You should carefully consider the following risks and all other information contained in this annual report, including our financial statements and the related notes, before investing in our common stock. If any of the following risks materialize, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially harmed. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose some or all of your investment.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before investing in our common stock, you should carefully consider the following risks as well as all other information contained in this Annual Report.

Risks Relating to Our Business

We currently rely on sales to the U.S. Government for substantially all of our revenue. If our relationships with U.S. Government agencies were harmed, our business, future revenue and growth prospects would be adversely affected.

We derive substantially all of our revenue from our U.S. Government customers. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2017 , 2016 , and 2015 , we generated 94% , 94% and 94% , respectively, of our total revenue from contracts with the U.S. Government, either as a prime contractor or a subcontractor. We expect that U.S. Government contracts will continue to be the primary source of our revenue for the foreseeable future. Our reputation and relationship with the U.S. Government, and in particular with the agencies of the U.S. IC and the DoD, are key factors in maintaining and growing our revenue. For example, in 2017 , on a GAAP basis, 33% from contracts with the NSA; 17% from contracts with the U.S. Army; 28% from contracts with other elements of the DoD excluding the NSA and the U.S. Army, none of these elements of the DoD individually were greater than 10% of our 2017 revenue from continuing operations; 11% from contracts with the FBI; 6% from work for other major intelligence agencies and other intelligence, defense, homeland security and other U.S. Government agencies and law enforcement organizations and 5% from commercial and international customers.

Our business, prospects, financial condition and/or operating results would be materially harmed if:

A decline in U.S. Government spending and mission priorities may adversely affect our future revenue and limit our growth prospects.

Continued U.S. Government expenditures on intelligence, defense and other programs for which we provide support are critically important for our business. While spending authorizations for intelligence and defense-related programs by the government have increased in recent years due to greater homeland security and foreign military commitments, and to a general outsourcing trend, these spending levels may not be sustainable and could significantly decline. Future levels of expenditures, authorizations, and appropriations for programs we support may decrease or shift to programs in areas where we do not currently provide services, or contract opportunities may be in-sourced to be performed by U.S. Government employees. Changes in spending authorizations, appropriations, and budgetary priorities could also occur due to a shift in the number, and intensity, of potential and ongoing conflicts, the rapid growth of the federal budget deficit, increasing political pressure to reduce overall levels of government spending, shifts in spending priorities from intelligence and defense-related programs as a result of competing demands for federal funds, or other factors. Our business prospects, financial condition or operating results could be materially harmed among other causes by the following:

These or other factors could cause U.S. Government agencies and departments to reduce their purchases under contracts, exercise their right to terminate contracts, or not exercise options to renew contracts, any of which could cause us to lose revenue. A significant decline in overall U.S. Government spending, or a shift in expenditures away from agencies or programs that we support, could cause a material decline in our revenue.

We depend on U.S. Government contract awards that are only partially funded and which depend upon annual budget appropriations. A delay in the completion of the U.S. Government's budget process or the impact of sequestration (automatic spending cuts) could delay procurement of the services and solutions we provide and have an adverse effect on our future revenue.

Budget decisions made by the U.S. Government are outside of our control and could have significant consequences for our business. Funding for U.S. Government contract awards is subject to Congressional appropriations. Although multi-year awards may be planned or authorized in connection with major procurements, Congress generally appropriates funds on a fiscal year basis even

though a program may be expected to continue for several years. Consequently, awards often initially receive only partial funding, and additional funds are committed only as Congress makes further appropriations. In some circumstances, we may elect to continue working on a contract that is awaiting additional incremental funding, because we expect the funding to be forthcoming soon, but this may place us at risk of not being paid if additional funding is not subsequently added to the contract. The termination of funding for any of our U.S. Government prime contracts or subcontracts could result in a loss of anticipated future revenue attributable to that program and a reduction in our cash flows and could have an adverse impact on our operating results.

In years when the U.S. Government does not complete its budget process before the end of its fiscal year on September 30, government operations are typically funded pursuant to a “continuing resolution” that authorizes agencies of the U.S. Government to continue to operate, but does not authorize new spending initiatives. When the U.S. Government operates under a continuing resolution, delays can occur in the procurement of the services and solutions that we provide. When supplemental budgets are required to operate the U.S. Government and passage of legislation needed to approve any supplemental budget is delayed, the overall funding environment for our business could be adversely affected.

If Congress does not agree on a budget or continuing resolution, it may result in a partial shutdown of the U.S. Government or sequestration and cause the termination or suspension of our contracts with the U.S. Government or automatic cuts to the U.S. defense or intelligence budget, which could impact some or all of our contracts. Under such circumstances, we could be required to furlough affected employees for an indefinite time, terminate or suspend subcontracts, or incur contract wind-down costs. It is uncertain if we would be compensated or reimbursed for any loss of revenue during such periods. If we were not compensated or reimbursed, it could result in significant adverse effects on our revenues, operating costs and cash flows.

The U.S. Government may modify, curtail or terminate our contracts at any time prior to their completion and, if we do not replace them, we may be unable to sustain our revenue growth and may suffer a decline in revenue.

Many of the U.S. Government programs in which we participate as a contractor or subcontractor may extend for several years. These programs are normally funded on an incremental basis. Under our contracts, the U.S. Government generally has the right not to exercise options to extend or expand our contracts and may modify, curtail or terminate the contracts and subcontracts at its convenience.

If the U.S. Government terminates a contract for convenience, we may recover only our reasonably incurred or committed allowable costs, settlement expenses and profit on work completed prior to the termination. We cannot recover anticipated future profits on terminated work. If the U.S. Government terminates a contract for default, we may not recover each of those types of costs, and instead may be liable for excess costs incurred by the U.S. Government in procuring undelivered items and services from another source.

Any decision by the U.S. Government not to exercise contract options or to modify, curtail or terminate our major programs or contracts would adversely affect our revenue and revenue growth.

Our business could be adversely affected by delays caused by our competitors protesting major contract awards received by us, resulting in the delay of the initiation of work.

The number of bid protests of contract awards by unsuccessful bidders is increasing and the U.S. Government is taking longer to resolve such protests. Bid protests may result in an increase in expenses related to obtaining contract awards or an unfavorable modification or loss of an award. In the event a bid protest is unsuccessful, the resulting delay in the startup and funding of the work under these contracts may cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those anticipated.

