Company: CRL
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001100682-25-000011
Chunk: 40

Company: CHARLES RIVER LABORATORIES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-02-19
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 40
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 attempt to gain entry to such information systems to steal data or disrupt the systems or for financial gain. Like other companies, we have on occasion experienced, and will continue to experience, threats and incursions to our data and systems, including malicious software and viruses, phishing, business email compromise and social engineering attacks, network intrusions, or other cyber-attacks. The number and complexity of these threats continue to increase over time. These threats also may be further enhanced in frequency or effectiveness through threat actors’ use of artificial intelligence technologies, which are becoming more widely adopted and increasingly sophisticated.

As of the date of this filing, to our knowledge, we have not experienced an information security breach or material cybersecurity incident since an event in 2019. While we have implemented additional security safeguards since that event and continue to enhance existing safeguards, such efforts may not be successful, in which case we could suffer significant harm.

Further, we are at risk of being targeted, and we have in the past been victim to, business email compromise fraud, which results in payments being made to illegitimate bank accounts. Although these instances have not resulted in our incurring material losses, if similar instances occur in the future, we may incur such losses.

Our contracts with our clients typically contain provisions that require us to keep confidential the information generated from the studies we conduct. In the event the confidentiality of such information is compromised, whether by unauthorized access or other breaches, we could be exposed to significant harm, including termination of customer contracts, damage to our customer relationships, damage to our reputation and potential legal claims from customers, employees and other parties. In addition, we may face investigations by government regulators and agencies as a result of a breach.

Additionally, the rapid ongoing evolution and increased adoption of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning may make it more difficult to anticipate and implement protective measures to recognize, detect, and prevent the occurrence of any of the cyber events described above.

For information regarding our processes and practices related to information and cybersecurity, please see Section 1C of this report, “Cybersecurity”.

If we are not successful in selecting and integrating the businesses and technologies we acquire or partner with, or if we do not manage our current and future site closures and divestitures, our business may be adversely impacted.

During the last two decades, we have steadily expanded our business through numerous acquisitions and partnerships. However, businesses and technologies may not be available on terms and conditions we find acceptable. We risk spending time and money investigating and negotiating with potential acquisition or alliance partners,