Tiversa

Tiversa
Company type	Private
Industry	Cybersecurity
Founded	2004
Founder	Robert Boback
Fate	Acquired by Kroll Inc. in June 2017
Headquarters	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Products	EagleVision X1
Number of employees	2 (at founding)

Tiversa was a cybersecurity enterprise based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in 2004 by Robert Boback, a former chiropractor and real estate investor, the company focused on exploring the deep web and analyzing peer-to-peer networks to assist organizations in identifying and mitigating data breaches and various cybersecurity threats. Its flagship software, EagleVision X1, was designed to scan less accessible areas of the Internet—such as peer-to-peer networks—for exposed confidential information.

History

Prior to founding Tiversa, Boback worked as a chiropractor and engaged in real estate ventures. He launched Tiversa as a small operation with just two employees. The firm soon attracted a distinguished advisory board featuring prominent figures like Maynard Webb, former eBay executive and Yahoo chairman; Howard Schmidt, who served as cybersecurity coordinator during the Obama administration; and Wesley Clark, ex-Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

Marine One security incident

In 2009, Tiversa announced it had uncovered a significant security compromise involving the helicopter used by then-President Barack Obama, known as Marine One. The breach reportedly entailed the unauthorized transfer of sensitive procurement documents and technical blueprints to Iran. According to Tiversa’s CEO, this exposure resulted from a defense contractor’s employee whose daughter installed a peer-to-peer file-sharing program on an unused laptop containing classified data. The revelation attracted widespread media attention; however, a whistleblower later alleged that Tiversa’s staff had fabricated the Iranian hack claim. Boback refuted these accusations.

LabMD Controversy

In May 2008, an executive from Tiversa reached out to LabMD, a laboratory specializing in urology testing, asserting that they had uncovered proof of a significant data breach. The executive proposed selling LabMD cybersecurity monitoring services to address the issue. When LabMD’s leadership declined the offer, Tiversa reportedly disclosed details of the alleged breach to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which oversees cybersecurity enforcement. The FTC initiated an investigation into LabMD’s practices under section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act in 2010, eventually filing a formal administrative complaint in 2013. As a result, LabMD experienced declining revenues and ultimately ceased operations in 2014 due to clients not renewing contracts and partners terminating agreements. Nevertheless, in November 2014, an administrative law judge dismissed the complaint against LabMD, pointing to unreliable evidence provided by Tiversa. This decision was influenced by a whistleblower complaint from Richard Wallace, a former Tiversa employee, who asserted that he personally accessed LabMD’s systems and that no data had been leaked beyond their network. Wallace further claimed that Tiversa instigated the FTC complaint as retaliation for LabMD’s refusal to purchase their monitoring services. In sworn testimony, Wallace admitted to fabricating data intended to create fear of breaches affecting "probably every company we've ever done business with."

Federal Investigation

Following the whistleblower allegations from Wallace, federal authorities launched an inquiry into Tiversa on accusations that it intentionally submitted false breach information to the FTC as retribution against firms that declined its cybersecurity offerings. In 2015, the Department of Justice commenced a criminal investigation based on these claims. Concurrently, the FTC explored whether Tiversa had misrepresented breach incidents involving any of the approximately 80 companies it had reported.

Corporate Armor Purchase

In August 2016, Tiversa expanded its operations by acquiring Corporate Armor, a U.S.-based provider specializing in IT security solutions.

Integration into Kroll Inc.

Tiversa was acquired by Kroll Inc. in June 2017, with its workforce retained to continue managing Tiversa’s investigative platforms. As of January 2019, these systems remained active; during this period, an individual in England publicly questioned via Twitter why their IP address was being monitored.

Notable clients

References

External links

Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived April 20, 2018)