We may not realize as revenue the full amounts reflected in our backlog, which could adversely affect our future revenue and growth prospects.

As of December 31, 2017 , our total backlog was $1,189 million , which included $1,051 million in unfunded backlog. As of December 31, 2016 , our total backlog was $716 million , which included $542 million in unfunded backlog. The U.S. Government's ability not to exercise contract options or to modify, curtail or terminate our major programs or contracts makes the calculation of backlog subject to numerous uncertainties. Due to the uncertain nature of our contracts with the U.S. Government, we may never realize revenue from some of the engagements that are included in our backlog. Our unfunded backlog, in particular, contains amounts that we may never realize as revenue because the maximum contract value specified under a U.S. Government contract or task order awarded to us is not necessarily indicative of the revenue that we will realize under that contract. If we fail to realize revenue amounts included in our backlog, our future revenue and growth prospects may be adversely affected. For additional information on our backlog, see “Business — U.S. Federal Government Contracts — Backlog.”

If we fail to comply with complex procurement laws and regulations, we could lose business and be liable for various penalties or sanctions.

We must comply with laws and regulations relating to the formation, administration and performance of federal government contracts. These laws and regulations affect how we conduct business with our federal government customers. In complying with these laws and regulations, we may incur significant costs, and the U.S. Government may impose additional fines and penalties, including contractual damages, in the event of our non-compliance. Among the more significant laws and regulations affecting our business are the following:

Our contracting agency customers periodically review our performance under and compliance with the terms of our federal government contracts. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations or if a government review or investigation uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil or criminal penalties or administrative sanctions, including:

Additionally, the False Claims Act provides for potentially substantial civil and criminal penalties where, for example, a contractor presents a false or fraudulent claim to the U.S. Government for payment or approval. Actions under the False Claims Act may be brought by the U.S. Government or by other persons on behalf of the U.S. Government (who may then share a portion of any recovery).

Because the majority of all of our revenue is dependent on our selection, performance and payment under our U.S. Government contracts, the loss of one or more large contracts or any suspension or debarment from doing business with U.S. Government agencies would result in a loss of anticipated future revenue from U.S. Government contracts and a reduction in cash flows and would have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

U.S. Government contracts contain other provisions that may be unfavorable to contractors.

Beyond the right to terminate a contract for convenience or decline to exercise an option to renew, U.S. Government contracts contain provisions and are subject to laws and regulations that give the U.S. Government rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts. These provisions, laws and regulations permit the U.S. Government to do (among other things) the following:

If the U.S. Government exercises its rights under any of these provisions, our ability to operate or our competitive advantage could be hindered, and our revenue and net income could decline and our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

Further, U.S. Government contracts and certain laws and regulations, including without limitation, the International Traffic in Arms regulations and laws and contract restrictions relating to classified information, and contain provisions that may restrict our ability to provide our products and services to third parties. These restrictions may prevent us from leveraging our products, services, intellectual property, know-how or other revenue-generating aspects of our business or our acquisitions to the fullest extent in the commercial sector and/or foreign markets and customers.

The U.S. Government may revise its procurement or other practices in a manner adverse to us.

The U.S. Government may revise its procurement practices or adopt new contracting rules and regulations, such as cost accounting standards. It could also adopt new contracting methods relating to GSA contracts, or other GWACs, or adopt new standards for contract awards intended to achieve certain social or other policy objectives. In addition, the U.S. Government may face restrictions from new legislation or regulations, as well as pressure from U.S. Government employees and their unions, on the nature and amount of services the U.S. Government may obtain from private contractors. These changes could impair our ability to obtain new contracts or to continue to retain contracts under which we currently perform when and if those contracts are put up for renewed competitive bidding. Any new contracting methods could be costly or administratively difficult for us to implement, and, as a result, could harm our operating results.

Audits by U.S. Government agencies could result in unfavorable audit results that could subject us to a variety of penalties and sanctions, and could harm our reputation and relationships with our customers and negatively impact cash flows.

U.S. Government agencies, including the DCAA and others, routinely audit and review contractors' performance on contracts, cost structure, pricing practices and compliance with applicable laws, regulations and standards. They also review the adequacy of, and a contractor's compliance with, its internal control systems and policies, including the contractor's accounting, billing, cost, purchasing, property, estimating, compensation, management information system and other systems. Any costs found to be improperly allocated to a specific contract will not be reimbursed, while such costs already reimbursed must be refunded. Adverse findings in a DCAA audit could materially affect our competitive position and result in a substantial adjustment to our revenue and net income.

If a U.S. Government audit uncovers improper or illegal activities, we may be subject to civil and criminal penalties and administrative sanctions, including termination of contracts, forfeiture of net income, suspension of payments, fines and suspension or debarment from doing business with U.S. Government agencies. In addition, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation and competitive position if allegations of impropriety were made against us, whether true or not. If our reputation or relationship with U.S. Government agencies were impaired, or if the U.S. Government otherwise ceased doing business with us or significantly decreased the amount of business it does with us, our revenue and net income would decline and our operating results could be materially adversely affected.

A significant portion of our revenue and net income is derived from a few key programs. The loss of any one or more of these programs could cause a material decline in our operating results.

For the year ended December 31, 2017 , and the year ended December 31, 2016 , our 10 largest programs accounted for a total of $190 million and $156 million, respectively, or 43% and 54% of our total revenue, respectively. Although we have been successful in continuing work on most of our large programs in the past, there is no assurance that we will be able to do so in the future. The revenue stream from one or more of these programs could end for a number of reasons, including the completion of the customer's requirements, the completion or early termination of our current program, the consolidation of our work into another program under which we are not a contractor, or the loss of a competitive bid for the follow-on work related to our current program. If any of these events were to occur, we could experience an unexpected, significant reduction in revenue and net income.

We derive significant revenue from contracts awarded through a competitive bidding process involving substantial costs and risks. Due to this competitive pressure, we may be unable to sustain our revenue growth and profitability.

