What is Supply Chain Attack?

A supply chain attack is an attack that compromises a trusted supplier or vendor to gain access to their customers. Instead of attacking the target directly, adversaries compromise software, hardware, or services used by the target organization.

What is Supply Chain Attack used for?

Supply Chain Attack a supply chain attack is an attack that compromises a trusted supplier or vendor to gain access to their customers. Instead of attacking the target directly, adversaries compromise software, hardware, or services used by the target organization. Learn more in the full article above.

How does Supply Chain Attack work?

A supply chain attack is an attack that compromises a trusted supplier or vendor to gain access to their customers. Instead of attacking the target directly, adversaries compromise software, hardware, or services used by the target organization. Detailed explanation can be found in the article above.

What is a Supply Chain Attack?

Supply Chain Attack Definition

Supply chain attack is an attack vector in which an adversary compromises a target organization by attacking its supplier or vendor. Instead of directly breaching the target, attackers compromise software, hardware, services, or trusted third parties that have legitimate access to the victim’s environment.

Types of supply chain attacks

Software supply chain:

Compromised software updates (SolarWinds)
Malicious packages in repositories (npm, PyPI)
Compromised development tools

Hardware supply chain:

Backdoors in hardware
Modified firmware
Counterfeits with malware

Service supply chain:

Compromised MSP/MSSP
Attacked cloud providers
Compromised CI/CD infrastructure

Notable examples

SolarWinds (2020): Compromised update infected 18,000 organizations
Kaseya (2021): REvil ransomware via VSA software
Log4j (2021): Vulnerability in a popular library
3CX (2023): Compromised VoIP software

Why are supply chain attacks effective?

Trust: Software from a vendor is trusted
Scale: One compromise affects many victims
Stealth: Malware enters through legitimate channels
Privileged access: Vendors often have elevated permissions

Defense against supply chain attacks

Vendor vetting:

Security audits of suppliers
Contractual security requirements
Regular assessments

Technical controls:

Software signing verification
SBOM (Software Bill of Materials)
Monitoring vendor activity

Detection:

Behavioral analysis of trusted software
Anomaly detection
Threat intelligence for supply chain TTPs

Supply chain in NIS2 and DORA

Both regulations require:

Supply chain risk assessment
Vendor security requirements
Monitoring of third parties

Supply chain attacks are one of the most serious modern threats, requiring a comprehensive approach to vendor management and third-party risk.

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