Financial Services Cybersecurity Advisory

Your Examiners Expect a Program. Not Just Products.

Financial institutions hold exactly what attackers want, money, identity data, and the trust of their members and clients. Regulators know it, and expectations have shifted accordingly. The GLBA Safeguards Rule now requires a designated qualified individual to oversee your information security program. NCUA and state examiners are probing governance, vendor management, and incident response, not just whether you bought the right firewall.

For community institutions, that creates a structural problem: examiner expectations are written for organizations with a CISO, but a full-time CISO costs $200K+ and is nearly impossible to recruit outside major metros. The result is a compliance burden carried by an IT manager or COO who already has a full-time job.

CyberCascadia fills that seat fractionally. We build and run the governance layer, risk assessments, policies, board reporting, vendor due diligence, exam preparation, so your institution presents a credible, documented program to examiners, auditors, and your board.

Security governance built for examination.

Examination & Audit Readiness

Prepare for NCUA, state, and FFIEC-aligned examinations with documented risk assessments, current policies, and a board reporting package examiners recognize.

GLBA Safeguards Compliance

Serve as your designated qualified individual or support the one you have. Written information security program, annual risk assessment, and required board reporting.

Board & Committee Reporting

Translate technical risk into business terms your board and supervisory committee can act on. Quarterly reporting that satisfies governance expectations.

Vendor & Third-Party Risk

Due diligence on core processors, fintech partners, and critical vendors. Contract review, ongoing monitoring, and the documentation trail examiners ask for.

Incident Response & Notification

Response plans aligned to regulatory notification timelines, tested through tabletop exercises with your leadership team before a real incident forces the issue.

Fraud & Account Takeover Defense

Strategic controls against business email compromise, wire fraud, and member account takeover, the loss events that hit community institutions hardest.

Financial institutions across the Pacific Northwest.

Credit Unions

Community and regional credit unions facing NCUA examinations, member data protection obligations, and core processor oversight.

Community Banks

State-chartered and community banks aligning to FFIEC guidance with lean internal IT teams.

Registered Investment Advisors

RIAs and wealth management firms navigating SEC cybersecurity requirements and client data protection.

Insurance Agencies

Independent agencies and brokerages subject to state insurance data security laws and carrier requirements.

Mortgage & Lending

Mortgage brokers and non-bank lenders handling sensitive borrower financial data under GLBA obligations.

Fintech & Payments

Fintech companies and payment processors facing SOC 2, PCI DSS, and bank-partner due diligence requirements.

Financial services security questions we hear most.

We already have an IT provider and pass our exams. Why do we need a vCISO?+

Examiners and regulators increasingly expect security governance, not just security tools, a named individual accountable for the program, documented risk assessments, board reporting, and vendor oversight. Your IT provider runs the systems; a vCISO owns the strategy, the documentation, and the conversation with examiners, auditors, and your board. Most community institutions can't justify a full-time CISO salary. A fractional model closes that gap.

Which regulations apply to our institution?+

It depends on your charter and business model. Banks and credit unions answer to FFIEC guidance, the GLBA Safeguards Rule, and NCUA or state examiner expectations, including incident notification rules. Registered investment advisors face SEC cybersecurity requirements. Insurance agencies in many states fall under the NAIC Insurance Data Security Model Law. We map your specific obligations during the baseline assessment and build one program that satisfies all of them.

Can you help us prepare for an NCUA or state examination?+

Yes. Exam preparation is one of the most common reasons financial institutions engage us. We review your information security program against current examiner expectations, close documentation gaps, prepare your board reporting package, and coach your leadership team on how to present the program. The goal is a clean exam with no surprises.

How is this different from our annual penetration test or IT audit?+

A penetration test is a point-in-time snapshot of technical weaknesses. An audit verifies controls exist. Neither one builds your program, prioritizes your spending, manages your vendors, or reports risk to your board in business terms. vCISO advisory is the continuous leadership layer that turns those point-in-time results into an improving security posture year over year.

How much does vCISO advisory cost for a financial institution?+

Monthly advisory fees typically range from $2,500 to $9,000 depending on asset size, regulatory complexity, and the maturity of your existing program. That is a fraction of a full-time CISO, with no recruiting risk and no benefits overhead. We also offer a one-time Leadership Baseline Assessment if you want a clear picture before committing.

Cybersecurity Advisory for Financial Services