We expect a significant portion of the business that we will seek in the foreseeable future will be awarded through competitive bidding. The competitive bidding process involves substantial costs and a number of risks, including the significant cost and managerial time to prepare bids and proposals for contracts that may not be awarded to us and our failure to accurately estimate the resources and costs that will be required to fulfill any contract we win. In addition, following a contract award, we may encounter significant expense, delay or contract modifications as a result of our competitors protesting or challenging contracts awarded to us in competitive bidding. In addition, multi-award contracts require that we make sustained post-award efforts to obtain task orders under the contract. We may not be able to obtain task orders or recognize revenue under these multi-award contracts. Our failure to compete effectively in this procurement environment would adversely affect our revenue and/or profitability.

Our overseas operations involve considerable risks and hazards. An accident or incident involving our employees or third parties could harm our reputation, affect our ability to compete for business, and if not adequately insured or indemnified, could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We are exposed to liabilities that arise from some of the services we provide. Such liabilities may relate to an accident or incident involving our employees or third parties, particularly where we are deployed on-site at active military installations in locations experiencing political or civil unrest, or they may relate to an accident or incident involving aircraft or other equipment we have serviced or used in the course of our business. Any of these types of accidents or incidents could involve significant potential claims of injured employees and other third parties and claims relating to loss or of damage to government or third-party property.

We maintain insurance policies that mitigate risk and potential liabilities related to our operations. Our insurance coverage may not be adequate to cover those claims or liabilities, and we may be forced to bear substantial costs from an accident or incident. Substantial claims in excess of our related insurance coverage could adversely affect our operating performance and may result in additional expenses and possible loss of revenue.

Furthermore, any accident or incident for which we are liable, even if fully insured, may result in negative publicity which could adversely affect our reputation among our customers, including our U.S. Government customers, and the public, which could result in the loss of existing and future contracts or make it more difficult to compete effectively for future contracts. This could adversely affect our operating performance and may result in additional expenses and possible loss of revenue.

We face intense competition from many competitors that, among other things, have greater resources than we do.

We operate in highly competitive markets and generally encounter intense competition to win contracts and task orders. We compete with many other firms, ranging from small, specialized firms to mid-tier technology firms and large, diversified firms, many of which have substantially greater financial, management and marketing resources than we do. Significant competitors include divisions of large defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, The Boeing Company and Northrop Grumman Corporation. We also face competition from a number of large, well-established U.S. Government contractors such as Leidos Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton Corporation, CACI International Inc., and others. Our competitors may be able to provide our customers with different or greater capabilities or benefits than we can in areas such as technical qualifications, past contract performance, geographic presence, price and the availability of qualified professional personnel. Our failure to compete effectively because of any of these or other factors could cause our revenue and operating profits to decline. In addition, our competitors also have established or may establish relationships among themselves or with third parties to increase their ability to address our customers' needs. Accordingly, it is possible that new competitors or alliances among competitors may emerge that would compete with us more effectively than they do currently.

Our earnings and profitability may vary based on the mix of our contracts and may be adversely affected by our failure to accurately estimate and manage costs, time and resources.

We generate revenue under various types of contracts, which include T&M, fixed-price-level-of-effort, FFP, cost reimbursable contracts, and commercial software license and related service contracts. Refer to Item 1, "Business" of this Annual Report for breakout of our revenue by contract type.

Our earnings and profitability may vary materially depending on changes in the proportionate amount of revenue derived from each type of contract, the nature of services or products provided, as well as the achievement of performance objectives and the stage of performance at which the right to receive fees, particularly under incentive and award fee contracts, is finally determined. Cost reimbursement and T&M contracts generally have lower profitability than FFP contracts. Our operating results in any period may be affected, positively or negatively, by variable purchasing patterns by our customers of our more profitable border, port and mobile security products. 

To varying degrees, there is a risk that we could underestimate the costs and resources necessary to fulfill each of our contract types. While FFP contracts allow us to benefit from cost savings, these contracts also increase our exposure to the risk of cost overruns. When making proposals on these types of contracts, we rely heavily on our estimates of costs and timing for completing the associated projects, as well as on assumptions regarding technical issues. In each case, our failure to accurately estimate costs or the resources and technology needed to perform our contracts or to effectively manage and control our costs during the performance of our work could result, and in some instances has resulted, in reduced profits or in losses. More generally, any increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays in connection with the performance of our contracts, including costs and delays caused by contractual disputes or other factors outside of our control, could make our contracts less profitable or unprofitable.

We have made and may continue to make acquisitions and divestitures that involve numerous risks and uncertainties.

Historically, part of our growth strategy has relied on acquisitions. We expect to selectively pursue acquisitions and upon completion to integrate those businesses into our existing operations. We intend to seek acquisition opportunities both to expand into new markets and to enhance our position in our existing markets. However, our ability to make acquisitions will depend on a number of steps, including our ability to:

• identify suitable acquisition candidates;

• negotiate appropriate acquisition terms;

• obtain debt or equity financing that we may need to complete proposed acquisitions;

• complete the proposed acquisitions; and

• integrate the acquired business into our existing operations.

In addition, acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in the assimilation of the operations accounting systems, technologies, services and products of the acquired company, the potential loss of key employees of the acquired company and the diversion of our management's attention from other business concerns. This is the case particularly in the fiscal quarters immediately following the completion of an acquisition to the extent the operations of the acquired business are integrated into the acquiring businesses' operations during this period. We cannot be sure that we will accurately anticipate all of the changing demands that any future acquisition may impose on our management, our operational and management information systems, and our financial systems.

We may underestimate or fail to discover liabilities relating to a future acquisition during due diligence and we, as the successor owner, might be responsible for any such liabilities. Although we seek to minimize the impact of underestimated or potential undiscovered liabilities by structuring acquisitions to minimize liabilities and obtaining indemnities and warranties from the selling party, these methods may not fully protect us from the impact of undiscovered liabilities. Indemnities or warranties are often limited in scope, amount or duration, and may not fully cover the liabilities for which they were intended. The liabilities that are not covered by the limited indemnities or warranties could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. In addition, acquisitions can raise potential Organizational Conflict of Interest issues that can impact the nature and timing of the acquisition or the acquiring entity's ability to compete for future contracts where the acquired entity may have been involved.

