Supply Chain Security: IT Security For The Supply Chain

Supply chain attacks, i.e. attacks on the supply chain, are a trend that has been going on for several years – and will probably accompany companies for a while. The last few years in particular have shown that supply chain security has become indispensable. This article explains examples from recent years as well as the methods used for the attack. We look at possible solutions and show you how you – as part of a supply chain – can protect your organization and why you should act now to prevent cyber attacks.

Supply Chain Security: Attacks With An Announcement

As early as 2019 , we warned of supply chain attacks and explained what makes supply chain attacks so dangerous: As a rule, such attacks are highly complex and targeted. Cyber ​​criminals cover their tracks so skilfully that it is difficult to tell where attacks came from or what their actual goal was. It is not untypical for supply chain attacks that attackers work their way through the suppliers to the actual target. This shows that the entire supply chain is affected and must protect itself efficiently. In recent years, the warnings have become louder again – hardly surprising given the sophisticated attacks.

Supply Chain Security: Solutions In Sight?

While cybercriminals may be scouting out new victim systems, security researchers are working on solutions that can strengthen supply chain security. GitHub, for example, is making a move in this direction: With a new action and associated API, they want to prevent security gaps in the supply chain from finding their way into GitHub code. The new GitHub action is called “Dependency Review”: pull requests are scanned for changes. If security gaps are found, an error message appears. This action is supported by the Dependency Review API, which is also new: It shows differences in the dependencies between two commits, including vulnerability data.

Supply Chain Security: How To Protect Yourself

Supply chain attacks are a combination of two or more attacks. The first usually applies to a supplier and is usually used to get into the systems of the second and actual goal. If attacks on the supply chain are to be avoided, only one thing helps: Holistic thinking and the involvement of suppliers and those involved in the process. Therefore, protecting your own organization starts with checking the supply chain for software, hardware and update status. There are said to be organizations that are totally unaware of what is being sourced from whom and why. A first step is always to get an overview. Further protect your company by:

• Investments in cyber security: Various studies show that the budget invested in cyber security is increasing every year. Create a budget and invest in your cyber defense in the right places.
• Engage employees: As the research mentioned above shows, the attack methods used in supply chain attacks are not entirely new. You can meet anyone in the company: from the assistant to the management, nobody is immune to attacks. Therefore, all employees – from assistants to management – must be prepared accordingly. This can be achieved with awareness measures : In training courses, employees learn about possible attack scenarios and how they can react to them. This knowledge is often worth its weight in gold because you minimize the risk of the “human security gap”.
• Monitoring: Unfortunately, getting a one-off overview is not enough. Stay on the ball: Monitor not only your own system landscape, but also that of your supply chain. Regularly review all components of your supply chain and the IT systems used by these partners.
• Get support: Maybe your organization comes from the automotive sector – and in this area nobody can fool you so easily. However, your knowledge of information and IT security may not be quite as extensive as that of drive shafts, pistons, cylinders and gears – therefore: Just get the necessary expertise in-house! Take advantage of the support and advice of cybersecurity experts.

Supply Chain Security: Act now!

We have never been as networked as we are today – and never so dependent on others. Cybercriminals have recognized this as well, dividing their big supply chain attack target into many smaller ones in order to get to the big fish they are actually after. All parts of a supply chain are not only responsible for themselves, but also for the partners. That is why protecting your own organization is all the more important! With our tips above, you can take the first steps on the way to supply chain security. We would be happy to go through these and more with you: Simply contact us to find out how you can efficiently secure your organization – and thus a valuable part of the supply chain. Our certified experts will be happy to advise you!

Also Read: Smishing: Cell Phones Targeted By Cybercriminals