What Are Supply Chain Attacks?
A supply chain is a network of organizations and vendors involved in creating and delivering a product or service. Supply chain attacks occur when cybercriminals exploit a weakness in an organization’s supply chain. Often, the target isn’t the organization itself but a trusted vendor.
What Happens in a Supply Chain Attack?
Here’s an example of a common scenario: imagine you enter your information on a hotel’s official website. The hotel uses a third-party vendor to manage bookings. A few days later, you start receiving phishing emails containing the same details you entered. What happened? The vendor was the weak link in the hotel’s supply chain. Once cybercriminals compromised that vendor, your data was exposed—even though the hotel’s website remained legitimate.
What Can I Do to Stay Safe? Follow these steps to reduce your risk from supply chain attacks:
- Limit where you share sensitive information. Fewer sites with your data means fewer potential entry points for attackers.
- Report suspicious activity. If something seems off with an organization’s vendor or process, alert the organization.
- Think before you click. Avoid clicking links or downloading attachments in unexpected emails.