Breaking the Chain: How Cybercriminals Exploit Trusted Relationships

 On this website, Google uses specific Blogger and Google cookies, including those for Google Analytics and AdSense, as well as other data collected by Google.

 

🛡️ Dear #Network, I would like to share some insights on the growing threat of supply chain attacks.

✏️ The impact of security breaches

No system is completely safe, and cybercriminals will always find ways to break in.  As technology continues to evolve and dependence on it increases, the consequences of security breaches become more severe.  The cost of a security breach isn’t just about money—it also includes service disruptions, identity theft, and damage to a company's image.

✏️ Supply chain attacks

Cybercriminals often target companies that provide services to other businesses, aiming to exploit their connections for a wider impact. Sometimes, attackers have a specific goal, while other times, they use this strategy to affect multiple companies at once.

Supply chain attacks on software involve inserting malicious code into an application to infect all users of the application. Meanwhile, hardware supply chain attacks compromise physical components for the same purpose.

Historically, supply chain attacks have targeted trusted relationships, where an insecure supplier in a chain is attacked to gain access to its larger business partners.

✏️ Supply chain attacks made simple

Imagine a company that uses outside suppliers to help with its business. These suppliers often need access to important data to work properly with the company. Hackers can take advantage of this trusted relationship—if they break into a supplier’s system, they can also reach the company’s sensitive information. And since suppliers work with many companies, a single attack can give hackers access to data from multiple organizations in different industries. In the end, the weakest link in the chain determines its strength, and when that link is broken, the entire system is compromised.

Supply chain attacks can disrupt an organization's ability to fulfill contractual obligations, potentially resulting in breaches of contract due to cyber incidents. Additionally, such attacks may lead to the theft of sensitive intellectual property, including trade secrets, proprietary technology, and confidential business information. Beyond diminishing a company's competitive edge, these breaches can escalate into legal battles.

Supply chain attacks have the potential to bypass even the most sophisticated defenses. Notable examples include the 2013 Target cyberattack, the 2020 SolarWinds hack—also known as Sunburst or Solorigate—the global intrusion campaign, and the 2021  Kaseya hack, which led to a widespread supply chain ransomware attack.