In addition, we have divested, and may in the future divest, businesses that are no longer a part of our ongoing strategic plan. These divestitures similarly require significant investment of time and resources, may disrupt our business, distract management from other responsibilities and may result in losses on disposal or continued financial involvement in the divested business, including through indemnification, guarantee or other financial arrangements, for a period of time following the transaction, which could adversely affect our financial results.

We have a substantial investment in recorded goodwill and other net intangibles as a result of our acquisitions, and changes in future business conditions could cause these investments to become impaired, requiring substantial write-downs that could reduce our net income or increase our net loss.

As of December 31, 2017 , goodwill and other net intangibles accounted for 512 million , or 75% of our recorded total assets on an actual basis. We review our goodwill for impairment annually and when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. We evaluate our goodwill at the reporting unit level, which for us is the same as our segments. The annual impairment test is based on several factors requiring judgment. Principally, a decrease in expected cash flows or changes in market conditions may indicate potential impairment of recorded goodwill. If goodwill became impaired, we could record a significant charge to earnings in our financial statements during the period in which impairment of our goodwill is determined, which would significantly reduce or eliminate our net income.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our substantial debt.

We have substantial indebtedness under our senior secured credit facility and our convertible senior notes due 2019. Our indebtedness could have important consequences, including:

• requiring us to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flow to service our debt, which will reduce the funds available working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;

• limiting our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

• making us more vulnerable to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;

• limiting our ability to borrow additional amounts for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy, or other purposes; and

• placing us at a disadvantage compared to our competitors who have less debt.

Our senior credit facility matures on the date that is 91 days prior to the scheduled maturity date of our convertible senior notes which mature on July 15, 2019, unless such notes are converted into equity or otherwise repaid or refinanced. Thus, unless repaid or refinanced, our senior credit facility matures on April 15, 2019. In accordance with GAAP, our convertible senior notes will become current liabilities as of April 15, 2018.

Our ability to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

Our existing senior credit facility contains financial and operating covenants that limit our operations and could lead to adverse consequences if we fail to comply.

Our existing senior credit facility contains financial and operating covenants that limit our operations and could lead to adverse consequences if we fail to comply. Our credit facility contains financial and operating covenants that, among other things, require us to maintain or satisfy specified financial ratios (including total indebtedness to consolidated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock compensation and acquisition costs (consolidated EBITDA) ratios and an interest coverage ratio of consolidated EBITDA to consolidated interest expense), limit our ability to incur indebtedness, pay dividends or engage in certain significant business transactions, and require us to comply with a number of other affirmative and negative operating covenants. Failure to meet these financial and operating covenants could result from, among other things, changes in our results of operations, our incurrence of debt or changes in general economic conditions. These covenants may restrict our ability to engage in transactions that we believe would otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders, which could harm our business and operations. In addition, our credit facility contains several other material covenants, including a lien against substantially all of our assets (including receivables and a pledge of the equity interests of certain subsidiaries), limitations on additional debt,

We may require additional capital to finance our growth. If the terms on which the additional capital is available are unsatisfactory or if the additional capital is not available at all or we are not able to fully access our existing credit facility we may not be able to pursue our growth strategy.

Our growth strategy may require additional capital investment to complete acquisitions, integrate any completed acquisitions into our existing operations, and to expand into new markets.

To the extent that we do not generate sufficient cash internally to provide the capital we require to fund our growth strategy and future operations, we will require additional debt or equity financing. We cannot be sure that this additional financing will be available or, if available, will be on terms acceptable to us. Further, high volatility in the equity markets may make it difficult for us to access the equity markets for additional capital at attractive prices, if at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient additional capital in the future, it may limit our ability to implement our business strategy. Continued issues resulting from the current global financial crisis and economic downturn involving liquidity and capital adequacy affecting lenders could affect our ability to fully access our existing credit facilities. In addition, even if future debt financing is available, it may result in (1) increased interest expense, (2) increased term loan payments, (3) increased leverage, and (4) decreased income available to fund further acquisitions and expansion. It may also limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures and make us more vulnerable to economic downturns. If future equity financing is available, it may dilute the equity interests of our existing stockholders.

If we are unable to manage our growth, our business could be adversely affected.

Achieving our plans for growth will place significant demands on our management, as well as on our administrative, operational, and financial resources. For us to successfully manage our growth, we must continue to improve our operational, financial and management information systems and expand, motivate and manage our workforce. If we are unable to successfully manage our

growth without compromising the quality of our services and products, our business, prospects, financial condition or operating results could be adversely affected.

We are dependent on the continued services and performance of our senior management, the loss of any of whom could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

We believe that our future performance depends on the continued services and continuing contributions of our senior management to execute our business plan, and to identify and pursue new opportunities successfully. In addition, the relationships and reputation that many members of our senior management team have established and maintain with federal government personnel contribute to our ability to maintain strong customer relationships. Therefore, the loss of services of senior management could significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our development and strategic objectives.

Our failure to attract, train and retain skilled employees with (or who can obtain) appropriate security clearances would adversely affect our ability to execute our strategy.

Our business involves the development of tailored solutions for our customers, a process that relies heavily upon the expertise and services of our employees. Our continued success depends on our ability to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of highly qualified individuals who have advanced engineering and information technology skills, specialized knowledge of customer missions and appropriate security clearances, and who work well with our U.S. Government customers. Due to our growth and increased competition for experienced personnel, particularly in highly specialized areas, it has become more difficult for us to meet our needs for these employees in a timely manner and this may affect our growth in the current fiscal year and in future years. Although we intend to continue to devote significant resources to recruit, train and retain qualified employees, we may not be able to attract and retain these employees. Our employees may be solicited and/or hired by competitors (including those employing our former employees), whether or not in violation of existing non-solicitation and non-hire restrictions. Any failure to hire and retain our employees could impair our ability to perform our contractual obligations efficiently and timely meet our customers' needs and win new business, which could adversely affect our future results. Our overall employee attrition rate for the years ended December 31, 2017 and 2016 , on an actual basis, was 22% and 16%, respectively.

In addition, the relationships and reputation that many members of our senior management team have established and maintain with U.S. Government personnel contribute to our ability to maintain good customer relationships and to identify new business opportunities. The loss of key personnel may impair our ability to obtain new U.S. Government awards or adequately perform under our current U.S. Government contracts. We also rely on the skills and expertise of our senior technical development personnel, the loss of any of whom could prevent us from completing current development projects and restrict new development projects. We currently do not maintain “key person” insurance on any of our executives or key employees.

