If businesses have learned anything since 2020, it’s that supply chain disruptions are extremely costly. A single disruption can cause a cascading effect across industries, and in a connected world, cyberattacks pose a serious risk to the supply chain.
What are Supply Chain Cyberattacks?
As an expert in cybersecurity in Miami, we know firsthand the risks of cyberattacks on the supply chain. The SolarWinds attack is a prime example, impacting 18,000 customers, including government agencies.
Supply chain attacks target organizations, from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies, by targeting key companies in the supply chain.
An attack of this magnitude often impacts external partners of a company, such as service providers and contractors, who are all part of the larger supply chain.
Trends in Supply Chain Attacks
Understanding the latest trends in supply chain attacks can help you take steps to safeguard your organization from them.
Trends that have been prevalent in 2024 include:
Exploiting Weaknesses in the Extended Supply Chain
Extended supply chain attacks are on the rise and remain one of the biggest threats to supply chains. Businesses that rely on a single provider for business-critical functions are at the greatest risk.
If one or more of your suppliers is reliant on the same provider for materials, disruptions can lead to supply chain failure.
Generative AI
Hackers are now leveraging generative AI tools to develop more sophisticated and difficult-to-detect malware. Businesses using these applications can also make data availability and integrity vulnerable.
How to Protect Against Supply Chain Cyberattacks
Prevention is the best form of protection against supply chain cyberattacks, and there are several strategies you can use to minimize the risk of attacks, starting with preparation.
Develop an Incident Response Plan
Implementing an incident response plan will help ensure that your organization is ready for system interruptions, security breaches or any other interruption that may arise.
An effective response plan can help protect your reputation, reduce revenue loss and preserve relationships with customers, suppliers and vendors.
Incident response plans should include remediation actions that are easy to deploy as rapidly as possible.
Implement Encryption Procedures
All data types should be encrypted, ideally using the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) standard. AES is one of the most challenging types of encryption to crack.
Encryption will help protect your sensitive data, so even if attackers do get a hold of it, they won’t be able to make sense of it.
Invest in Employee Cybersecurity Training
Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to cybersecurity. Often, crippling attacks are the result of human error. A single virus download or malicious email link can leave your supply chain vulnerable.
An investment in employee cybersecurity training can go a long way in protecting your supply chain and preventing attacks. Ensure that your team knows how to recognize malware, spot phishing emails and the best practices for protecting software and devices.
Bring in the Pros
The cybersecurity risk environment is constantly evolving, and your organization must evolve along with it. Working with an expert Miami cybersecurity team can help you achieve this goal.
An experienced security team can help ensure you’re leveraging the right tools to protect against these types of attacks, provide training, develop response plans and even perform penetration testing and vulnerability scanning to protect your organization.