ALTERNATIVES · SEC CYBER DISCLOSURE ALERTS
SEC cyber 8-K disclosure alerts: the alternatives, compared
Every material cybersecurity incident at a US public company is disclosed on Form 8-K, usually under Item 1.05, filed to SEC EDGAR. There are three ways to catch those filings: poll EDGAR yourself, wait for press coverage, or subscribe to alerts sourced from EDGAR directly. Here is the truthful trade-off.
Informational only. This page compares approaches, not legal, financial, or security advice. Prices and features shown are for BreachTrigger; verify any third-party option's current terms yourself. Last updated .
Polling SEC EDGAR full-text search for Item 1.05 8-K filings yourself vs BreachTrigger
| Dimension | Do it yourselfPoll SEC EDGAR full-text search and filter Item 1.05 8-Ks yourself. | Wait for the newsRely on the newswire and security-press coverage. | BreachTriggerFree weekly sector digest; same-day alerts the moment a filing hits EDGAR. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0 in fees; EDGAR is free and public. | Free to read, but you don't control timing. | Weekly digest is $0; Instant Alerts is $199/month. |
| Source | The primary SEC filing itself. | Second-hand, editorialized coverage. | The primary SEC EDGAR filing, linked in every alert. |
| Speed | As fast as you poll and read EDGAR. | Hours to days behind the filing. | EDGAR polled every 30 minutes; alerts the same day. |
| Filtering | You write your own sector and ticker filters. | Whatever the outlet chose to cover. | Filter by sector and ticker. |
| Item 1.05 vs 8.01 | You distinguish material from voluntary disclosures yourself. | Rarely distinguished in coverage. | Classified from the filing text, not guessed. |
| Effort | High and recurring — you own the pipeline. | Low, but incomplete and late. | Low — filtered alerts delivered to your inbox. |
When the alternative wins: If you already run an EDGAR pipeline and only need a handful of tickers, polling EDGAR yourself is a reasonable free path.
Frequently asked questions
- Is SEC 8-K breach filing data free?
- Yes. Every Form 8-K is public on SEC EDGAR and free to read, and EDGAR full-text search lets you find Item 1.05 cybersecurity filings yourself. BreachTrigger's weekly sector digest is also free; the paid tier only adds same-day alerts with sector and ticker filters.
- How fast do breach disclosures show up versus the news?
- The 8-K appears on EDGAR when the company files it, which is often before the news cycle picks it up. Press coverage typically lags the filing by hours to days and doesn't cover every filing. Sourcing directly from EDGAR is the earliest signal.
- What does BreachTrigger add over polling EDGAR myself?
- It polls EDGAR every 30 minutes, distinguishes Item 1.05 material-incident filings from voluntary Item 8.01 disclosures, classifies sector and ticker, and links every alert to the primary filing. It's not legal, security, or investment advice — verify on sec.gov/edgar before acting.
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