Our business depends upon obtaining and maintaining required security clearances.

Many of our federal government contracts require our employees to maintain various levels of security clearances, and we are required to maintain certain facility security clearances complying with DoD and IC requirements. Obtaining and maintaining security clearances for employees involves lengthy processes, and it is difficult to identify, recruit and retain employees who already hold security clearances. If our employees are unable to obtain or retain security clearances or if our employees who hold security clearances terminate employment with us and we are unable to find replacements with equivalent security clearances, we may be unable to perform our obligations to customers whose work requires cleared employees, or such customers could terminate their contracts or decide not to renew them upon their expiration. In addition, we expect that many of the contracts on which we will bid will require us to demonstrate our ability to obtain facility security clearances and perform work with employees who hold specified types of security clearances. To the extent we are not able to obtain or retain facility security clearances or engage employees with the required security clearances for a particular contract, we may not be able to bid on or win new contracts, maintain existing contracts or effectively re-bid on expiring contracts.

Employee misconduct, including security breaches, could cause us to lose customers or our ability to contract with the U.S. Government.

Misconduct, fraud or other improper activities by our employees could have a significant adverse impact on our business and reputation, particularly because we are a U.S. Government contractor. Such misconduct could include the failure to comply with U.S. Government procurement regulations, regulations regarding the protection of classified information, legislation regarding the pricing of labor and other costs in U.S. Government contracts, and any other applicable laws or regulations. Employee or former employee misconduct involving data security lapses or breaches of confidentiality resulting in the compromise of our or our customer's sensitive or classified information could result in remediation costs, in regulatory sanctions against us and in serious harm to our reputation. The precautions we take to prevent and detect these activities may not be effective, and we could face unknown risks or losses. Our failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations or misconduct by any of our employees could

subject us to fines and penalties, loss of security clearances and suspension or debarment from contracting with the U.S. Government, any of which would adversely affect our business and reputation.

Our quarterly operating results are likely to vary significantly and be unpredictable, which could cause the trading price of our stock to decline.

Our operating results have historically varied from period to period, and we expect that they will continue to do so as a result of a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including:

Any one of the factors above or the cumulative effect of some of the factors referred to above may result in significant fluctuations in our quarterly operating results. This variability and unpredictability could result in our failing to meet our revenue or operating results expectations or those of securities analysts or investors for any period. If we fail to meet or exceed such expectations for these or any other reasons, the market price of our shares could fall substantially.

We have only a limited ability to protect and enforce our intellectual property rights, which we consider important to our success. Failure to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights could adversely affect our competitive position and cause us to incur significant expense.

We believe that our success depends, in part, upon our ability to protect our proprietary information and other intellectual property. We rely principally on trade secrets to protect much of our intellectual property where we do not believe that patent protection is appropriate or obtainable. However, trade secrets are difficult to protect and to enforce against third parties. Although we believe that we have adopted reasonable practices to ensure that our employees are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations and to ensure that we obtain appropriate ownership rights in intellectual property developed by our employees (or by the employees of companies that we have acquired), our practices in this regard may be insufficient, which could result in the misappropriation or disclosure of our confidential information or disputes regarding (or the loss of rights to) certain of our intellectual property. For example, confidentiality agreements may not provide adequate protection or may be breached. We generally control and limit access to our product documentation and other proprietary information, but other parties may independently develop our know-how or otherwise obtain access to our technology, which could adversely affect our businesses’ prospects and competitive position. We may be unable to detect unauthorized use of our intellectual property or otherwise take appropriate steps to enforce our rights. Failure to obtain or maintain trade secret protection could adversely affect our competitive business position. The protections that we receive for our trade secrets and other intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to prevent our competitors from copying, infringing, or misappropriating our products and services. Similarly, there is no guarantee that when we do apply for intellectual property protection, the applications will result in registrations sufficient to protect our rights. In addition, we cannot be certain that others will not independently develop, design around or otherwise acquire equivalent or superior technology or intellectual property rights.

From time to time, we may seek to enforce our intellectual property rights against third parties. The fact that we have intellectual property rights may not guarantee success in our attempts to enforce these rights against third parties. If we are unable to prevent third parties from infringing or misappropriating our trade secrets or other intellectual property rights, our competitive position could be adversely affected. Our ability and potential success in enforcing our rights is also subject to general litigation risks, as well as uncertainty as to the enforceability of our intellectual property rights. When we seek to enforce our rights, we may be subject to claims that our intellectual property rights are invalid, otherwise unenforceable, or are licensed to the party against whom we are asserting the claim. In addition, our assertions of intellectual property rights may result in the other party seeking to assert various claims against us, including its own alleged intellectual property rights, claims of unfair competition, or others. In the course of conducting our business, we may also inadvertently infringe the intellectual property rights of others, resulting in claims against us or our customers. Our contracts generally indemnify our customers for third-party claims for intellectual property infringement by the services and products we provide. The expense of defending these claims may adversely affect our financial results.

Our acquisitions frequently include the hiring of employees from the acquired entity. These employees may be subject to confidentiality provisions that are not related to the acquisition and may have been exposed to third party confidential information and intellectual property that we do not have the rights to use. During the course of their employment in our business, there is always a risk that employees may inadvertently breach confidentiality obligations or inadvertently infringe third party intellectual property rights based on their prior employment, which could adversely affect our business.

In addition, we conduct R&D under projects with the U.S. Government. In general, our rights to technologies we develop under those projects are subject to the U.S. Government's non-exclusive, non-royalty bearing, world-wide license to use those technologies. Under certain circumstances, the U.S. Government could also claim rights in our intellectual property that could make it difficult to prevent disclosure to, licensing to, or use by third parties, which could adversely affect our competitive position and business.

We may become involved in intellectual property disputes, which could subject us to significant liability, divert the time and attention of our management and prevent us from selling our products.

