Cybersecurity Framework

A cybersecurity framework is a structured set of controls, policies, and processes that govern how a family office manages digital security risks. Common frameworks include the CIS Critical Security Controls and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework; specialised offices often layer family-office-specific guidance on top.

The threat model for UHNW families differs from generic enterprise security. Attackers are fewer but more sophisticated, more patient, and more targeted. Pretexting (impersonating a trusted contact to extract information or initiate transactions) is more common than mass phishing. The family's broader ecosystem — lawyers, accountants, household staff — is part of the attack surface.

Working frameworks combine baseline controls (multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection, encrypted email, password managers) with targeted practices (travel and personal-device policies, segmented access, annual external penetration testing by firms specialising in family offices).