Tiversa

Tiversa operated as a cybersecurity firm specializing in peer-to-peer (P2P) intelligence and data protection services. Founded in 2004 by Robert Boback, a former chiropractor and real estate entrepreneur, the company initially focused on combating online piracy before expanding its scope. Boback, who served as CEO, established the company after identifying a significant gap in the market for monitoring data exposure on P2P networks. He was joined by co-founder Sam Hopkins, whom Boback later bought out.

The company's core business involved monitoring peer-to-peer networks to identify the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information for corporate and government clients. Its main product, EagleVision X1, was a software designed to trawl parts of the internet not easily accessible to standard browsers, searching for exposed confidential data. Tiversa's operational model was to locate these exposed files, identify their sources, and offer remediation and risk mitigation services to the affected organizations. This was positioned as a service for consumers, companies, and government agencies to gain visibility into their cyber risks. Revenue was generated by selling these monitoring and incident response services to organizations upon discovering potential data breaches.

Over its history, Tiversa gained attention for several high-profile claims, including the discovery of sensitive military documents and blueprints for the Marine One presidential helicopter on a computer in Iran. The company assembled a prominent advisory board that included a former eBay executive, an Obama-era cybersecurity chief, and the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. However, the firm's business practices came under intense scrutiny. A former employee made whistleblower allegations, claiming the company fabricated data breaches to pressure potential clients into purchasing its services. These allegations led to federal investigations by the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) into whether Tiversa provided false information and engaged in extortion. A notable case involved LabMD, a medical testing laboratory that went out of business following an FTC probe prompted by information from Tiversa, which LabMD alleged was part of a setup after refusing to buy Tiversa's services. Tiversa and its CEO denied the allegations. The company acquired IT security provider Corporate Armor in 2016 before being acquired itself by Kroll Inc. in June 2017.

Keywords: peer-to-peer security, P2P intelligence, data breach detection, cybersecurity services, deep web monitoring, network security, incident response, information leak protection, Robert Boback, data loss prevention, cyber risk management, file sharing security, Kroll Inc, federal investigation, whistleblower, FTC complaint, LabMD, Corporate Armor, EagleVision X1, data protection