30 January 2025

How Identity Management Can Protect You From Supply Chain Attacks

Today’s businesses are facing a rising tide of supply chain attacks. In recent years, they’ve become one of the most pressing concerns for organisations in all industries. Criminals are increasingly targeting vulnerabilities in third-party systems. Once they’re in, they’re able to bypass security measures and infiltrate businesses’ networks. It’s more important than ever to use advanced cyber security solutions, and Identity and Access Management (IAM) has emerged as a critical line of defence.

The Rise of Supply Chain Attacks

As businesses have become more and more interconnected, their attack surface has grown, and cyber criminals have been quick to exploit this. An attack on just one third-party supplier can have dire effects on businesses up and down the supply chain, causing operational, financial, and reputational damage to dozens of businesses – if not more. According to a report last year, 90% of attacks on energy companies that had been breached more than once involved supply chain attacks on third parties.

Cyber criminals are targeting smaller businesses as these will often lack sophisticated cyber defences. Once in, they use these as a gateway to bigger, more secure organisations. Probably the most high-profile example of a supply chain attack was the SolarWinds incident in 2020. SolarWinds, a provider of network management software, was hit by a cyber attack that affected businesses and government agencies around the world. Malicious actors were able to infiltrate SolarWinds’ software update mechanism, which gave them access to the networks of over 18,000 customers. One of the biggest impacts of the attack was financial – on average, the attack cost companies 11% of their annual revenue.

Strengthening Supply Chain Security With IAM

Put simply, IAM plays a key role in reducing the risk of supply chain attacks, as it ensures that only authorised individuals or systems have access to your network and resources. IAM is a framework that includes policies, tools, and technologies, all of which are used to manage identities and control who can access your network. By protecting the authentication process this way, and restricting users’ access based on roles, businesses can deal with vulnerabilities that could otherwise be exploited by criminals lurking in the supply chain.

One of the main benefits of IAM is strong authentication processes, which are particularly useful in preventing supply chain attacks. Many breaches are caused by attackers gaining access through compromised or weak credentials. Google Cloud’s 2023 Threat Horizons Report, for example, revealed that 86% of data breaches involve stolen credentials, Multi-factor authentication requires multiple forms of identity verification, which significantly reduces the chance of anyone gaining unauthorised access. Even if a criminal manages to steal credentials, they will still face obstacles to accessing your network.

Managing third-party access is another element of IAM that helps to reduce supply chain risks. Third-party vendors and contractors are the most common source of vulnerabilities, because of  poorly managed or excessive access privileges. By adhering to the principle of least privilege, IAM systems ensure users only have the minimum access required for their tasks. IAM solutions can also be used to implement role-based access control (RBAC) and time-bound access – these ensure that users only have permissions when absolutely necessary. Their access can also be automatically revoked after a set period, minimising the risk of unauthorised access.

The Broader Benefits of IAM

Of course, IAM isn’t only useful for stopping supply chain attacks. In fact, a strong IAM solution – like those that we offer here at Infosec K2K – has several other benefits. Firstly, it improves user experience by streamlining authentication processes and offering single sign-on (SSO) capabilities. This allows employees and partners to access necessary systems easily and securely. IAM also supports regulatory compliance by ensuring robust access controls and maintaining audit trails, helping businesses meet the requirements of data protection laws like GDPR, as well as newer ones like NIS2. IAM also helps businesses save money by automating access management, reducing operational expenses, and minimising the financial risks associated with security breaches. Here at IAM, we help firms save more money with our flexible pay-as-you-go model.

We specialise in IAM solutions designed to protect businesses from the growing threat of supply chain attacks. Our services have been tailored to meet the unique needs of businesses of all sizes, and our customisable IAM solutions can be integrated seamlessly with your existing infrastructure. Along with our partners, which include LevelBlue and CyberArk, we offer real-time monitoring and analytics to detect suspicious activity in your network, while our expertise in regulatory compliance helps you meet data protection laws, minimising any legal and operational risks.

Supply chain attacks show no sign of stopping, as cyber criminals look to exploit the vulnerabilities of interconnected systems. However, with the help of a robust IAM strategy, businesses can secure their access points, protect themselves, third-party risks, and safeguard critical systems from unauthorised access.

Whatever solution you’re looking for, we can help. The experts at Infosec K2K can offer you specialist guidance, and help you find the product that’s the best fit for you.

Get in touch with us to find out more about how we can help you.

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