Elevating Cybersecurity’s Role in M&A to Protect Value

By Christopher Mixter

As organizations prepare for a wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in 2026, the importance of cybersecurity in protecting deal value is coming into sharper focus. Too often, cybersecurity risk assessments occur too late in the M&A life cycle, missing critical opportunities for risk prevention, and leading to incorrect assumptions about cybersecurity’s ability to contribute to postclose synergies. According to a Gartner survey, in 2025, 28% of non-executive board directors reported experiencing a cybersecurity-related disruption either before or in the early days after an M&A transaction’s close. As regulations increase the cost of late discoveries, the stakes for early and effective cyber due diligence have never been higher.

To safeguard business outcomes, chief information security officers (CISOs) must advocate for early involvement in due diligence. By engaging directly with boards and deploying minimum-effective due diligence playbooks, CISOs can identify risks quickly without slowing down the transaction.

Building on this foundation, acquiring company CISOs must take deliberate actions to position cybersecurity as a strategic enabler throughout the M&A life cycle and ensure it protects deal value.

Reset Cybersecurity’s Value Proposition in M&A

CISOs must begin by reframing the value of cybersecurity in the M&A process at the board level. While engaging with CEOs and CFOs remains important, their focus often centers on deal timelines and valuation. To secure meaningful board-level buy-in for cybersecurity due diligence, CISOs should take a structured approach:

Map the value gap to pinpoint where cybersecurity currently enters the process. Highlight specific examples from past deals where late-stage involvement resulted in missed risks, additional costs or delays.
Present evidence and use a minimum effective playbook to show that cybersecurity due diligence can be fast, focused, and can protect deal value.
Work toward formal…

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