{"id":90008,"date":"2019-10-16T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-10-16T16:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/\/?p=90008"},"modified":"2023-05-15T23:02:40","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T06:02:40","slug":"guarding-against-supply-chain-attacks-part-1-big-picture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/security\/blog\/2019\/10\/16\/guarding-against-supply-chain-attacks-part-1-big-picture\/","title":{"rendered":"Guarding against supply chain attacks\u2014Part 1: The big picture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every day, somewhere in the world, governments, businesses, educational organizations, and individuals are hacked. Precious data is stolen or held for ransom, and the wheels of \u201cbusiness-as-usual\u201d grind to a halt. These criminal acts are expected to cost more than $2 trillion in 2019,<\/a> a four-fold increase in just four years. The seeds that bloom into these business disasters are often planted in both hardware and software systems created in various steps of your supply chain, propagated by bad actors and out-of-date business practices.<\/p>\n

These compromises in the safety and integrity of your supply chain can threaten the success of your business, no matter the size of your operation. But typically, the longer your supply chain, the higher the risk for attack, because of all the supply sources in play.<\/p>\n

In this blog series, \u201cGuarding against supply chain attacks,\u201d we examine various components of the supply chain, the vulnerabilities they present, and how to protect yourself from them.<\/p>\n

Defining the problem<\/h3>\n

Supply chain attacks are not new. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been focused on driving awareness in this space since 2008. And this problem is not going away. In 2017 and 2018, according to Symantec, supply chain attacks rose 78 percent<\/a>. Mitigating this type of third-party risk has become a major board issue as executives now understand that partner and supplier relationships pose fundamental challenges to businesses of all sizes and verticals.<\/p>\n

Moreover, for compliance reasons, third-party risk also continues to be a focus. In New York State<\/a>, Nebraska<\/a>, and elsewhere in the U.S., third-party risk has emerged as a significant compliance issue.<\/p>\n

Throughout the supply chain, hackers look for weaknesses that they can exploit. Hardware, software, people, processes, vendors\u2014all of it is fair game. At its core, attackers are looking to break trust mechanisms, including the trust that businesses naturally have for their suppliers. Hackers hide their bad intentions behind the shield of trust a supplier has built with their customers over time and look for the weakest, most vulnerable place to gain entry, so they can do their worst.<\/p>\n

According to NIST, cyber supply chain risks<\/a> include:<\/p>\n