Mining Conglomerate Restores Investor Confidence Through Comprehensive Cyber Audit and Attestation Program
The Challenge
RockSolid Mining Corporation, a diversified Canadian conglomerate operating across iron, gold, and lithium sites, faced increasing scrutiny from investors, insurers, and joint-venture partners after inconsistencies surfaced in its cyber compliance reports. Despite deploying multiple cybersecurity frameworks, the firm lacked a unified audit and attestation structure to verify adherence to PIPEDA, ISO/IEC 27001, and CCCS Baseline Controls.
An internal risk review revealed fragmented documentation practices across exploration, production, and supply-chain systems. Vendor SOC reports were incomplete, and there was no standardized evidence trail for privacy or operational-technology (OT) security controls. A due-diligence request from a major institutional investor exposed these gaps, delaying a multi-million-dollar sustainability-linked financing agreement.
Without an independently verified control environment, RockSolid’s governance credibility, insurance coverage, and ESG transparency were at risk.
Our Solution
Our Audit and Attestation team implemented a Mining Cyber Assurance and Attestation Framework, consolidating IT, OT, and data-governance audits into a single, repeatable lifecycle. Key steps included: This engagement transformed RockSolid’s previously siloed audits into an enterprise-wide assurance model supporting transparent reporting to regulators, insurers, and investors.
- Comprehensive assessment aligning controls with ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2 Type II, TSM, and PIPEDA.
- Standardization of audit evidence repositories across operations, suppliers, and cloud environments.
- Independent verification testing of critical safeguards for access management, incident response, and third-party risk oversight.
- Implementation of executive dashboards tracking audit status, findings remediation, and insurer reporting metrics.
- Preparation of a unified Executive Attestation Report summarizing compliance maturity, privacy assurance, and cyber resilience posture.
The Value
Within eight months, RockSolid achieved measurable outcomes: By embedding audit and attestation discipline across its value chain, RockSolid Mining turned compliance verification into a cornerstone of corporate integrity and stakeholder trust.
- Successful SOC 2 Type II readiness and ISO 27001 re-certification.
- 55% reduction in audit preparation time via centralized dashboards and automated evidence collection.
- 20% decrease in insurance premiums due to validated control effectiveness.
- Accelerated investor approvals for ESG-linked financing tied to cyber-assurance criteria.
- Enhanced reputation with provincial regulators and industry associations as a governance leader.
Implementation Roadmap
1. Assessment (Weeks 1–3): Perform baseline review of control documentation and data-flow mapping.
2. Framework Alignment (Weeks 4–6): Map controls to PIPEDA, ISO 27001, SOC 2, and CCCS; define audit scope.
3. Testing & Validation (Weeks 7–12): Conduct independent control testing across IT, OT, and vendor environments.
4. Attestation (Weeks 13–16): Produce unified audit report and attestation deliverables for investors and insurers.
5. Continuous Assurance (Ongoing): Maintain dashboards, quarterly internal reviews, and readiness for annual re-audits.
