How to Prevent Supply Chain from Cyber Attack | CXO Matters
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How to Prevent Supply Chain from Cyber Attack

How to Prevent Supply Chain From Cyber Attack
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Written by Megha

Hackers are continuously cultivating their methods to achieve maximum impact with minimal effort. Supply chain attacks aren’t particularly new. But, as we’ve seen from the recent SolarWinds breach, these attacks can be devastating and have far-reaching consequences.

Supply chain attacks are an emerging kind of threat that target software developers and suppliers. The goal is to access source codes, build processes, or update mechanisms by infecting legitimate apps to distribute malware. 

While your organization may have a supply chain security program in place already, any organization can have security blind spots. Read on to learn how to secure your supply chain from these attacks, and improve compliance. 

Implement honeytokens

Honeytokens act like tripwires that alert organizations of suspicious activity in their network. They are fake resources posing as sensitive data. Attackers think these decoy resources are valuable assets and when they interact with them, a signal is activated, alerting the targeted organization of an attack attempt.

This gives organizations advanced warnings of data breach attempts while also revealing the details of each breaching method.

Armed with this intelligence, organizations can isolate the specific resources being targeted and deploy the most effective incident response efforts for each cyberattack method.

Know your vendors 

Ensure that your organization is aware of each service provider who contributes to your extended supply chain. Due to the massive scale of cyber ecosystems and newly added shadow IT, decision-makers may discover business relationships that they were not previously aware of. Full visibility of vendors enables improved tracking and security management.

Limit data access

It is not unusual for companies to make their data available to third parties. However, this must be done with due consideration. Lesser the number of people who have access to data, the simpler it is to control and mitigate threats. Do an audit to determine who has access to data and what they are doing with this data. A business can also exercise control by sharing data with vendors in a one-way feed.

Conduct a risk assessment

Formal processes -from security questionnaires to on-site visits- can help your organization obtain a complete understanding of how seriously your vendors and suppliers adhere to supply chain security best practices. While these initiatives can be time-consuming, they can yield significant payoffs in the long run.

Protect developer endpoints

Keep an eye on developer endpoints, such as servers, workstations, or virtual machines. Deploy endpoint protection platforms and endpoint detection and response technology to detect anomalous behavior and facilitate immediate response.

Educate staff, vendors, and partners

At times, more than technology, a cultural change is needed to combat cyber threats. Employees as well as vendors and partners must be aware of what they can do and, more importantly, what they cannot do with sensitive data and information. Conduct training sessions to educate staff on all aspects of security such as company policy, password security, and social engineering attack methods.

The bottom line

Increasing visibility into your supply chain, building a trusted relationship with your suppliers, and having a plan in place in case of a supply chain breach can help your enterprise mitigate supply chain risks. Learn how your organization can work to avoid cyber attacks and implement a cybersecurity plan that considers the entire supply chain management and ecosystem.