CHICAGO -

McGladrey acknowledged that third-party relationships are helping many financial institutions stay competitive. But the consulting firm insisted these associations also are creating new cybersecurity risks.

The situation prompted McGladrey to ask executives and managers whether they’re doing everything they should to protect their systems and data from attacks through their vendors.

To help them answer that question and more, McGladrey’s experienced cybersecurity professionals are hosting a free, one-hour webinar on Thursday beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET. These experts plan to discuss:

• The basics of effective vendor management programs

• How to incorporate cybersecurity into your vendor management efforts

• How to move beyond due diligence and on-boarding to help ensure that vendor security evolves with your changing needs and the ever-shifting threat environment

“Cybersecurity is one of the biggest risks confronting your financial institutions today, and ineffective vendor management can be one of the biggest risks to your cybersecurity effort,” McGladrey officials said.

“Join us on Thursday to learn how to understand and control this threat,” they added.

Individuals can register for the webinar by going to this website.

McGladrey also mentioned that it is pleased to offer one CPE credit for attending this event. To qualify, attendees must log in to the webcast and be connected for a minimum of 50 minutes with 75 percent polling question participation to receive credit.

CPE certificates for eligible participants will be available to download and save at the end of the webcast.

For more information regarding administrative policies, such as refunds, cancellations and complaints, contact McGladrey at (800) 274-3978 or marketingCPE@mcgladrey.com.