Supply chain cyberattacks are increasing and can disrupt your vendors and your own operations. Here’s what that means for your business, real examples from 2021, and five practical steps to reduce risk and downtime.
Why These Attacks Spread So Widely
When criminals hit a supplier—whether they provide software, services, raw materials, or office goods—the damage doesn’t stop there. These are “one-to-many” incidents: break one company, and the blast radius can reach every customer connected to it.
In 2021, several high-profile events showed how fast this can ripple through the economy:
- Colonial Pipeline: Ransomware forced a major fuel pipeline offline for almost a week, affecting supply across the East Coast.
- JBS: The world’s largest beef and pork processor was hit with ransomware, leading to plant shutdowns in no fewer than three countries for several days.
- Kaseya: Attackers tampered with the company’s software code, spreading ransomware to IT providers using its tools and to roughly 1,500 of their small business customers (source).
Why This Matters to Your Business
These aren’t rare events. Supply chain attacks jumped 42% in the first quarter of 2021. An eye-opening 97% of organizations say they were affected by a supplier breach, and 93% report a direct breach tied to a supply chain security gap (source).
If a cloud app you rely on is compromised, or a key vendor goes down for days, your team can be stuck. That’s why your business continuity and disaster recovery plan should factor in supplier risk—especially for offices around Panama City and Bay County.
Cut Your Exposure to Supply Chain Cyberattacks
- Map your suppliers and your risk. List every vendor you depend on—software platforms, service providers, office supplies, and any materials that go into what you sell. Ransomware is the favorite tactic right now, so consider the impact if any one of them is locked down. We can help review vendor security or send a short questionnaire to gauge controls and your potential exposure.
- Set baseline security for digital vendors. Establish minimum requirements (password policies, two-step login, patching, backups) and use a recognized standard where possible. For instance, if a provider is GDPR compliant, they’ve implemented many important safeguards you can use as a benchmark.
- Check your own defenses with an IT security assessment. If an app you use had a known flaw, how well would your systems contain it? Do you have a routine process to apply security updates quickly? If it’s been more than a year, schedule a fresh assessment to find and fix gaps before an issue spreads through your environment.
- Line up alternates where you can. Relying on a single source for a critical part or service increases downtime risk. Consider secondary suppliers. A simple example: many companies can’t work without the internet—having a backup ISP can keep you running if your primary connection fails.
- Back up cloud data with a separate tool. Don’t assume your SaaS data is fully protected. Microsoft’s Services Agreement recommends that customers regularly back up the content and data they store in its services or via third-party apps. Use an independent backup for Microsoft 365 and other cloud platforms to protect against ransomware, accidental deletion, or a service outage.
Schedule a Supply Chain Security Check
Don’t wait to find out where you’re exposed during an outage. A focused assessment will show which vendors create the most risk and what to do next.
If you’d like help reviewing vendor risk or setting up protections that fit your business, get in touch.
