TECH & AI
Too often supply chain is the soft cyber underbelly that hackers target to get at larger companies . Here , two cyber experts offer advice on how to prevent them
WRITTEN BY : SEAN ASHCROFT
Arecent Accenture study showed that , in the US , 43 % of cyberattacks were aimed at small to mediumsized enterprises ( SMEs ) but that just 14 % of such companies are adequately protected . Those are scary numbers , and it ’ s a similar story on both sides of the Atlantic . The British government reports that almost a third of UK firms with digital supply chains are vulnerable to cyberattacks , with many lacking even basic protective measures . It , too , says most are SMEs – by far the most numerous type of company .
In a cyber-vulnerable company , supply vendors are too often the entry point for malware , ransomware or denial of service attacks ( DoS ), which then work their way upstream or downstream to the organisation itself .
And yet , cybersecurity needn ’ t be complicated ; much of it is down to sound housekeeping and well-managed communications .
We spoke to two cybersecurity experts for their advice and insights on the matter . James Tamblin ( JT ) is Vice Chairman of BlueVoyant , a US company that provides a cloud-based cybersecurity platform . Paul Gribbon ( PB ), meanwhile , is Cybersecurity Senior Manager at Reliance ACSN .
What ’ s the biggest internal cybersecurity threat to supply chains ? JT : Internally , the biggest threats come from suppliers or third parties who have access to an organisation ' s IT networks . If a supplier ’ s IT network is breached , then this might have a direct impact on the first party . As the James Tamblin ( JT )
Vice Chairman , BlueVoyant
Paul Gribbon ( PB )
Cybersecurity Senior Manager , Reliance ACSN supplychaindigital . com 117