PCI Expert Services Penetration Testing Audit Defense

News and Events

Latest News

With Cyber Fast Track, Pentagon Funds Hacker Research

Dec 08, 2011

Critical Assets' CEO, Matt Harrigan, featured in Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1211/70016.html

Critical Assets is Among First to Receive Funding for Security Projects Under DARPA's Cyber Fast Track Program

Dec 08, 2011

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Critical Assets Labs, a division of Critical Assets, has been awarded the one of the first contracts from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under their new "Cyber Fast Track Program." DARPA will fund Critical Assets' "Pin Pad Defender" project. The contract award funds the continued development, fabrication and integration of a functional prototype that will be presented to DARPA and others at the completion of the project. "We're very excited to be among the first to work with DARPA's CFT initiative. The program establishes the ability for firms like us to do meaningful research under a federal program, which would otherwise not be possible," said Matt Harrigan, the company's chief executive. "The truth is that attackers have adapted beyond today's security products. At Critical Assets, we demand defensive measures that our own white-hat hackers can't break. And that rules out most of the "solutions" on the market today. Critical Assets Labs is pushing the envelope with new forms of defense. And we are developing novel counteroffensive measures to help deceive, identify and catch cybercriminals. As an industry, we need to be innovating as quickly as the bad guys. And our defensive measures should be raising the cost and risks to being a bad guy, " Harrigan added. Critical Assets is intending to pursue a number of projects with DARPA under Cyber Fast Track, and the company is seeking additional researchers to be part of its CA Labs team. "Security people have historically had to balance their security research with projects that they aren't emotionally invested in, which is less than ideal for them. The goal of Critical Assets Labs is to partner on programs like CFT to give researchers their utopian job," said Amy Kohtz of CA Labs. Critical Assets is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.criticalassets.com for more information. Media Contact: Jessica Payne Operations Critical Assets, LLC +1 858-314-8474 Corporate Headquarters 1104 Camino Del Mar Suite 101 Del Mar, CA 92014

Former Chief Energy Security Strategist Named As Director

Nov 08, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT San Diego, CA, Nov. 7th, 2011 /prurgent.com/ -- In response to growing demand from the energy sector for more efficient NERC/CIP programs and a single source security team that understands the energy market, Critical Assets, the world’s leading provider of security and compliance services, announced today that Jeff Mills, the former chief energy security strategist for Coalfire Systems, has joined the company as Director, Energy Security Services. "I've spent the last 4 years head down on critical infrastructure projects in Energy," said Mills. "From a regulatory perspective, the federal government is asking energy providers to comply with NERC/CIP, but they realize that it’s not just about compliance. Securing the smart grid is the real challenge. We have the experience with operational technology to make the transition less painful for owner / operators." Mills brings extensive experience in the information technology and information security industry to Critical Assets. He has held operational and executive positions at market leading companies, including Aegon, Pike, and Nortel. "I am personally thrilled to bring Jeff to our team," said Critical Assets Chief Executive Officer Matt Harrigan. "His unique experience in energy, security, and compliance, combined with our proven assessment methodologies and existing practice areas will accelerate our innovation and growth. Our customers can expect to see exciting, new developments from Critical Assets in the near future." Critical Assets security programs focus on industry-centric issues in energy, healthcare, retail, technology, and the public sector. About Critical Assets Critical Assets, the world’s leading provider of information security solutions, has been helping companies build and operate security programs, assessing critical infrastructure hardware, and remediating problem enterprise areas since 2007. The company is headquartered in San Diego, CA with offices in Dallas, TX, and New York, NY. For more information, please visit http://www.criticalassets.com .

Narcos, meet hackers: Anonymous group may be heading to cyber faceoff with deadly Zetas gang

Nov 03, 2011

Matt Harrigan, Critical Assets CEO is cited in an AP article appearing in the Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/americas/narcos-meet-hackers-anonymous-group-may-be-heading-to-cyber-faceoff-with-deadly-zetas-gang/2011/11/02/gIQApkYbeM_story.html

$23,000 Stolen From Car Dealership Electronically

Aug 17, 2011

Hackers steal $23,000 from insecure auto dealership: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110815/RETAIL07/308159991/1143

Inside Anonymous, Members Find Shelter in a Collective Voice (CA Cited)

Jul 28, 2011

Critical Assets CEO, Matt Harrigan quoted in today's Huffington Post.

Critical Assets CEO, Matt Harrigan Comments on Anonymous Arrests

Jul 21, 2011

Article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/20/arrests-unlikely-to-slow-anonymous_n_904747.html?1311197820

Hacking is Apparently So Easy, Even Tabloid Reporters Can Do it.

Jul 18, 2011

Apparently, hacking is so easy that even European tabloid reporters can do it: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacking/8643820/Phone-hacking-Claims-Neil-Wallis-was-reporting-back-to-paper-from-Met.html

Well Known Security Expert Jeromie Jackson Joins Critical Assets

Mar 01, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESan Diego, California,February 28, 2011-- Critical Assets announced today security expert Jeromie Jackson has joined as Vice President of Consulting. Mr. Jackson has founded two security consultancies since 1994, is a sought after speaker, President of the San Diego OWASP Chapter, a SANS Mentor, and also holds CISM, ITIL, and COBIT certifications. Two visionary security entrepreneurs leading the same company- I'm very excited to see what we create,” said Jackson. “Matt and I were covered on Forbes Magazine in 1996, affording both of us to gain tremendous momentum in our respective service lines. Now, Critical Assets is poised to address the current and emerging threat vectors with our current offerings.” “Having people of Jeromie’s caliber join the team speaks volumes about our intentions to create a world class security team. I have no doubt that Jeromie can give our customers peace of mind while he drives the business toward our goals.” , said Matt Harrigan, President and CEO. Critical Assets is the world’s leading professional services security firm, based in San Diego, CA. The company is focused on providing information security services including, penetration testing, PCI expert services, and audit defense. The company has been featured in prominent media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, ABC News, and the Discovery Channel. Press Inquiries should be directed to: pr@criticalassets.com

CA Launches New Corporate Site. Customer Portal soon to follow.

Oct 16, 2010

Today, in preparation for its customer security portal launch, Critical Assets launched it's new corporate site. This site lays the framework for the secure customer portal, which will allow CA to: Deliver documents securely to its customers. Collaborate with customers and partners on security projects, worldwide. Manage it's global resoources, availability, and efficiency.

Latest Events

Matt Harrigan from Critical Assets and Rob Havelt from Trustwave to Speak at toorcon 2010 on

Date: 10-22-2010
Venue: toorcon 2010 - San Diego Convention Center

Matt Harrigan, CEO - Critical Assets, and Rob Havelt, Director, Penetration Testing for Spiderlabs (a division of Trustwave) will be giving a talk on "Exploiting PCI Compliant Networks" on October 22nd at this year's toorcon. More information is available on the toorcon site. If you have already registered for the event, we hope to see you there. If you have not registered for the event, you may either register at onsite, or get a deal on your pass by registering in advance here: http://www.toorcon.org.

Critical Assets to Present at California Bankers Association

Date: 06-16-2011
Venue: Westin South Coast Plaza - Costa Mesa

Implementing superior security management programs that safeguard both the physical and technological safety of financial institutions are a necessary component to decreasing internal risk and minimizing vulnerability of branch offices. The California Bankers Association (CBA) Security Management Conference Committee graciously invites all security professionals, whether you work at a bank or a credit union, to learn and share with your peers at this annual event. This conference will continue its one-day format in 2011, and will be held on Thursday, June 16, at the Westin South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.