Supply Chain Risk Management
Supply chain risk management (SCRM) in cybersecurity refers to identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risks associated with an organization's supply chain that could impact its cybersecurity posture.
Here's a breakdown of what that means:
Understanding the Supply Chain
In cybersecurity, the supply chain isn't just about physical goods. It encompasses all the third-party vendors, suppliers, and partners involved in:
Developing and delivering software: This includes software libraries, open-source components, and the development processes.
Manufacturing hardware: This covers everything from chip fabrication to the assembly of devices.
Providing services: This can include cloud services, data storage, IT support, and more.
Why is SCRM Important for Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity threats can enter an organization through any point in its supply chain. Here are some examples:
Compromised software: A malicious actor could inject malware into a software update or open-source component, distributed to countless organizations.
Counterfeit hardware: Fake hardware components could be designed with backdoors or vulnerabilities that expose systems to attack.
Data breaches at a third-party vendor: If a vendor with access to your sensitive data suffers a breach, your data could also be exposed.
Key Components of Cybersecurity SCRM
Effective SCRM involves:
Identifying critical suppliers: Determine which vendors can access your most sensitive data or play a crucial role in your IT infrastructure.
Assessing supplier security: Evaluate the cybersecurity practices of your suppliers, including their security controls, incident response plans, and compliance with relevant standards.
Establishing security requirements: Include cybersecurity requirements in contracts with suppliers, specifying expectations for security controls and data protection.
Monitoring supplier security: Continuously monitor the security posture of your suppliers for any signs of compromise or vulnerabilities.
Developing incident response plans: Have a plan in place to respond to any security incidents that may occur within your supply chain.
Cybersecurity SCRM is about recognizing that your organization's security is only as strong as the weakest link in your supply chain. You can significantly improve your overall cybersecurity posture by actively managing the risks associated with your suppliers.
ThreatNG can play a crucial role in enhancing Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) in cybersecurity by providing comprehensive visibility, assessment, and monitoring capabilities. Let's explore how ThreatNG's various modules and features can address the key aspects of SCRM:
1. External Discovery and Assessment:
ThreatNG excels at identifying and assessing potential risks within your supply chain without requiring internal access or cooperation from your suppliers. This is particularly valuable in today's complex supply chains, where gaining such access can be challenging.
Identifying Shadow IT: ThreatNG can discover cloud services and SaaS applications used by your suppliers that may not be officially sanctioned or known to your organization. This helps uncover potential "shadow IT" risks that could expose your data or systems to vulnerabilities.
Evaluating Supplier Security Posture: ThreatNG's external assessment capabilities provide insights into the security posture of your suppliers. It analyzes various factors, including domain security, exposed sensitive ports, known vulnerabilities, and dark web presence, to assess their susceptibility to breaches and ransomware attacks.
Uncovering Subdomain Takeover Risks: ThreatNG can identify subdomains of your suppliers vulnerable to takeover attacks. This is crucial because attackers can exploit these vulnerabilities to redirect traffic, host malicious content, or steal sensitive data.
Detecting Code Secrets Exposure: ThreatNG can discover code repositories used by your suppliers and analyze their contents for sensitive data, such as API keys, access tokens, and cryptographic keys. This helps identify potential risks associated with code leaks and insecure coding practices.
2. Reporting and Continuous Monitoring:
ThreatNG offers various reporting and monitoring capabilities that enable you to stay informed about the security posture of your supply chain and proactively identify potential risks.
Executive and Technical Reporting: ThreatNG provides executive-level and technical reports catering to different audiences. This lets you communicate the risks effectively to management and technical teams.
Prioritized Risk Reporting: ThreatNG can prioritize risks based on their potential impact and likelihood, helping you focus your mitigation efforts on the most critical areas.
Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG continuously monitors the external attack surface, digital risk, and security ratings of all your suppliers. This allows you to detect any changes or emerging threats in real time.
ThreatNG's investigation modules provide in-depth information and analysis to help you understand the specific risks associated with each supplier.
Domain Intelligence: This module provides a comprehensive view of a supplier's domain, including DNS records, email security, subdomain analysis, and associated organizations. This information can help identify potential weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Sensitive Code Exposure: This module analyzes exposed code repositories for sensitive data, providing detailed information about the types of credentials and data exposed. This helps assess the potential impact of code leaks and prioritize remediation efforts.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: This module identifies sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services and SaaS applications used by your suppliers. It also detects cloud service impersonations and exposed open cloud buckets, providing insights into potential data breaches and security misconfigurations.
Dark Web Presence: This module monitors the dark web for mentions of your suppliers, associated ransomware events, and compromised credentials. This helps identify potential threats and data breaches that may impact your supply chain.
ThreatNG maintains extensive intelligence repositories that provide valuable context and insights for SCRM.
Ransomware Events and Groups: ThreatNG tracks ransomware events and groups, allowing you to assess the risk of your suppliers being targeted by specific ransomware attacks.
Compromised Credentials: ThreatNG's repository of compromised credentials helps identify whether any of your suppliers' credentials have been exposed, potentially leading to unauthorized access.
ESG Violations: ThreatNG tracks environmental, social, and governance (ESG) violations, allowing you to assess the ethical and reputational risks associated with your suppliers.
5. Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG can integrate with other security solutions to enhance its capabilities and provide a more holistic view of your supply chain risk.
Threat Intelligence Platforms: ThreatNG can integrate with threat intelligence platforms to enrich its data and provide more context about potential threats. This allows you to understand better the motives and capabilities of attackers targeting your supply chain.
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems: ThreatNG can integrate with SIEM systems to provide real-time monitoring and alerting on security events related to your suppliers. This helps you detect and respond to potential threats quickly.
Vulnerability Scanners: ThreatNG can integrate with vulnerability scanners to provide a more comprehensive view of your suppliers' security posture. This helps identify and prioritize vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
Examples of ThreatNG Helping with SCRM:
Identifying a Vulnerable Supplier: ThreatNG discovers that one of your suppliers is using an outdated web server version with known vulnerabilities. You can then work with the supplier to update their systems and mitigate the risk.
Detecting a Data Breach: ThreatNG's dark web monitoring module identifies compromised credentials associated with one of your suppliers. You can then investigate the potential breach and take steps to protect your data.
Assessing a New Supplier: Before onboarding a new supplier, you can use ThreatNG to evaluate their security posture and identify potential risks. This helps you make informed decisions about your supply chain partners.
Examples of ThreatNG Working with Complementary Solutions:
ThreatNG and a Threat Intelligence Platform: ThreatNG identifies a suspicious IP address associated with one of your suppliers. By integrating with a threat intelligence platform, you can determine that the IP address is associated with a known malicious actor, increasing the urgency of your response.
ThreatNG and a SIEM System: ThreatNG detects a spike in suspicious activity from one of your suppliers' networks. This information is then fed into your SIEM system, which generates an alert and triggers your incident response plan.
By leveraging ThreatNG's comprehensive capabilities and integrating it with other security solutions, you can significantly enhance your SCRM efforts and protect your organization from the growing risks associated with today's interconnected supply chains.