Modern supply chains are the backbone of today’s global businesses. A complex web of vendors, partners, and service providers work together to keep organisations running smoothly. While crucial for growth, this presents one of the most pressing cybersecurity challenges of our time.

As supply chains become larger, more digital, and more data-driven, they also become more exposed. Attackers no longer need to target a company directly; instead, they can exploit vulnerabilities in smaller, less secure partners to gain access to valuable systems and information. This growing threat demands a shift in how businesses view security – from focusing solely on internal defences to managing risk across every link of the network.

The Expanding Attack Surface

Every supplier, software integration, and third-party service represents a potential entry point for cybercriminals, creating opportunities for supply chain attacks. For many organisations, this means hundreds (or thousands) of access points—each with its own security posture and potential weaknesses.

Recent research shows that more than half of organisations have experienced a cyber incident connected to a third-party vendor or partner. Attackers know that smaller suppliers often lack the same protection as large enterprises, making them the perfect entry route into more valuable targets.

A single compromised account, misconfigured system, or unpatched software can have a ripple effect across multiple companies.

How Cybercriminals Exploit Supply Chains

Supply chain attacks are successful because they exploit trust and dependency. When a business integrates with a vendor, installs third-party software, or shares key data, it’s expanding the circle of trust. Attackers take advantage of that through:

  • Software compromises: By tampering with updates and inputting malicious code into systems, attackers can distribute malware on a vast scale.
  • Third-party access abuse: Many suppliers have direct access to internal systems for collaboration. Without strict access controls, this creates opportunities for misuse or credential theft.
  • Impersonation and BEC: Cybercriminals use social engineering to pose as trusted vendors, tricking employees into clicking unsafe documents, transferring funds, or revealing sensitive data.
  • Data sharing and storage risks: The more data shared across third parties, the greater the chance of exposure through accidental leaks or intentional breaches.

The Human Element in Supply Chain Security

Technology alone can’t solve the security problem in today’s supply chains. While firewalls, monitoring tools, and access controls are essential, most attacks rely on human behaviour to succeed.

Attackers exploit psychological triggers like urgency, authority, and familiarity to manipulate employees into taking action. A convincing email from a seemingly ‘trusted supplier’ can bypass technical safeguards if an employee doesn’t pause to verify the individual.

This is where human risk management is critical. Understanding how people behave under pressure and building awareness and accountability around risks can help organisations turn their workforce into a powerful line of defence.

The Top Supply Chain Cybersecurity Challenges

  • Lack of visibility: Many businesses don’t have a complete view of their supplier ecosystem and who has access to sensitive data or systems.
  • Inconsistent security standards: Suppliers often operate under different frameworks, leading to uneven protection.
  • Supply chain complexity: Cloud services, IoT, and AI-driven automation create new processes that are hard to monitor.
  • The human factor: Human error continues to drive incidents, from falling for phishing emails to poor password practices.

Building a Resilient Supply Chain

A resilient supply chain starts with visibility, collaboration, and education. These steps can help organisations strengthen theirs:

  • Map out your supply chain: Identify every supplier, plus the access and data they hold, classify them by risk level (critical, moderate, low), and tailor security expectations accordingly.
  • Integrate security into procurement: Vendors should meet clear baseline standards like compliance with ISO or NIST frameworks.
  • Hold ongoing assessments: Regularly assess supplier risk through audits, questionnaires, and intelligence—cyber risk evolves with business relationships.
  • Strengthen awareness: Extend cyber awareness education to all employees and, where possible, third parties. Realistic phishing simulations and cyber-attack cases reinforce the importance of verifying requests and reporting suspicious activity.
  • Apply zero-trust principles: Assume every connection could be compromised. Limit access rights to the minimum necessary and continuously monitor for unusual activity.
  • Plan for attacks: No system is foolproof. Have a clear incident response plan that includes communication protocols with suppliers, ensuring transparency and rapid containment in the event of a breach.

The supply chain challenge isn’t just technical—it’s human. Attackers exploit system complexity and supplier weaknesses, but well-trained employees and robust processes can stop supply chain attacks before they cause damage.

By combining robust processes, clear communications, and a culture of awareness, organisations can protect themselves and their partners from becoming the next victim.

Learn more about how to implement robust processes for managing human risk in your organisation through Automated Security Awareness solutions.

How to Mitigate Human Risk in Supply Chain Attacks?

What are supply chain attacks?

Supply chain attacks occur when cybercriminals exploit vulnerabilities in a vendor or partner to infiltrate larger organisations, targeting weak points in the connected ecosystem.