The digital footprint of the modern organization is expanding at an unprecedented rate. The move to the cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), digital transformation, connected supply chain partners and related trends have led to an explosion of internet-facing assets. Cloud workloads, websites, user credentials, S3 buckets, SSL certificates, IoT, operational technology (OT), rogue IT devices, and more exist in the thousands across most organizations.

In cybersecurity, one thing is certain: the bad guys are relentless. They never stop working and scheming to find new ways to attack weaknesses in data security. Their objective is criminally simple: breach organizations to steal and monetize data. And they use every means possible to do it. On the other side are cybersecurity companies and the professionals who work for them. We never stop working to improve our products and services to protect our customers from those global threat actors.

I’m excited to announce that vxIntel, a leading provider of cyber threat intelligence has joined Arctic Wolf. vxIntel’s Malware Intelligence Platform currently analyzes over 500,000 files each day and over 10 terabytes of data each month from over 100 global data sources.

There is always the risk that sensitive data will be exposed during mergers and acquisitions. Throughout the M&A process, you’re adding new ways for hackers to enter your systems, enabling them to access sensitive customer information. This is because the merging of companies usually results in an increase in the attack surface, therefore, increasing the number of unknown security risks the acquiring company is unaware of. The numbers don’t lie.

The total global value of corporate mergers and acquisitions (M&A) reached $5.9 trillion in 2021. For 2022, the figure is expected to reach $4.7 trillion. This would make 2022 the second-best year on record for the M&A market after 2021. Clearly, robust M&A opportunities exist for companies looking to stimulate growth, increase market share, and influence supply chains. Despite those potential benefits, however, M&A deals are also fraught with serious risks.

This is the fourth, and final, part of a four-part blog series covering each of the four phases of the merger & acquisition (M&A) process and how you can build security into each phase. In case you missed them, Part 1 covered why it’s important to integrate security into the due diligence process in the first phase of M&A, Part 2 covered integration planning and public announcement, and Part 3 covered what you can expect on “Day One,” after a merger or acquisition closes.

This is the third part of a four-part blog series covering each of the four phases of the merger & acquisition (M&A) process and how you can build security into each phase. In case you missed it, Part 1 covered the why it’s important to integrate security into the due diligence process in the first phase of M&A and Part 2 covered integration planning and public announcement.