Supply chain attacks exploit trust relationships between organizations and their suppliers, often compromising many victims through a single point of entry.
Why it matters
- A single compromised dependency can affect thousands of organizations.
- Traditional perimeter security doesn't protect against trusted suppliers.
- Modern software relies on hundreds of third-party components.
- Supply chain attacks have caused some of the largest breaches in history.
Notable examples
- SolarWinds (2020): Malicious code inserted into software updates affected 18,000+ organizations including U.S. government agencies.
- Codecov (2021): Compromised bash uploader exposed secrets from thousands of CI/CD pipelines.
- Kaseya (2021): Ransomware delivered through MSP management software.
- Log4Shell (2021): Critical vulnerability in ubiquitous logging library.
- 3CX (2023): Desktop app compromised to deliver malware.
Attack vectors
- Software dependencies: Malicious packages in npm, PyPI, Maven.
- Build systems: Compromising CI/CD pipelines or build infrastructure.
- Code repositories: Injecting malicious commits or hijacking maintainer accounts.
- Hardware: Compromised firmware or implants in devices.
- Service providers: Attacking managed service providers (MSPs) or cloud vendors.
Defense strategies
- Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Scan dependencies for known vulnerabilities.
- SBOM (Software Bill of Materials): Inventory all components in your software.
- Vendor risk management: Assess security posture of suppliers.
- Code signing: Verify authenticity and integrity of software.
- Subresource Integrity (SRI): Verify third-party scripts haven't been modified.
- Zero trust: Don't implicitly trust any component, even from "trusted" sources.
- Monitoring: Detect anomalous behavior from trusted software.
Related Tools
Related Articles
View all articlesSOC 2 Readiness & Audit Preparation Workflow | Complete
Complete SOC 2 readiness and audit preparation workflow for SaaS companies. Covers Trust Service Criteria selection, gap assessment, control implementation, evidence collection, Type I vs Type II decisions, and cost estimates for first-time certification.
Read article →CI/CD Pipeline Security Workflow | DevSecOps Best Practices
Master the complete CI/CD pipeline security workflow from secrets management to SLSA framework implementation. Implement SAST, DAST, SCA, artifact signing, and policy enforcement to secure your software supply chain.
Read article →Kubernetes Security & Hardening Workflow | CIS Benchmark
Master the complete Kubernetes security workflow from CIS benchmark assessment to runtime threat detection. Implement Pod Security Standards, RBAC, network policies, and NSA/CISA hardening guidance for production clusters.
Read article →
Data breach trends 2023-2025: What organizations and consumers need to know
Review the breach patterns emerging since 2023, including double extortion, supply chain compromises, and consumer fallout, plus actions to reduce risk.
Read article →Explore More Threat Intelligence
View all termsAdvanced Persistent Threat (APT)
A sophisticated, long-term cyberattack where an intruder gains unauthorized access and remains undetected for an extended period to steal data or cause damage.
Read more →Credential Stuffing
An automated attack that uses stolen username/password pairs from data breaches to gain unauthorized access to user accounts on other services.
Read more →IP Reputation
A trustworthiness score (0-100) assigned to IP addresses based on observed malicious behavior, spam activity, and threat intelligence data.
Read more →Keylogger
Malicious software or hardware that secretly records keystrokes to capture passwords, credit card numbers, and other sensitive information typed by users.
Read more →Malware
Malicious software designed to damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems and data.
Read more →Phishing
A social engineering attack that uses fraudulent communications to trick recipients into revealing sensitive information or installing malware.
Read more →