We, or our customers, may be a party to litigation in the future to protect our intellectual property or be required to respond to allegations that we infringe on others' intellectual property. If any parties assert that our products infringe upon their proprietary rights, we would be forced to defend ourselves, and possibly our customers, against the alleged infringement, or to negotiate and possibly enter into settlement agreements that could adversely affect our intellectual property rights or the operation of our business. If we are unsuccessful in any intellectual property litigation or enter into any dispute-related settlement, we could be subject to significant liability and loss of our proprietary rights. Intellectual property litigation, regardless of its success, would likely be time consuming and expensive to resolve and would divert management's time and attention. In addition, we could be forced to do one or more of the following:

If we are forced to take any of these actions, our business could be harmed.

We rely on the availability of third-party licenses.

Certain of our products include software or other intellectual property licensed from third parties. It may be necessary in the future to renew licenses relating to various aspects of these products or to seek new licenses for existing or new products. There can be no assurance that the necessary licenses would be available on equivalent terms to those currently available, on other terms acceptable to us, or at all. The inability to obtain certain licenses or other rights or to obtain such licenses or rights on favorable terms, or the need to engage in litigation regarding these matters, could result in delays in product releases until equivalent technology can be identified, licensed or developed, if at all, and integrated into our products and may have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition. Moreover, the inclusion in our products of software or other intellectual property licensed from third parties on a nonexclusive basis could limit our ability to differentiate our products from those of our competitors.

Many of our contracts contain performance obligations that require innovative design capabilities, are technologically complex, require state-of-the-art manufacturing expertise or are dependent upon factors not wholly within our control. Failure to meet these obligations could adversely affect our profitability and future prospects.

We design, develop and manufacture technologically advanced and innovative products and services applied by our customers in a variety of environments. Problems and delays in development or delivery as a result of issues with respect to design, technology, licensing and patent rights, labor, learning curve assumptions or materials and components could prevent us from achieving contractual requirements.

In addition, our products cannot be tested and proven in all situations and are otherwise subject to unforeseen problems. Examples of unforeseen problems that could negatively affect revenue and profitability include premature failure of products that cannot be accessed for repair or replacement, problems with quality, country of origin, delivery of subcontractor components or services and unplanned degradation of product performance. Among the factors that may affect revenue and profits could be unforeseen costs and expenses not covered by insurance or indemnification from the customer, diversion of management focus in responding to

unforeseen problems, loss of follow-on work, and, in the case of certain contracts, repayment to the U.S. Government customer of contract cost and fee payments we previously received.

System failures or security threats, including those resulting from cybersecurity threats, could cause business disruptions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business and damage our reputation.

We rely upon sophisticated technology systems and infrastructure. Under the supervision of our Board of Directors, we take reasonable steps to protect them, including the implementation and use of industry standard security precautions. However, notwithstanding such measures, such systems are potentially vulnerable to breakdown, malicious intrusion, natural disaster, and random attack. A disruption to our systems or infrastructure could damage our reputation and cause us to lose customers and revenue. This could require us to expend significant efforts and resources or incur significant expense to eliminate these problems and address related security concerns.

In addition, as a defense contractor, we face various security threats, including cybersecurity threats, to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information; threats to the safety of our directors, officers, and employees; threats to the security of our facilities and infrastructure; and threats from terrorist acts. Although we utilize various procedures and controls to monitor and mitigate these threats, there can be no assurance that these procedures and controls will be sufficient to prevent security threats from materializing. If any of these events were to materialize, they could lead to losses of sensitive information or capabilities, harm to personnel or infrastructure, or damage to our reputation, and could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, or cash flows.

We face a heightened risk of a security breach or disruption because of our possession of classified and other sensitive information. Many government contractors have already been targeted and these types of attacks are likely to occur in the future. Attacks of any kind on our network or other systems could result in the loss of customer or proprietary data, interruptions or delays in our customers' business and damage to our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and reputation. In addition, the failure or disruption of our systems, communications or utilities could result in the interruption or suspension of our operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and reputation.

If our systems, services or other applications have significant defects or errors, if we are successfully attacked by cyber or other security threats, or if we suffer delivery delays or otherwise fail to meet our customers' expectations, we may:

If our new products do not achieve sufficient market acceptance, our financial results and competitive position may suffer.

We spend substantial amounts of time and money to research and develop new products and enhanced versions of our existing products to incorporate additional features, improve functionality or incorporate other enhancements in order to meet our customers' rapidly evolving demands. When we develop a new product or an enhanced version of an existing product, we typically incur expenses and expend resources upfront to market, promote and sell the new offering. Therefore, when we develop and introduce

new or enhanced products, they must achieve market acceptance in order to justify the amount of our investment in developing and bringing them to market.

Our new products or enhancements could fail to attain sufficient market acceptance for many reasons, including:

If our new products or enhancements do not achieve adequate acceptance in the market, our competitive position may be impaired, and our financial results may suffer. The adverse effect on our financial results will be directly related to the significant research, development, marketing, sales and other expenses we will have incurred in connection with the new products or enhancements.

Our current R&D efforts may not produce successful products or features that result in significant revenue in the near future, if at all.

Developing our products and related enhancements is expensive. For the year ended December 31, 2017 , our R&D costs totaled $3.7 million , a 20% decrease over our total R&D costs for the year ended December 31, 2016 . Our investments in R&D may not result in significant design improvements, marketable products or features or may result in products that are more expensive than anticipated. Additionally, we may not receive significant revenue from these investments in the near future, if at all, or these investments may not yield expected benefits, either of which could adversely affect our business and operating results. Nevertheless, we believe that we must continue to dedicate a significant amount of resources to our R&D efforts to maintain our competitive position. As a result, our future plans include significant investments in R&D and related product opportunities.

If we do not accurately predict, prepare for, and respond promptly to the rapidly evolving technological and market developments and changing end-customer needs in the cybersecurity market, our competitive position and prospects will be harmed.

The cybersecurity market is expected to continue to evolve rapidly. Many of our end-customers operate in markets characterized by rapidly changing technologies and business needs, incorporating a variety of hardware, software applications, operating systems, and networking protocols. However, some of our new products and enhancements may require us to develop new architectures that involve complex, expensive, and time consuming R&D processes. The technology in our products is especially complex because it needs to effectively identify and respond to new and increasingly sophisticated methods of attack, and quickly respond to and eliminate negative impacts on network performance. As a result, although the market expects rapid introduction of new products or product enhancements to respond to new threats, the development of these products is difficult and the timetable for commercial release and availability is uncertain as there can be long time periods between releases and availability of new products. We may experience unanticipated delays in the availability of new products and fail to meet customer expectations for such availability. If we do not quickly respond to the rapidly changing and rigorous needs of our end-customers by developing, releasing, and making available on a timely basis new products or enhancements that can respond adequately to new security threats, our competitive position and business prospects will be harmed.

