network
Do you trust the security of your suppliers as much as your own?
Ready to prevent a Supply Chain Attack?
A top 10 (email) security threat, Supply Chain Attacks (SCA) have increased dramatically in recent years. They should be taken seriously as they result in severe damage to the entire supply chain network. In this type of attack, also known as a backdoor breach, value chain or third-party attack, cybercriminals penetrate an organization’s system through trusted suppliers, partners or vendors that have been whitelisted by the organization to facilitate data sharing and communication. The targets are usually technology vendors, managed service providers, or suppliers that have vulnerabilities in their security.
The mechanisms of Supply Chain Attacks
These are the most common scenarios of SCA:
- Email-based Supply Chain Attacks – Companies often whitelist their trusted partners to facilitate communication. However, the whitelist can pose a vulnerability. Because if one of the partners is breached, hackers can easily penetrate the company through this loosened control and spread their malicious code.
- Compromising software or updates – Criminals hack a vendor and insert malware into their software or compromise network protocols. When a customer buys and installs this software or its update, their entire system becomes infected. Open-source software solutions are particularly vulnerable to this type of attack, as hackers often build in vulnerabilities to later sneak malicious code into the companies using the software.
- Stealing code-sign certificates – By stealing certificates that guarantee a product’s legitimacy and security, criminals can spread malicious code under the identity of the vendor.
- Infected hardware – Malware is already pre-installed on hardware, devices or firmware components.
- Foreign-sourced threats – Almost half of the Supply Chain Attacks come from state-sponsored groups from abroad. In particular, software/ hardware from China often contains malicious code that the manufacturer has integrated into its product at the government’s request.
Why are Supply Chain Attacks so dangerous:
- Multiple targets with one attack – SCA can infiltrate an entire eco-system and spread beyond. Through the security weaknesses of one company, all other companies on its network can be infected, resulting in a large number of victims.
- Difficult to detect – Due to the complexity of supply chains and access agreements, SCA can go undetected. No matter how good a company’s security is, hackers can bypass it through the privileged access granted to trusted suppliers.
- Supply Chain Attacks are sophisticated – Most organizations do not have the expertise or resources to effectively prevent SCA. As a result, the malicious code can remain unnoticed for a very long time.
- Supply Chain Attacks deliver various types of malware – SCAs most often involve phishing tactics, viruses, or other malicious software that spreads throughout the enterprise network.
- Damage to image and business relationships – Becoming the source of multiple security breaches can harm the trust your partners have in your company. More and more organizations are evaluating their partners based on their security maturity. If they deem it insufficient, they demand upgrades or discontinue the relationship with the partner.
GBS can help you prevent Supply Chain
Attacks containing malicious attachments.
We offer:
Spam & Content Recognition
Spam detection and filtering
Categorization of emails
Content Recognition
Prevention of sending confidential information to unauthorized employees
User-specific whitelist and blacklist administration on the server
Malware Protection
Scanning and blocking of malware, viruses, phishing, ransomware, email spoofing, email attacks and harmful content
A combination of up to 4 renown scanners
Examine suspicious URLs and detect phishing mails
Identification and blocking of unwanted files in PDF attachments
Attachment Conversion
Protection against ransomware and encryption Trojans
Removal of malicious macros from Office files
Conversion of email attachments to PDF or PDF/A
Server-based Encryption
Centralized management of email security
Central, multi-client-enabled key and certificate management
Do you want to protect your business from Supply Chain Attacks?
Simply contact our Sales team at sales@gbs.com to make an inquiry or request a demo, and we’ll be happy to work with you to improve your security posture
