NL INDUSTRIES INC 10-K Cybersecurity GRC - 2025-03-06

Page last updated on March 6, 2025

NL INDUSTRIES INC reported their cybersecurity risk management and governance process in a yearly 10-K filed on 2025-03-06 17:12:35 EST.

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10-K filed on 2025-03-06

NL INDUSTRIES INC filed a 10-K at 2025-03-06 17:12:35 EST
Accession Number: 0001558370-25-002417

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Item 1C. Cybersecurity.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY We operate through our subsidiaries and affiliate and receive services through our intercorporate services agreement (ISA) with Contran (see Note 16 to our Consolidated Financial Statements). We recognize the importance of proactively assessing, identifying and managing material risks associated with cybersecurity threats. These risks include, among other things: operational disruptions, intellectual property theft, fraud, extortion, harm to employees or customers and violation of data privacy or security laws. Our cybersecurity programs are built on both operational and compliance foundations. The operational component focuses on continuous detection, prevention, measurement, analysis and response to cybersecurity alerts and incidents, and on emerging threats. The compliance component establishes oversight of our cybersecurity programs by creating risk-based controls to protect the integrity, confidentiality, accessibility and availability of company data stored, processed or transferred. Our cybersecurity program is fully integrated into our enterprise-wide risk management framework. Kronos and CompX each have their own cybersecurity programs. Our corporate cybersecurity program is led by our chief information officer ( CIO ), who is responsible for developing and executing our overall information security strategy, policy, security engineering, operations and cyber threat detection and response. Our corporate information systems are owned and operated by Contran and provided to us through the ISA. Our CIO, who also serves as the Kronos CIO, reports to our and Kronos’ chief executive officers, respectively. CompX’s cybersecurity program is led by the director of information technology (IT). The director of IT reports to CompX’s vice president in charge of coordinating operational activities within CompX’s two operating business segments. Both our CIO and the director of IT have extensive information technology and program management experience and lead teams that have many years of experience with each organization. Cybersecurity risks at each company are also reviewed and tested annually through third-party assessments and internal and external information technology audits. Our, Kronos’ and CompX’s information technology teams review cybersecurity risks at least annually, integrating findings into strategic risk assessments. We, Kronos and CompX continually enhance our cyber defense strategy with the ultimate goal of preventing cybersecurity incidents to the extent feasible, while simultaneously bolstering our system resilience in an effort to minimize the business impact should an incident occur. Third parties also play a role in our cybersecurity. We, Kronos and CompX engage reputable third-party security firms for consultation on industry best practices and regulatory standards and to conduct routine evaluations of our cybersecurity, such as through penetration testing and security audits; these evaluations include testing both the design and operational effectiveness of security controls. All employees are required to complete cybersecurity training at least once a year and have access to more frequent cybersecurity training through periodic updates. Employees in certain roles also receive additional role-based, specialized cybersecurity training. We, Kronos and CompX each have a Cybersecurity Incident Disclosure and Controls Committee (CIDAC) which is central to the response and evaluation of cybersecurity incidents. Our CIDAC is comprised of our CIO and other senior executives including our chief executive officer, chief financial officer and general counsel. Security events and data incidents are evaluated, ranked by severity and prioritized for response and remediation. The IT teams are responsible for categorizing cybersecurity incidents, and those deemed high-risk or critical are escalated to the CIDAC for review and response coordination. Incidents are evaluated to determine materiality and for operational, financial and reputational impact. Our CIDAC, as well as the Kronos and CompX CIDAC, performs simulations and tabletop exercises at a -27- management level to evaluate our readiness and response to cybersecurity incidents. As needed, we collaborate with external cybersecurity experts and legal advisors to help ensure a robust response strategy. Our board of directors oversees management’s processes for identifying and mitigating risks, including cybersecurity risks, to help align our risk exposure with our strategic objectives. Senior leadership, including our chief financial officer and CIO, provides regular updates to the board of directors on our cybersecurity posture, emerging threats and our risk mitigation efforts. Our board of directors is apprised of cybersecurity incidents deemed to have significant business impact, even if they are not material to us. The board has delegated some of its primary risk oversight to board committees, including that our audit committee facilitates the board’s process of oversight of our overall risk management approach. Our full board retains oversight of cybersecurity because of its importance to us and visibility with our customers. In the event of an incident, we follow a structured incident response playbook, which outlines clear and defined steps to be followed from incident detection to mitigation, recovery and notification, including notifying functional areas (such as legal and human resources), senior leadership, and the board, as appropriate. We also conduct post-incident reviews to identify lessons learned and implement continuous improvements. We, Kronos and CompX face a number of cybersecurity risks. To date, such risks have not materially affected us, including our business strategy, results of operations or financial condition. While we have not experienced any major breaches, we actively monitor and mitigate cyber threats, including phishing attempts, malware and targeted attacks. Thus far all such incidents have been minor, isolated and promptly contained. For more information about the cybersecurity risks we face, see the risk factor entitled “Technology failures or cybersecurity breaches could have a material adverse effect on our operations.” in Item 1A- “Risk Factors.”

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