Imagine this, you decide to do your weekly shop at the
supermarket. You walk in and it is empty, with not even a single tin of beans
on the shelves. This would happen if stores do not continually replenish their
stock, but even the staple products on the shelves sometimes require a complex
supply chain to ensure the product gets to the store in the first place. Supply
chains originate from the raw materials and ingredients used to make a sellable
product, they often come from different locations and suppliers; some may be
local, but others may be abroad in far-flung places worldwide.
Regardless of where the ingredients or materials
originate from they need to be transported to manufacturing factories in order
to produce the final product. Also when we think about supply chains we
primarily think of the products we are buying, but we often gloss over the
packaging used to keep the products we buy free of damage and spoil. Each part
or link of the supply chain is critical to keep the supply chain running
smoothly. If even one aspect of the supply chain is not working as it should
the whole supply chain could be thrown askew, which may lead to fewer products
being delivered to shops causing product shortages.
How Can Cyber Attacks Negatively Impact Supply Chain Networks?
Typically when supply chain cyber-attacks occur the
hackers exploit a vulnerability in one of the organisations involved in the
supply chain, from this information about the supply chain will be exposed to
malicious outsiders which could lead to other parts of the supply chain being
compromised by cyber attacks. Supply chain cyber attacks take a significant
amount of time to detect and contain, in some cases it can take a year or more
to contain the cyber attacks. Cyber attacks at any part of the supply chain can
cause service outages; which means that the products may not be manufactured in
the expected timescale. Additionally, disruptions in the supply chain also impact
the delivery of key materials and ingredients used to manufacture the products
in the first place. Disruptions can also halt products being transported to
shops once they have been manufactured.
Why Do Hackers Target Supply Chains?
● Financial
Gain: Supply
chains are ideal targets for hackers to exploit one chain link company in the
supply chain and then have the potential to create issues for many other
companies within the supply chain. Each of these relies on being able to
perform its designated function in the supply chain. For example, the companies
manufacturing the products need to ensure that they are sticking to their
production targets; and then the companies transporting materials and items
from one location to another need to ensure that they can continue doing this
unhindered. Depending on the financial situation of these organisations even
the smallest disruption can be disastrous for the company's financial health.
Hackers know this and can use this leverage to demand ransom from companies that
may be desperate to continue regular operations.
● Bragging
Rights: Hacking
is a skill that takes time and patience to master, just like other skills that
require the same personal sacrifices to learn people want to show off their
skills to others. Hackers show off their skills by hacking businesses and
government entities, the bigger the target that they have successfully
infiltrated the more bragging rights they have. Supply chain networks are big,
lucrative targets where even targeting one chain of the supply chain can have
disastrous impacts on the entire supply chain ecosystem.
● Disruption
And Theft: Supply
chain networks often hold a lot of sensitive information about different
businesses within the supply chain. This data can be held at ransom by hackers,
who may either be threatening to release it to the general public or
threatening to delete it and not give it back to the company that has been
hacked. In some cases, companies may be willing to pay hackers the ransom fee
just so they can get the data back in safe hands. If a hacker is identified and
caught stealing company information they can face up to 20 years in
prison.
How Can Supply Chains Protect Themselves Against Cyber Attacks?
● Utilising
Honeytokens: Honey
tokens are like tripwires that cyber intruders set off when they steal data
from a supply chain network, honeytokens are fake resources that pose as
sensitive data. When the hackers interact with the honeytokens a signal is
activated and the organisation that is being breached is given an early warning
signal that they are being cyberattacked. Additionally, the organisation being
cyber attacked is also notified of the method the hacker is using to breach
their systems. This way they can use the most effective method that is part of
their arsenal to deal with that type of threat. Additionally, if the hacker is
not behind a firewall, honeytokens can reveal the location and identity of the
hacker. This means that law enforcement can get involved and stop the hacker
from hacking companies in the future.
● Secure
Privileged Access Method: When
hackers breach an account connected to a computer system of a company or supply
chain they often move laterally around the organisation in search of a
privileged account to breach; giving them more access to sensitive information
and a greater control over the network they have breached. To prevent this
businesses within the supply chain need to take preventative measures such as:
- Employee
Training: Develop
cyber security policies and educate staff to reduce the likelihood of staff
members falling for techniques that hackers use to breach networks, such as
scam emails or phishing. These emails can be designed to seem like they
originated internally within the organisation, however when somebody clicks on
a link they will be taken to a website that downloads malware onto a computer
system without their knowledge. This can give backdoor access for hackers to
breach the computerised networks of a company. Companies should also show
employees examples of online scams which will help people know what
signs to look for to prevent them falling for scams.
- Detect
Vendor Leaks: Because
of the collaborative nature of supply chains if one company is breached within
the supply chain this may lead to other companies becoming targets in the
future. This is why having detection methods in place to identify cyber attacks
when they happen, and establishing a culture of letting other companies in the
supply chain know about the intrusion as soon as possible instead of trying to
cover it up. Companies may try to cover up cyber attacks because they may worry
about the reputational impact that being the victim of a cyber attack may bring
about.
- Encrypt
All Internal Data: When
you encrypt data you are essentially mixing all the data together so it is
unreadable without the decryption key, which the hackers should not have.
Meaning that even if the hackers were able to steal any sensitive data as long
as it is encrypted it would be unusable to the hackers.
Conclusion
Supply chains can be lucrative targets for hackers for a
variety of reasons. It is important for companies in supply chains to recognise
this and ensure that they have countermeasures in place to help prevent
cyber-attacks in the first place, and additional protections in place if they
are actually hacked.
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