Additionally, the process of developing new technology is complex and uncertain, and if we fail to accurately predict end-customers' changing needs and emerging technological trends, our business could be harmed. There can be no assurance that we will successfully identify new product opportunities, develop and bring new products to market in a timely manner, or achieve market acceptance of our products, or that products and technologies developed by others will not render our products or technologies obsolete or noncompetitive.

If functionality similar to that offered by our products is incorporated into existing network infrastructure products, organizations may decide against adding our products to their systems, which would have an adverse effect on our business.

Large, well-established providers of networking equipment offer, and may continue to introduce, network security features that compete with our products, either in stand-alone security products or as additional features in their network infrastructure products.

The inclusion of, or the announcement of an intent to include, functionality perceived to be similar to that offered by our security solutions in networking products that are already generally accepted as necessary components of network architecture may have an adverse effect on our ability to market and sell our products. Furthermore, even if the functionality offered by network infrastructure providers is more limited than our products, a significant number of end-customers may elect to accept such limited functionality in lieu of adding platforms from an additional vendor such as us. Many organizations have invested substantial personnel and financial resources to design and operate their networks and have established deep relationships with other providers of networking products, which may make them reluctant to add new components to their networks, particularly from other vendors such as us. In addition, an organization's existing vendors or new vendors with a broad product offering may be able to offer concessions that we are not able to match because we currently offer only network security products and have fewer resources than many of our competitors. If organizations are reluctant to add additional network infrastructure from new vendors or otherwise decide to work with their existing vendors, our ability to increase our market share and improve our financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected.

If our products do not interoperate with our end-customers' infrastructure, sales of our products could be negatively affected, which would harm our business.

Our products must interoperate with our end-customers' existing infrastructure, which often have different specifications, utilize multiple protocol standards, deploy products from multiple vendors, and contain multiple generations of products that have been added over time. As a result, when problems occur in a network, it may be difficult to identify the sources of these problems. Any delays in identifying the sources of problems or in providing necessary modifications to our software or hardware could have a negative impact on our reputation and our end-customers' satisfaction with our products, and our ability to sell products could be adversely affected. In addition, U.S. Government and other end-customers may require our products to comply with certain security or other certifications and standards. If our products are late in achieving or fail to achieve compliance with these certifications and standards, or our competitors achieve compliance with these certifications and standards, we may be disqualified from selling our products to such end-customers, or at a competitive disadvantage, which would harm our business, operating results, and financial condition.

Risks Relating to Our Common Stock

The price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations.

The market price of our common stock is subject to significant fluctuations. The market price for our common stock has varied between a high of $12.40 on January 25, 2017 and a low of $4.94 on November 7, 2017 during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Among the factors that could affect our common stock price are the risks described in this “Risk Factors” section and other factors, including:

As a result of the existence of one or more of these factors, the price of our common stock may be subject to wide fluctuations.

Future issuances and sales of our common stock in the public market could lower the market price for our common stock.

In the future, we may sell additional shares of our common stock to raise capital. In addition, a substantial number of shares of our common stock is reserved for issuance upon the exercise of stock options and upon conversion of the Convertible Senior Notes (Notes). We cannot predict the size of future issuances or the effect, if any, that they may have on the market price for our common stock. The issuance and sale of substantial amounts of common stock, or the perception that such issuances and sales may occur, could adversely affect the market price of our common stock and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

The issuance of substantial amounts of our common stock could adversely impact its price. As of December 31, 2017 , we had 49.9 million shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and options to purchase 0.9 million shares of our common stock outstanding and exercisable. We also had warrants to purchase 0.2 million shares of our common stock, all of which were outstanding and exercisable. We also had 2.1 million shares of common stock issuable under outstanding restricted stock units and pursuant to Long-Term Incentive Shares and 0.4 million shares of common stock available for grant under our 2013 Stock Incentive Plan as of that date. In addition, we have 10.1 million shares of common stock reserved for issuance upon the conversion of our Notes based on the initial conversion rate. Although the terms of our Notes permit us to settle Note conversions with cash, we may not have sufficient funds to do so and we could be required to issue shares of common stock. If we choose to borrow funds to effect cash settlement of our Notes, the resulting increase in interest expense could cause a decline in our profitability. The issuance of additional shares, including as a result of the exercise or conversion of our outstanding options, warrants and Notes, and under our restricted stock units and Long-Term Incentive Shares, could also reduce our per share financial performance. Any of these factors could cause the price of our common stock to decline.

We may allocate the net proceeds from issuances and sales of our common stock in ways that stockholders may not approve.

Subject to applicable laws and rules, our management may have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from issuances and sales of our common stock and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not necessarily improve our operating results or enhance the value of our common stock.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If we do not maintain adequate research coverage or if one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our stock or publishes inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our stock could decrease, which could cause our stock price and trading volume to decline.

Provisions in our organizational documents and in Maryland law may inhibit potential acquisition bids that our stockholders may consider favorable, and the market price of our common stock may be lower as a result.

Our charter and bylaws contain provisions that may have an anti-takeover effect and inhibit a change in our board of directors and management. These provisions include the following:

In addition, Maryland law provides protection for Maryland corporations against unsolicited takeovers by limiting, among other things, the duties of the directors in unsolicited takeover situations. The duties of directors of Maryland corporations do not require them to:

Maryland law also contains a statutory presumption that an act of a director of a Maryland corporation satisfies the applicable standards of conduct for directors under Maryland law.

Any one or more of these provisions, singularly or together, may have an anti-takeover effect that discourages potential acquisition bids that our stockholders may consider favorable.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to document and test our internal control over financial reporting and also requires our independent registered public accounting firm to report on the operating effectiveness of these controls. Failures delays or difficulty in satisfying these requirements could adversely affect our future results of operations and our stock price.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires us to document and test the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in accordance with an established internal control framework and to report on our conclusions as to the effectiveness of our internal controls. It also requires our independent registered public accounting firm to test our internal control over financial reporting and report on the effectiveness of such controls. In addition, we are required under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the Exchange Act, to maintain disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting.

