Supply Chain Attack

A Supply Chain Attack is a type of cyberattack that targets less secure elements in the supply chain to gain access to the final target. These attacks exploit trust relationships between suppliers and customers to infiltrate systems and networks.

Key Characteristics

• Indirect Targeting: Attacks intermediary suppliers rather than direct target
• Trust Exploitation: Leverages trusted relationships in supply chains
• Wide Impact: Can affect multiple organizations through single compromise
• Sophisticated: Often involves advanced persistent threat actors

Advantages (for attackers)

• Reduced Security: Often targets less secure suppliers
• Trust Exploitation: Leverages existing trust relationships
• Broad Reach: Can affect multiple victims simultaneously
• Evasion: Difficult to detect through legitimate channels

Disadvantages

• System Compromise: Can affect multiple organizations
• Data Breaches: Large-scale data exposure
• Trust Erosion: Damages trust in supply chain relationships
• Economic Impact: Significant financial losses across supply chains

Best Practices

• Implement software supply chain security measures (SBOM)
• Verify integrity of software and hardware components
• Conduct regular security assessments of suppliers
• Monitor for unusual activities in supply chain

Use Cases

• SolarWinds Orion platform compromise
• Compromised software updates
• Malicious hardware components
• Third-party service provider breaches