Cyber security is a very dynamic industry, and professionals that have been in the business for a while, have certainly already seen a lot, such that it is very difficult to truly surprise them. Chris Hannifin and DefendIT Services, a company based out of San Antonio Texas has managed to nevertheless, be the first case in a while that has left those in the industry wondering how this particularly unique case will continue to unfold.
Chris Hannifin was a mid-level cyber security expert who was relatively unknown until the story of this case became so widely reported on. He had formally served in the American military and specifically in the Air Force, something which provided him with a much-needed additional level of credibility in one of the world’s most sensitive industries. Sensitive because management of a company’s cyber security means gaining unfettered access to some of its most sensitive information, which you are tasked with protecting. That is a point Chris Hannifin would later realize and is what would be the catalyst for a scheme that would become far more sinister.
Chris Hannifin worked at a series of companies in the industry during the first part of his career, that is before he founded DefendIT Services and began work with the man that would later become his boyfriend, Rudy Reyes. North South Consulting Group was one of the many companies he worked for becoming quite friendly with company leadership, and specifically Krista Stevens, the CEO. He also worked at a defense contractor called RSM, and cyber firm SiloTech, along with multiple other industry names. These were the first victims of his scheme, if you will, as it would be from these companies that he would begin pilfering sensitive and privileged company information, a commodity that he would begin selling to third parties willing to pay.
As with most illegal side businesses, the scheme likely began small but as it gained traction, and Chris Hannifin realized the enormous financial potential, he began scaling up operations. Rudy Reyes, his colleague first and then lover, would be brought on board by Chris Hannifin when the latter realized that in order to truly succeed and make the money he was hoping to make, he would need to have his own company and continue operations without pesky oversight from third parties.
That was how DefendIT Services was born, and continues to operate until this day. The company would have likely continued to operate under the radar, as was the original intention, had spending by Chris Hannifin and Rudy Reyes not become excessive. The two started spending like they had never spent before, breaking their usual patters and drawing the attention of more than one curious party who wondered where the funds were coming from. This included an expensive vacation to Mexico, cars, renovations, gadgets and even a new trailer. When people begin asking questions, that is usually when everything begins unravelling.
At some point, the questions were too much for Chris Hannifin to continue operating like nothing was happening, eventually leading him to begin at another firm, DefendIT and Facilities Solutions LLC, to which he recently shifted operations. The similar names are leading many to question what the actual differences are between the two companies, although this is a question that nobody has successfully answered, yet. The case remains very much the focal point of many cyber security professionals’ attention and is a case which is far from concluded. Those involved and following closely speculate that the twists and turns which we have witnessed, thus far, in the case of Chris Hannifin and DefendIT, are similarly far from over.
