Today’s businesses are not stand-alone. They use vendors, SaaS, cloud services, and outsource providers to accelerate and grow their business. But this comes with a caveat. Your security is now only as secure as the least secure third party. This is where Supply Chain Security is important.
On the face of it, organisations think they know their vendors. Consequently, they do some due diligence, get contracts signed, and then move on. But, under the hood, lurks a series of hidden relationships that conventional security measures can’t see. So, there’s a need for a more intelligent and cooperative approach to expose these vulnerabilities.
This is where purple teaming comes in. Specifically, purple teaming combines red teaming (simulating an attack) and blue teaming (defending against an attack) in real time. As a result, it not only reveals direct risks but also these hidden relationships that attackers often exploit.
Why Supply Chain Security Demands a New Approach
Supply Chain Security is no longer about checklists or CVEs. It has now become an ever-evolving problem that requires validation. Typically, companies have:
- Vendor questionnaires
- Compliance certifications
- Periodic audits
But this approach often doesn’t work for one reason: it’s based on trust. And so hackers take advantage of this by attacking lower-tier vendors, improperly configured APIs, or other integrations For example:
- A third-party vendor could use an insecure library.
- An API could be used to access confidential data.
- A vendor might not have secure authentication.
In addition, these in themselves are not serious. But when they are linked together, they form a path for an attack on your systems. So, you need to go beyond point-in-time testing and establish continuous testing.
How Purple Teaming Exposes Hidden Dependencies
Purple teaming is different as it prioritises collaboration. Red team attacks and blue team defends. But purple teaming brings the teams together to discover vulnerabilities.
But how does purple teaming enhance Supply Chain Security?
1. Simulate Attack Paths
Rather than just speculating, purple teams simulate the attack path that hackers take within third-party systems. For instance:
- Test of vendor integrations
- They target any poor authentication in vendor systems
- They explore API links
In addition, companies can view the consequences of a small vendor vulnerability.
Real Life Example:
The SolarWinds supply chain attack (2020) compromised multiple organizations through a trusted software update, showing how attackers exploit vendor dependencies.
2. Mapping Hidden Dependencies
Many firms don’t realise the wholehearted reliance on third parties. But purple teaming visualises these links. This includes:
- Shadow IT integrations
- Untracked SaaS dependencies
- Indirect vendor relationships
So you have insight into risks that other tools lack.
3. Testing Detection and Response
It’s not enough to discover a vulnerability. You also have to know if your organisation can find and respond to it. Purple teaming answers questions like:
- Will you be alerted to unusual vendor behavior?
- Do you get an alert on suspicious API calls?
- How quickly can you react to vendor security incidents?
Common Supply Chain Weaknesses Purple Teams Reveal
Organizations that conduct purple teaming often find commonalities. These affect Supply Chain Security and need to be addressed.
- Overprivileged Access: More access than needed is provided to vendors. This makes things easier, but more dangerous.
- Poor API Security: APIs are used to communicate, but are often not properly secured or monitored. So, these are exploited by hackers.
- Lack of Continuous Monitoring: Organisations often have a one-time vendor assessment. But risks are continuously changing, and a one-time assessment doesn’t work.
- Hidden Fourth-Party Risks: Your vendor may use a vendor. So, you are exposed to new risks.
Real Life Example:
The Target data breach (2013) started through a third-party HVAC vendor, proving that weak vendor access can lead to massive data loss.
Using Purple Teaming for Supply Chain Security
You need a plan to increase Supply Chain Security. Purple teaming is the way to do this while ensuring realistic testing.
1. Identify Critical Vendors: Make a list of vendors that manage sensitive or critical information. Focus on:
- Cloud providers
- Payment processors
- SaaS platforms
2. Map Data Flows: Then, get a picture of data flows to and from third parties. This can show things you don’t know about.
3. Simulate Attacks: Then, simulate attacks on vendor connections. For example:
- Compromised API keys
- Vendors phishing attacks
- Exploiting weak integrations
4. Analyze Defense Gaps: Once tested, assess your systems’ performance. Did alerts trigger? Were they quick to respond?
5. Improve and Retest: And lastly, improve and retest. The process needs to be iterative due to ever-changing threats.
Challenges You Should Expect
While purple teaming has many benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Today’s supply chains have numerous integrations. So they are time-consuming to map. Some vendors might be reluctant to test. But this can be addressed by communicating the value of purple teaming.
Purple teaming takes expertise and effort. But it’s well worth the investment in the end.
Future of Supply Chain Security
The advancement in cyber attacks means that hackers will continue to attack supply chains. As such, companies will need to adapt.
- Supply Chain Security will increasingly rely on:
- Real-time testing (as opposed to audits)
- Continuous monitoring of suppliers
- Cooperative security (purple teaming)
In addition, regulatory and compliance requirements will likely require more information on third-party risks. So, it’s best to be ahead of the curve with purple teaming.
Conclusion
Third-party and supply chain risks are now a must-have. They are integral to today’s cyber issues. However, methods like penetration testing offer a starting point, but not the insights needed to discover the obscure dependencies that hackers exploit.
Moreover, purple teaming elevates the game through the merging of attack and defense. This way, it exposes actual attack vectors, enhances defensive capabilities, and fosters communication between different teams.
Therefore, if you are serious about Supply Chain Security, don’t forget to go beyond checklists and continuously validate. Otherwise, you will know least about the unknowns.
According to IBM, 19% of data breaches involve third-party suppliers, highlighting the growing importance of supply chain risk management.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is supply chain risk in cybersecurity?
Supply chain risk is any vulnerability a company is exposed to from its vendors, services, or suppliers. Thus, it provides opportunities for access to an organisation’s systems through backdoors.
2. How does purple teaming improve supply chain security?
Purple teaming enhances Supply Chain Security by mimicking attacks on vendor integrations and responses to these attacks. This helps to identify hidden dependencies and improve detection.
3. Why are hidden dependencies dangerous?
Hidden dependencies provide hidden attack vectors. Even with strong security, an unknown vendor or integration can give attackers access to your data and cause a breach.
