The most significant threats to banking institutions include business email compromise and wire fraud, ransomware attacks that encrypt critical systems and demand payment, credential stuffing attacks against online banking platforms, insider threats from employees with access to sensitive systems, supply chain attacks through compromised third-party vendors, and nation-state actors targeting financial infrastructure. Each of these threats requires specific defensive measures, which is why our 39+ layered security controls approach addresses every vector simultaneously.

The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act requires financial institutions to explain their information-sharing practices and to safeguard sensitive customer data. The FTC's updated Safeguards Rule, which took full effect in 2023, now requires specific technical controls including encryption of customer information, multi-factor authentication, continuous monitoring, penetration testing, and a written incident response plan. Noncompliance can result in enforcement actions, consent orders, and fines. Our team builds GLBA-compliant information security programs from the ground up.

We use the FFIEC Cybersecurity Assessment Tool to evaluate your institution's inherent risk profile and cybersecurity maturity across five domains: cyber risk management and oversight, threat intelligence and collaboration, cybersecurity controls, external dependency management, and cyber incident management and resilience. We then produce the documentation, policies, risk assessments, and control evidence that examiners review during safety-and-soundness IT examinations. Many of our banking clients receive clean examination results as a direct outcome of our preparation work.

Yes. Any institution that processes, stores, or transmits payment card data must comply with PCI-DSS. We assess your cardholder data environment, implement the 12 core requirements covering areas like network security, access control, vulnerability management, and monitoring, manage quarterly vulnerability scans through approved scanning vendors, and prepare you for your Qualified Security Assessor evaluation or Self-Assessment Questionnaire completion. We also help minimize your PCI scope through network segmentation and tokenization strategies to reduce both risk and compliance cost. Learn more about our PCI-DSS compliance services.

Wire fraud prevention requires a multi-layer approach. We implement DMARC, DKIM, and SPF email authentication to prevent domain spoofing, deploy advanced email security gateways that detect impersonation attempts, establish out-of-band transaction verification procedures for wire transfers above designated thresholds, train employees to recognize social engineering tactics and verify unusual requests through separate communication channels, and monitor for compromised credentials that could enable account takeover. Our approach addresses both the technical and human elements of wire fraud defense.

Our banking penetration testing goes far beyond automated scanning. We conduct internal and external network penetration testing, web application testing of online and mobile banking platforms, social engineering campaigns including phishing, vishing, and physical pretexting, ATM and kiosk security assessments, and wireless network testing across branch locations. We build custom lookalike phishing sites, test employee susceptibility to phone-based social engineering, and attempt physical access to secure areas like server rooms and communications closets. The result is a comprehensive view of your institution's real-world vulnerability posture with prioritized remediation recommendations.

Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 requires publicly traded companies, including publicly traded banks and holding companies, to assess and report on internal controls over financial reporting. Cybersecurity weaknesses that could compromise the integrity, accuracy, or availability of financial data systems represent material control deficiencies. Our team integrates IT general controls, access management procedures, change management processes, and data integrity monitoring into your broader cybersecurity program so your SOX compliance is maintained continuously. Learn more about our SOX compliance support.

Absolutely. We work alongside your core processing vendor, internet banking provider, card processor, and any other technology partners your institution relies on. Our role is to provide the independent security oversight and assessment that FFIEC guidance requires. We evaluate your vendors' security controls, review their SOC reports, assess contractual security obligations, and ensure that the data flowing between your institution and its service providers is properly protected. We complement your existing technology partners rather than replacing them.

We develop your institution-specific incident response plan before any incident occurs, and we conduct tabletop exercises so your team knows exactly how to respond. If an incident happens, our team activates immediately. We coordinate containment to stop the attack from spreading, preserve forensic evidence using court-admissible chain-of-custody procedures, conduct the investigation using our Licensed Digital Forensic Examiner's capabilities, manage regulatory notification requirements for your federal and state banking regulators, and lead the post-incident remediation and lessons-learned review. Having a cybersecurity partner already embedded in your security program dramatically reduces response time and limits financial and reputational damage.

We can begin our initial regulatory gap analysis and security assessment within days of engagement. Our banking clients typically see a complete baseline assessment within the first 30 days, a detailed remediation roadmap by day 60, and active security control deployment by day 90. If you have an upcoming FFIEC examination or regulatory deadline, we can accelerate the timeline to address your most critical compliance gaps first. Call 919-348-4912 for a free initial consultation.