A supply chain attack is one of the most problematic forms of cyber attacks. Cybercriminals need only to target the vendor, and it will affect so many people. That said, cybersecurity is of high importance in supply chain management.
Continue reading to learn about how dangerous supply chain attacks are and how they are performed. More importantly, learn about the ways you can protect your network from threats.
If you want to learn more about the other aspects of supply chain management, check out our offered courses.
How Dangerous are Supply Chain Attacks?
Picture this: a cybercriminal hacks into your customer’s account. That affects mainly only that customer.
So, what if they hack the supply management system instead? Your business has many customers, some of which are other businesses. To integrate with the users, you need to access their data. With that said, hacking your supply management system enables cybercriminals to do many things.
Cybercriminals can disrupt your business operations. Likewise, they can halt other businesses’ operations if your products are crucial for their workflow. It will cause financial loss for you and your customers. Cybercriminals can also exploit access to users’ sensitive information to commit identity theft. This will cause your customers to lose trust in you. That is not all. You will also have to pay legal fees, causing you to lose even more money.
That said, it is your responsibility to ensure your supply chain management systems and networks are secure. By knowing the best cybersecurity practices, you can protect not only your business but also other people and businesses from threats.
Read More About Standards For Cyber Security For Supply Chain
How To Improve Cybersecurity in Supply Chain Management
Here are some tips on how to improve cybersecurity. These practices will protect you from supply chain attacks and other forms of cyber attacks.
Educate Your Staff
Most of the time, cybercriminals gain access to systems through the staff’s accounts. Uneducated employees are likely to fall victim to scams, such as phishing scams.
Cybercriminals will send them an email containing a link or a file. Suppose the user clicks on the link or downloads the file. It will activate malicious codes that will send their login information to the cybercriminals.
Educating your staff about these attacks will make them more alert and less likely to fall victim to such scams.
Implement Zero-Trust Architecture
A Zero-Trust Architecture runs on the principle of “never trust, always verify.” In this architecture, no user or device can freely do anything they want to do. The system will always assume that they’re a threat, and permission will only be given once their identity is verified.
For example, you can enable two-factor or multi-factor authentication. With this, the system will send the user a one-time password (OTP) whenever they are trying to do something meaningful. The OTP will be sent to the user’s phone or email address, and they must enter it into the system to proceed. Assuming the cybercriminal does not have access to these, they will not be able to access the information they are requesting.
Implement Honeytokens
Honeytokens are “fake assets.” They will help you detect suspicious activities in your system. For outsiders, honeytokens look like sensitive data. That said, they will attract cybercriminals. Unbeknownst to them, these resources are like tripwires. When they interact with it, they will alert you about the activity. It lets you take immediate action to prevent any damages.
The best thing is that honeytokens can also pinpoint the cybercriminal’s location. They can even reveal their identity. However, that is only if the attacker is not operating behind a firewall.
Use VPN
Virtual Private Networks are key to securing your connection. They encrypt your connection, creating a protected tunnel where the data you send and receive can go through. Outsiders can’t intercept this data.
VPNs are beneficial when connected to public Wi-Fi. It is also a must if your employees are working from home. You should never assume that the network they are connected to is secure. Cybercriminals can hack those and steal sensitive data, including their login information.
Encourage or require your staff to use a VPN when accessing the supply management system.
If you are looking for a VPN to recommend, check SurfShark. The cybersecurity experts at Cybernews have written a comprehensive Surfshark review where they explored its features, pros, and cons.
Limit Access to Sensitive Data
You should limit the information that each user can access to only what they need. Imagine what could happen if you don’t. A cybercriminal will have access to all sensitive data stored in the system if they can hack any account. On the other hand, if access is limited, they would need to hack several accounts.
Limiting access also helps prevent data misuse and data leak, both of which can cause substantial financial losses.
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Enforce Strict Password Policies
If your employees are using weak passwords, cybercriminals don’t need phishing scams to get in. They will be able to find the password by doing a brute force attack. Let us say one of your employees uses their birthday as their password. Then, through social engineering or research, a cybercriminal learns their email address. After several tries, they will be able to log into your employee’s account.
That said, you should discourage the use of weak passwords. Birthdays, names, and common ones like “password123” should be banned. Please encourage them to use long passwords that contain capital letters, small letters, numbers, and special characters. The more random the password is, the more difficult it will be to guess.
Conclusion
A supply chain attack is a cyber threat that could affect so many lives. It can even impact national security! That said, you should ensure your system is protected against these attacks.
Educating your staff and staying on top of the best cybersecurity practices will let you do so. You should implement a zero-trust architecture, honeytokens, and enforce password policies.
Furthermore, limit your employees’ access to sensitive data and encourage the use of VPNs. With these, you can make cybercriminals’ attempts at attacking your system unsuccessful.
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