Fix Weak Supply Chain Links Before They Break
Global supply chains make it possible to efficiently produce and deliver products and services that are reliant on raw materials and subcomponents originating from just about anywhere in the world. However, supply chains are also vulnerable to disruption. Isolated events – a fire at a microchip factory, the sinking of a container ship, the closing of a shipping lane – can disrupt the global supply chain for cars, IT devices, medical equipment and building supplies, just to name a few.
Minimize Broken Supply Chain Damage
To minimize the fallout from broken supply chains, public-sector agencies and organizations must do more to monitor vendors in their supply chains.
This April, during National Supply Chain Integrity Month, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is teaming up with the Director of National Intelligence and other government agencies and companies to call on all stakeholders to "Fortify the Chain," specifically the information and communications technology supply chain. IT devices and equipment provided by those critical conduits undergird fundamental infrastructure relied on to generate electricity, operate hospitals, and supply clean water.
Like any chain, a supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. One of the four themes of 2022’s Supply Chain Integrity Month is an inducement – "Question, Confirm, and Trust - Be Supplier Smart" – to scrutinize vendors in supply chains.
Plug Network Security Breaches
Network breaches are a potential source of supply chain calamity. Servers with known vulnerabilities are easy targets, including the servers of third-party vendors and suppliers. Closer to home, agencies must review vendors with access inside their organizations to ensure national security with.
Most agencies and private companies don’t have the resources or expertise to adequately vet vendors in their supply chains, not to mention the vendors that supply their vendors. A trusted partner with the right tools and experience can help an organization to understand and prioritize supply-chain risks. Thusly apprised, Armed with this knowledge, agencies can formulate a plan for reducing supply-chain risk.
Dun & Bradstreet's Cyber Compliance scorecard helps question, confirm, and trust vendors
Combining risk data, AI analytics, and tailored analysis from experienced cybersecurity experts, the D&B Cyber Compliance scorecard enables agencies to identify problem areas – and potential impacts – to supply chain, reputation, and mission.
Scorecard features include:
- A numerical rating (analogous to a consumer credit score) based on 20+ cyber risk controls.
- An assessment of seven key risk vector groups for businesses in your supply chain: compromised systems, communications encryption, attack surface, system patching, application security, email security, and public disclosure.
- Externally observable data – no on-premises or penetration testing of a company’s internal networks.
- A summary of key findings and a prioritized list of actions to help improve the resilience of your supply chain.
Cyber Compliance Scorecard Uses
The scorecard enables agencies to identify key risks; cyber risk maturity roadmap and action planning; vulnerabilities that could impact CMMC 2.0 compliance and audit outcome; security rating and risk vector analysis results; NIST 800-53, NIST 800-171, CIS, and CMMC 2.0 compliance overviews based on third-party reviews instead of self-attestations; and FAIR overview of cyber and operational risks in financial terms.
Going further, agencies could use the scorecard to identify weaknesses that could be exploited: compromised systems, communications encryption, attack surface, system patching, email security, application security and public disclosure.
The scorecard’s measurements and analysis can also inform budget decisions, identify weaknesses in suppliers’ security processes and tech systems, and help prevent digital and online threats.
An actionable cyber risk profile enables government agencies to become "supplier smart." Smarter agencies make better decisions based on potential cyber risk, thereby preventing online crime and fraud from disrupting business operations.