The Supply Chain Attack: Overview
This type of cyberattack occurs when the perpetrator gains illegitimate access to your organization’s digital infrastructure just by utilizing a third-party system (provider or partner) that is already connected to your infrastructure.
Basically, because the third party has been granted the rights to use and modify areas of your network, your applications, or sensitive data, the hacker has to penetrate the third party’s defenses to infiltrate your system.
Software supply chains are vulnerable because modern software is not written from scratch. It involves many pre-existing components, such as third-party APIs, open-source code, etc.
Supply chain attacks are diverse, often impacting large companies, as was the case last year with Okta and JetBrains in October, Norton in May, and Airbus in January.
How Do Supply Chain Attacks Work?
For a successful supply chain attack, hackers must find ways to either insert malicious code into software or compromise network protocols.
Many of the products or services that get compromised come from trusted vendors making it easier for supply chain attackers to infiltrate the targeted systems, underscoring the value of attacking the supply chain. Ironically, they may do so using software updates which are often designed to mitigate security vulnerabilities.
Therefore, supply chain attacks are some of the most difficult threats to prevent because they take advantage of inherent trust. Mitigating and remediating a supply chain attack isn’t as simple as installing an antivirus or resetting your operating system because these attacks are usually well disguised.
Common Sources of Supply Chain Attacks
Commercial software
Because hundreds of organizations may use the same software solutions, a supply chain attacker who penetrates a software company’s system or compromises the integrity of their product can eventually gain access to a great number of targets.
Open-source software
When it comes to open-source software solutions, any developer can contribute to the making of a program. Using this free access, hackers may implement vulnerabilities into open-source solutions.
Even though other members of the development community can see and evaluate the code deployed by perpetrators, they may not know what to look for, allowing hackers to initiate a variety of vulnerabilities.
Foreign-sourced software
In some countries where the government exercises granular control over what certain private companies produce, software products may contain malicious code allowing the beneficiary to understand more about the targets’ systems.
Types of Supply Chain Attacks
Based on the targeted software, there are several types of attacks, all of which involve creating or exploiting security weaknesses.
Compromised software development tools – attackers utilize these tools to implement security weaknesses in the development process.
Preinstalled malware – hackers introduce malware on mobile devices such as smartphones, cameras, etc., and when the target connects the infected device to a system or network, the malicious code is activated.
Stolen certificates – that perpetrators use to disguise malicious code under the appearance of a company’s certificate.
Compromised firmware – attackers can include malicious code in firmware to gain illegal access to a system.
The Supply Chain Security
Such cyberattacks are very sophisticated, therefore organizations often employ the power of behavioral-based analysis to determine indicators of attack to successfully defend their assets.
Mitigating the risks is paramount, consequently you should consider utilizing advanced security solutions such as Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) solutions along with a Security Operations Center (SOC) which include 24/7 intelligent threat detection systems which collects logs, makes statistical correlations, analyzes threat alerts across your network, combines data from several different sources to help security teams remediate issues in a timely manner.
In some cases, all relevant analytics, threat intelligence, and forensic data should be passed to professional analysts, who classify alerts and determine the appropriate response to reduce the risks/effects of incidents. This is known as managed detection and response (MDR).
These services combine threat intelligence, advanced analytics, and human expertise in security incident discovery, investigation, and response deployed at the host and network levels to help keep your organization secure and reduce the ability for malicious activities to move laterally in your environment.
Enhance your readiness with proactive services to improve not only the supply chain security, but your organization’s overall security posture. For more information, please reach out to us. A member of our team will get in touch with you in one business day.
