Capability — M&A Security Diligence
You Acquire the Breach
Before You Acquire the Company.
Assessed Intelligence evaluates the cybersecurity, physical security, data privacy and AI risk of a target or parent company during a transaction. Deal teams get findings they can price, negotiate and remediate, before signing and through the first 100 days.
65%
of deal makers reported buyer's remorse over cybersecurity after closing *
The Exposure
Financial Diligence Measures the Value. Security Diligence Measures What Can Take It Away.
Every acquisition transfers the target’s networks, facilities, data obligations and AI systems to the buyer. Breaches that began before signing become the buyer’s liability after closing, along with the regulator’s attention and the customers’ trust.
Most deal timelines leave room for a questionnaire, not an assessment. We replace self-reported answers with evidence, rate every finding by deal impact, and give counsel and the deal team terms they can act on: price adjustments, specific indemnities, closing conditions and a remediation plan.
What deal teams miss without security diligence
Undisclosed compromise. Attackers already inside the target’s environment, with breach costs and notification duties that pass to the buyer at close.
Inherited privacy liability. Consent records, cross-border transfers and retention practices that do not hold up under GDPR, CCPA or sector rules.
Physical security gaps. Facilities, data centers and access systems that put people, assets and regulated data at risk.
Ungoverned AI and data rights. Models, training data and AI vendors the target cannot document, license or defend.
Integration risk. Identity, network and tooling connections that let one company’s weaknesses reach the other on day one.
The Evidence
Security Findings Change Deals.
Forescout 2019 *
53%
Of organizations had encountered a critical cybersecurity issue or incident that put an M&A deal at risk.
Verizon / Yahoo 2017 *
$350M
Cut from Verizon’s purchase price for Yahoo after breach disclosures during the deal.
UK ICO 2020 *
339M
Guest records exposed in a breach that began in Starwood’s systems in 2014, two years before Marriott acquired it. Fine: £18.4M.
Diligence That Holds Up
Find the Risk Before It Becomes the Price.
For Buyers and Investors
What We Assess Before You Sign
Assessed Intelligence conducts sell-side and buy-side security diligence across five domains, with evidence requests, interviews and technical testing scoped to the deal timeline. Every finding is rated by deal impact and mapped to the ARISE Framework®.
- Security. Network, cloud, identity, endpoint and application controls, incident history, and evidence of active compromise
- AI. AI systems, models, training data provenance, AI vendors, and exposure to the EU AI Act and state AI laws
- Privacy. Data inventories, consent, cross-border transfers, retention, and GDPR, CCPA and sector compliance
- Physical. Facilities, data centers, access control, surveillance, and protection of people and regulated assets
- Vendor and legal. Third-party and supply chain dependencies, open regulatory inquiries, and contractual security obligations
For Sellers
What We Build for Companies Preparing to Sell
Sellers who wait for the buyer to find their security gaps negotiate from behind. We prepare the evidence before the data room opens, so findings support the valuation instead of discounting it.
Sell-Side Security Readiness
A pre-sale assessment that finds and fixes the issues a buyer would price against you.
Data Room Security Package
Policies, control evidence, incident history and test results organized for buyer review.
Privacy and AI Disclosure Pack
Data inventories, processing records and an AI system register that answer diligence questions directly.
Remediation Roadmap
A prioritized plan that shows buyers what is fixed, what is in progress and when it closes.
How We Engage
Four Engagements. One Deal Timeline.
Pre-LOI Quick Scan
An outside-in read of the target’s attack surface, leaked credentials, breach history and public privacy posture in days, before you commit to a letter of intent.
Full Diligence Assessment
Confirmatory review of cybersecurity, physical security and data privacy controls, with evidence requests, interviews and a red-flag report rated by deal impact.
AI and Data Governance Diligence
An inventory of the target’s AI systems, models, training data and AI vendors, with the data rights and regulatory exposure each one carries.
Post-Close Integration
A 100-day plan that closes critical findings, connects identity and networks safely, and brings the acquired company under the ARISE Framework®.
Start Before the LOI
Your Next Deal Deserves Evidence, Not Assurances.
Bring us in before the letter of intent and the findings shape the price. Bring us in after and they shape the integration. Either way, you close with eyes open.
Forged by Experience · Driven by Purpose · Built to Endure