The challenge:
A software start-up that provides electronic health record management services experienced a significant uptick in fraudulent payment activity on their web-facing application. This occurred after the company modified their new client onboarding workflow. The workflow modification created a vulnerability that allowed threat actors to leverage the payment platform to issue and execute fraudulent payments of more than $500,000 using suspected stolen payment cards.
CRA approach:
CRA’s cybersecurity team conducted a complex analysis of more than 5.8 billion log entries during the time period in question to evaluate how the onboarding change allowed for this uptick in suspicious activity. This involved pattern analysis, large scale IP intelligence, and complex data correlation to identify high-risk organizations in their environment. Due to extreme data volume, our team used advanced analytic and data management techniques to help the client quickly draw key insights from the data. Throughout the engagement, the team maintained rigorous compliance with legal and regulatory requirements under the continuous guidance of external legal counsel.
The impact:
The team presented the client with a clearly defined list of key activity and fraud indicators specifically identified by our analysis. This allowed the client to narrow in on the potentially fraudulent organizations set-up in their system during the time frame and evaluate if the previous onboarding process would have prevented the activity. The team also provided insights and recommendations of measures to consider for mitigating similar activity in the future. This approach minimized legal and regulatory risk, prevented delays or rework, and facilitated alignment with applicable standards. By delivering meticulous, efficient, and professional support, the team provided clear, actionable guidance that enabled the client to proceed with confidence, protect organizational interests, and achieve timely, defensible outcomes aligned with both regulatory expectations and business objectives.
