M&A Cyber Due Diligence
Know which technical liabilities you're signing up for.
A compact Cyber Red Flag Check before signing or closing. Deeper work follows only if relevant findings justify it.
Buyers and investors get an early, defensible assessment of the implications for purchase price, liability and integration. Sellers identify critical risks before they become part of the negotiation.
The data room shows controls. I check whether the attack surface matches them.
Situation
When a defensible assessment is missing before signing or closing.
For a fast decision on the transaction – not a general security assessment or a lengthy audit checklist.
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Buyers and investors need a fast, defensible assessment of technical risk before signing or closing.
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Sellers can identify critical risks before they surface in the data room or in contract negotiations.
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The data room, publicly visible technical reality and business impact are combined into a decision-ready assessment of purchase price, liability, integration and next steps.
Why me
The data room describes controls. Attackers look for a way around them.
I combine the external attack surface, exposed identities and publicly known data leaks, outdated technologies and privileged access paths into a realistic picture. Contradictions with statements in the data room become visible.
That turns technical and publicly discoverable findings into an assessment of the implications for purchase price, indemnities and integration effort. Targeted deeper analysis follows only where a relevant risk is identified.
A data room shows what's documented. Whether those controls actually hold up only becomes clear from an outside review.
Process
Start small. Go deeper only on relevant findings.
The initial scope stays deliberately small. The review only grows where the risk justifies it – from an initial red-flag assessment to technical deep dives or ongoing monitoring during the purchase process. Due diligence is a snapshot. The attack surface keeps changing right up to closing.
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Cyber Red Flag Check.
Over three to five days, I review the data room, public attack surface, exposed systems and identities, publicly known data leaks and technical inconsistencies — then assess what they mean for the transaction.
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Technical deep dive.
Systems of concern, internal structures or possible attack paths are investigated further only where the findings indicate relevant risk.
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Monitoring until closing.
On request, the external attack surface is monitored continuously during the purchase process. New critical vulnerabilities, exposed systems or conspicuous changes are reported immediately.
What gets reviewed
More than a scan. Less than a months-long audit.
A Cyber Red Flag Check doesn't chase as many technical findings as possible. It looks for the few findings that can actually change a transaction, the purchase price, or the later integration.
The review covers statements from the data room and the publicly visible technical reality: domains, systems, services, exposed identities, publicly known data leaks and outdated technologies. What matters are contradictions, indications of technical legacy risk or possible compromise – and their significance for the transaction, the contract and the later integration.
The result isn't a catalogue of findings, but a clear set of priorities for the deal team – from the decision brief to concrete measures and, if desired, their implementation.
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