The common security mistakes everyone makes in M&A
About
Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) are transformative for businesses, but they can also be a perfect storm for product security issues. With critical assets changing hands, different products and applications being integrated, and compressed timelines, it’s all too easy for security to take a backseat - until it’s too late.
Join our guest experts - Chris Lindsey (Application Security Evangelist at Mend.io), Curtis Koenig (Head of AppSec at Gen), Izar Tarandach (Principal Security Architect at a large entertainment provider) for a practical and insightful conversation about the most common security mistakes in M&A. This session will cut through the noise to focus on the real-world challenges companies face when merging brands, products, and applications.
We’ll explore:
- Data Integration Challenges: How to securely merge systems and data without leaving gaps that hackers can exploit.
- Due Diligence Pitfalls: Why thorough security audits of a company’s products and applications are crucial – and how to avoid long-term risks from inadequate assessments.
- Post-Merger Priorities: What product and application security leaders should focus on to ensure long-term resilience.
- Managing Security Culture Across Teams: Strategies for addressing differing security practices and ensuring alignment post-merger.
If you often handle M&A, manage security across diverse brands, or want to avoid common mistakes during major business transitions, this session is for you.
Our goal is to make this webinar highly engaging, so don't be shy! Come and ask your questions via chat!
Speakers
Izar Tarandach
Sr. Principal Security Architect @ Large Entertainment Provider
Izar is a Sr Product Security Architect at a large entertainment provider. He held security-related positions at Datadog, SQSP, and many others. Author and presenter,co-author of "Threat Modeling: A Practical Guide for Development Teams" by O'Reilly, member of the Threat Modeling Manifesto Group, and maintainer of the OWASP pytm tool.
Curtis Koenig
Head of Application Security at Gen
Curtis Koenig is a seasoned application security leader managing AppSec programs for global brands. At Gen Inc., he secures all products through CI/CD integration, secure coding, and a bug bounty program. Previously, at Booking.com and Snap Inc., Curtis scaled security operations, improved authentication systems, and streamlined compliance. With expertise in secure development and threat modeling, Curtis is a recognized authority in enterprise application security.
Chris Lindsey
Application Security Evangelist at Mend.io
Chris Lindsey is a seasoned speaker who has appeared at conferences, webinars, and private events. Currently building an online community and creating a podcast series, Chris draws on expertise from more than 15 years of direct security experience and over 35 years of experience leading teams in programming and software, solutions, and security architecture. For three years, Chris built and led an entire application security program that includes the implementation of mature AppSec programs, including oversight of security processes and procedures, SAST, DAST, CSA/OSA, compliance, training, developer communication, code reviews, application inventory gathering, and risk analysis.
Alexandra Charikova
Growth Manager @ Escape & Podcast host @The Elephant in AppSec
Passionate about advancing knowledge in application security and challenging industry leaders, Alexandra is a cybersecurity content creator and hosts the podcast "The Elephant in AppSec." This podcast brings together cybersecurity professionals and industry leaders to discuss and tackle challenging topics in application security.
