Cortica risk score

Section 1: Company Overview
Cortica is a small, family-operated floral retailer based in Columbia, South Carolina. The business focuses on creating bespoke floral arrangements for events and everyday occasions, and emphasizes personalized customer service. Operationally, Cortica offers same‑day delivery within the Columbia metro area, maintains a localized customer base, and likely relies on an in‑store point-of-sale (POS) system, a web or phone order pipeline, and a small team of employees and delivery drivers. Its size and service model make it a community-facing enterprise with moderate digital touchpoints—online ordering, payment processing, and customer records—that warrant proportionate security controls.

Section 2: Historical Data Breaches
No public records or reports were provided indicating that Cortica has experienced data breaches. Given the company’s family-owned profile and local focus, it is common for such businesses to have limited public reporting even when smaller incidents occur. Absence of documented breaches is not equivalent to absence of risk; smaller organizations frequently operate without formal incident disclosure processes, meaning undetected or unreported events are possible. For Cortica, the historical record as available indicates no known major security incidents.

Section 3: Recent Security Breach
[Omitted—no recent breach information was supplied.]

Section 4: Evaluation of Digital Security
No formal third‑party security audit or quantitative vulnerability scan results were provided for Cortica. In the absence of SerityData or similar assessment outputs, the evaluation below synthesizes risk exposure using the company’s operating characteristics and typical threat vectors affecting similarly sized retailers.

Assets and threat landscape
- Customer payment and contact data: Cortica almost certainly stores customers’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and payment records (temporarily or persistently), creating a target for fraud and identity theft.
- POS and e-commerce: If the shop accepts card payments in‑store or online, misconfiguration or outdated POS software can expose cardholder data and invite PCI compliance violations.
- Delivery and mobile endpoints: Drivers’ devices and the shop’s Wi‑Fi present lateral entry points; lost or compromised phones can leak customer addresses and order histories.
- Personnel risk: Small teams often use shared logins, weak passwords, and may lack phishing awareness—heightening insider and credential‑theft threats.
- Operational continuity: Limited backups or manual records can render the business vulnerable to ransomware or data loss.

Probable vulnerabilities (based on sector norms)
- Payment processing: Potential for non‑PCI‑compliant terminals or ad hoc card handling practices.
- Web security: If Cortica maintains a site for ordering, it may lack enforced HTTPS, up‑to‑date certificates, or regular patching—exposing forms and customer data.
- Password hygiene and access controls: Small shops frequently reuse passwords and omit multifactor authentication (MFA).
- Endpoint protection: Point-of-sale terminals, desktops, and mobile devices may lack centralized antivirus or automated patch management.
- Data retention and privacy: Absence of formal retention policies can lead to unnecessary storage of sensitive data, increasing breach impact.

Recommendations (prioritized, cost‑sensitive)
1. Payment security: Adopt a PCI-compliant payment processor or hosted checkout solution to minimize stored card data. Replace legacy POS software and enable automatic updates.
2. Transport encryption: Ensure any website or web ordering portal uses TLS (HTTPS) with valid certificates and secure form handling.
3. Access controls and credentials: Implement unique user accounts, enforce strong passwords, and deploy MFA for administrative access to email, POS admin, and order management systems.
4. Employee training and policies: Conduct brief, recurring security training covering phishing, secure handling of customer PII, and device hygiene; document an incident response owner and simple escalation steps.
5. Endpoint and network protections: Secure Wi‑Fi with WPA3 (or WPA2) and a segregated guest network; install reputable endpoint protection on desktops and devices used for order processing.
6. Data minimization and backups: Limit retention of card data and SSNs; implement automated encrypted backups for order and accounting records and periodically test restores.
7. Vendor and delivery security: Ensure third‑party platforms used for delivery or web orders adhere to security standards; secure delivery devices with PINs and remote wipe capability.
8. Incident preparedness: Draft a concise breach response playbook including customer notification templates, legal/regulatory contacts, and preservation of evidence.

Cost considerations and next steps
Many recommended actions are affordable and scalable: hosted payment processors, basic TLS certificate management, MFA via authenticator apps, and inexpensive security awareness training can materially reduce risk. For a prioritized 90‑day roadmap, Cortica should: (1) secure payments and website TLS, (2) enable MFA and unique accounts, and (3) institute backups and staff training. A modest external review (vulnerability scan and PCI readiness check) will provide measurable baselines and inform further investment.

Conclusion: Is Cortica Safe?
Cortica has no publicly reported breaches, but its small, customer‑facing operation likely faces typical local‑retailer risks—payment, credential, and device vulnerabilities. Implementing PCI‑aligned payments, TLS, MFA, staff training, and backups will substantially reduce financial, privacy, and reputational exposure. Immediate attention to these low‑cost controls should be prioritized to protect customers and sustain business continuity.