appropriately addressed. Our experts utilize a blend of manual and advanced testing to challenge a client's online defenses.

Internal Vulnerability Assessment / Penetration Testing

Similar to its external counterpart, this assesses the organization's internal infrastructures. Extra penetration tests can be carried out to understand the impact of potentially harmful insiders.

Architecture Security Assessment

ProCheckUp specialists embark on an exhaustive examination of the organization's network security protocols. Our focus ranges from the minute intricacies of device configurations to broader network topologies and security technology policies.

PCI/NIST Cybersecurity Framework (CSF) Gap Analysis

A meticulous evaluation of organizational policies against the core NIST functions and six control objectives, ensuring the firm is aligned with industry best practices.

The core NIST functions: identify, protect, detect, respond, and recover.

And the six control objectives: build and maintain a secure network and systems, protect cardholder data, maintain a vulnerability management program, implement strong access control measures, regularly monitor and test networks and maintain an information security policy

Information reviewed will include:

• Policy, standards, and procedures
• Program management
• Human resources and organization
• Asset management
• Physical and environmental considerations
• Communications and operations
• Access control
• Information systems management
• Response plans and management
• Regulatory compliance

Policy Review

Here, we appraise the organization's overarching information security landscape, pinpointing any gaps that might jeopardize the firm's security posture..

Security Software Assessment

The security software assessment evaluates all the security software within a client environment to assess redundancy, waste, and poor configuration/implementation. The assessment highlights any gaps in coverage or insufficient capabilities that the organization may have in terms of coverage and implementation.

Prioritised Recommendations

ProCheckUp then provides a comprehensive report containing prioritised recommendations to mitigate the identified operational risks, including improvements to topology, protocols, policy, device configurations and network and security management tools. The report will include: -

• Any compromises detected
• A list of vulnerabilities and potential threats
• Detailed listing of attacks that were successful during the assessment
• Gap analysis and tool capabilities and functionality
• Assessment findings and alignment of the security policies and procedures to the NIST CSF. Remediation strategies to achieve compliance with the NIST CSF and industry best practices
• Instructions for developing a roadmap for continuous improvement and monitoring