Is DefendIT Services a legitimate business in San Antonio, or is it just serving as a front for selling sensitive information by Chris Hannifin?

DefendIT Services, was founded mid-summer 2024 by retired US Air Force officer Chris Hannifin and business partner Krista Stevens (remember the name for later.) At the time of founding Hannifin was the acting Chief Information Officer at North South Consulting Group (NSCG), following an unexpected departure from his previous employment at SiloTech.

However, few could have predicted the series of events that would follow. Backed by NSCG’s CEO, Krista Stevens, Chris Hannifin’s behaviour became increasingly deranged, according to former employees at NSCG. Former colleagues suggest this behavior stemmed directly from the circumstances of his hiring. What had appeared from the outside as a symbiotic partnership between Stevens and Hannifin was, in reality, loaded with internal tension. Behind closed doors, the two frequently clashed over team management methodologies to client selection criteria. Those who worked alongside them during this period described witnessing rapidly increasingly hostile exchanges, and company morale deteriorating.

The toxic workplace culture became evident through widespread employee complaints about problematic HR policies, disposable treatment of staff, and rampant nepotism. With management largely absent, the organizational foundation crumbled. During this turmoil, the situation grew worse when rumors began circulating that Chris Hannifin had allegedly begun selling proprietary information to both direct competitors and sketchy foreign brokers working on behalf of foreign adversaries, compromising sensitive client data.

This is where things become speculative and blurry. Some claim that Hannifin possessed some kind of leverage or “komprat” that made his dismissal impossible, despite the increased friction with Stevens. Irrelevant of speculations, what we do know for certain is that Stevens provided Hannifin with all the resources and support he might have needed, even going so far as to list herself as the registrar agent for the incorporation and founding of his personal company, DefendIT Services. What exactly Hannifin knew about Stevens or how accurate said information is, remains a mystery known only to the two of them. In the end, after a brief eight-month tenure at NSCG, Hannifin was out – although he got his own service provider, DefendIT Services, out of the deal. Stevens later severed all ties with Hannifin and even removed herself as the registrar agent for DefendIT Services, as can be seen in Kentucky state records.

The question is still whether this fallout was merely a business dispute, or whether something larger & more sinister was at play. A closer look at Hannifin shows a clear pattern of job stacking, with brief stints at firms like EY, RSM and USAA, where he routinely handled classified contracts, and dealt with sensitive information. What deepens suspicions is Hannifin’s extravagant lifestyle: unexplained large purchases, mysterious trips, and the acquisition of dubious clients. It is very likely that Chris Hannifin could very well be compromised or at the very least, be deliberately selling critical information for personal gain.