A letter of intent (LOI) is a preliminary agreement that records the main terms of a proposed transaction before final contracts are signed. In cybersecurity, it often appears in acquisitions, strategic partnerships, outsourcing, or major procurement deals. An LOI usually shows that both sides are serious, but it is not the same as a completed contract, and key terms can still change during due diligence and negotiation.
LOIs matter to security teams because they can signal future changes in ownership, product integration, access control, or data handling. Until definitive agreements are signed, defenders should avoid assuming that a deal is closed or that systems, administrators, and telemetry will stay the same. In real operations, an LOI can also be relevant to fraud detection: attackers may misuse deal language in business email compromise or fake vendor negotiations to pressure payments or access requests. The safe rule is to treat an LOI as intent, not proof.