As described under Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures,” we have identified material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting related to our control environment and control activities. Under standards established by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

As of the date of this filing we have initiated remedial measures, but these new and enhanced controls have not operated for a sufficient amount of time to conclude that the material weaknesses have been remediated. To implement these remedial measures, we may need to commit significant resources, hire additional staff, and provide additional management oversight. These activities may divert management’s attention from other business concerns, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows. Further, if our remedial measures are insufficient to address the material weaknesses, our consolidated financial statements may contain material misstatements, and we could be required to restate our financial results. In addition, if we are unable to successfully remediate the material weaknesses and if we are unable to produce accurate and timely financial statements, our stock price may be adversely affected and we may be unable to maintain compliance with applicable stock exchange listing requirements.

We may, in the future, discover other areas of our internal controls that need improvement, particularly with respect to businesses that we may acquire. If so, we cannot be certain that any remedial measures we take will ensure that we have adequate internal controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. If we are unable to conclude that we have effective internal control over financial reporting, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide us with an unqualified report regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in future periods, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements. This could result in a decrease in the value of our common stock. Failure to comply with Section 404 could potentially subject us to sanctions or investigations by the SEC, the NASDAQ Global Select Market or other regulatory authorities.

Operational risks such as material weaknesses and other deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting could result in errors, potentially requiring restatements of our historical financial data, leading investors to lose confidence in our reported results.

There are a number of factors that may impede our efforts to establish and maintain effective internal controls and a sound accounting infrastructure, including our recent history of acquisitions , our rapid pace of growth, and general uncertainty regarding the operating effectiveness and sustainability of controls. Controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, provide only reasonable assurance that material errors in our financial statements will be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Any failure to establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting increases the risk of material error and/or delay in our

financial reporting. Depending on the nature of a failure and any required remediation, ineffective controls could have a material adverse effect on our business and potentially result in restatements of our historical financial results. Financial restatements or other issues arising from ineffective controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which would have an adverse effect on the trading price of our securities. Delays in meeting our financial reporting obligations could affect our ability to maintain the listing of our securities. Although we seek to reduce these risks through active efforts relating to properly documented processes, adequate systems, risk culture, compliance with regulations, corporate governance and other factors supporting internal controls, such procedures may not be effective in limiting each of the operational risks.

Risks Relating to Our Convertible Notes

We may not have the ability to raise the funds necessary to settle conversions of the notes or to repurchase the notes upon a fundamental change, and our revolving credit facility contains limitations on our ability to pay cash upon conversion or repurchase of the notes.

The terms of our convertible notes require us to repurchase convertible notes upon the occurrence of a fundamental change at a fundamental change repurchase price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any. Upon conversion, unless we elect to deliver solely shares of our common stock to settle such conversion (other than paying cash in lieu of delivering any fractional share), we will be required to make cash payments in respect of the notes being converted. However, we may not have enough available cash or be able to obtain financing at the time we are required to make repurchases of convertible notes surrendered therefor or being converted. In addition, our ability to repurchase convertible notes or to pay cash upon conversion may be limited by law, by regulatory authority or by agreements governing our future indebtedness, including our revolving credit facility. Our failure to repurchase convertible notes at a time when the repurchase is required by the indenture or to pay any cash payable on future conversions of the notes as required by the indenture would constitute a default under the indenture. A default under the indenture or the fundamental change itself could also lead to a default under agreements governing our future indebtedness, including our revolving credit facility. If the repayment of the related indebtedness were to be accelerated after any applicable notice or grace periods, we may not have sufficient funds to repay the indebtedness and repurchase the convertible notes or make cash payments upon conversions thereof.

Our senior secured credit facility limits our ability to pay any cash amount upon the conversion of the notes.

Our senior secured credit facility prohibits us from making any cash payments on the conversion of the notes if a default or an event of default exists under that facility or if, after giving effect to such cash payment (and any additional indebtedness incurred to make such payments), we would not be in pro forma compliance with our financial covenants. Any new credit facility that we may enter into may have similar restrictions.

The notes are not protected by restrictive covenants.

The indenture governing the convertible notes does not contain any financial or operating covenants or restrictions on the payments of dividends, the incurrence of indebtedness or the issuance or repurchase of securities by us or any of our subsidiaries. The indenture contains no covenants or other provisions to afford protection to holders of the notes in the event of a fundamental change or other corporate transaction involving us except in limited circumstances.

The capped call transactions may affect the value of the notes and our common stock.

In connection with the pricing of the notes, we entered into capped call transactions with the option counterparties. The capped call transactions are expected to reduce the potential dilution and/or offset any cash payments due in excess of the principal amount of converted notes, as the case may be, upon any conversion of the notes, with such reduction and/or offset subject to a cap. In connection with establishing their initial hedge of the capped call transactions, the option counterparties and/or their respective affiliates entered into various derivative transactions with respect to our common stock. This activity or any reduction in such continued activity could affect the market price of our common stock or the convertible notes.

In addition, the option counterparties and/or their respective affiliates may modify their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivatives with respect to our common stock and/or purchasing or selling our common stock or other securities of ours in secondary market transactions prior to the maturity of the convertible notes. This activity could also cause or avoid an increase or a decrease in the market price of our common stock or the convertible notes, which could affect our ability to convert the notes and, to the extent the activity occurs during any observation period related to a conversion of notes, it could affect the number of shares issuable upon conversion of the notes.

The notes are effectively subordinated to our secured debt and any liabilities of our subsidiaries.

The convertible notes rank:

In the event of our bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or other winding up, our assets that secure debt ranking senior in right of payment to the convertible notes will be available to pay obligations on the notes only after the secured debt has been repaid in full from these assets. There may not be sufficient assets remaining to pay amounts due on any or all of the notes then outstanding. The indenture governing the notes does not prohibit us from incurring additional senior debt or secured debt, nor does it prohibit any of our subsidiaries from incurring additional liabilities.

As of December 31, 2017 , our total consolidated indebtedness was $281.1 million , all of which was secured indebtedness of our subsidiary, The KeyW Corporation, to which the convertible notes are structurally subordinated.