The idea of security being confined to your own systems is dangerously outdated. Today, most organizations depend on dozens—sometimes hundreds—of third-party vendors, platforms, and services to keep operations running. While this network of partners brings speed and innovation, it also opens the door to one of the most pressing cybersecurity risks of our time: supply chain attacks.
These attacks don’t break down the front door—they sneak in through a side entrance you may not even know exists. By compromising a less secure vendor or exploiting a vulnerable software component, attackers can gain access to your environment without directly targeting you at all. And with the average organization’s digital footprint growing by the day, the risk has never been higher.
The Top 5 Supply Chain Attacks
Supply chain attacks have surged in both frequency and sophistication in recent years. What makes them so dangerous is the multiplier effect—when one vulnerable link in the chain is compromised, it can create a ripple effect across countless organizations. Let’s review 5 of the biggest supply chain attacks to understand them better:
- Equifax
We’ve seen this play out in major incidents. In 2017, Equifax suffered a massive breach that exposed the personal data of nearly 150 million people. The cause? An unpatched vulnerability in Apache Struts, an open-source web application framework the company used. The flaw had a known fix, but it hadn’t been applied in time. Attackers took advantage of this delay and walked right in. The incident became one of the most costly data breaches in history and a sobering lesson in the consequences of outdated software.
- Log4Shell
A few years later, in December 2021, another wake-up call arrived in the form of Log4Shell—a remote code execution vulnerability in the widely used Log4J logging library. In simple terms, it allowed attackers to take control of any system using the library, and the scope of exposure was staggering. Estimates suggest up to 3 billion devices were affected, making it one of the most critical software vulnerabilities in the last decade. As soon as the vulnerability was disclosed, attackers began scanning the internet at scale. Within days, 48% of corporate networks had been probed for weaknesses while defenders scrambled to deploy patches.
- MOVEit
Another stark reminder of supply chain fragility came with the MOVEit breach in 2023. A zero-day vulnerability in MOVEit Transfer—a widely used managed file transfer software—was exploited by the Clop ransomware group, giving attackers direct access to sensitive customer databases. Despite the vendor issuing patches quickly, the scale and speed of exploitation once again proved the urgent need for better visibility across the entire software supply chain—not just direct vendors, but also their suppliers and service providers.
- D.W. Morgan
Supply chain attacks aren’t always the result of malware—sometimes, it’s simple infrastructure misconfiguration. That was the case with logistics provider D.W. Morgan, where an open Amazon S3 bucket exposed over 2.5 million files tied to client shipments. The leak included sensitive data from major Fortune 500 companies like Cisco and Ericsson: transportation plans, invoices, contact details, and even digital signatures. Assuming that cloud storage is inherently secure can be just as dangerous as a compromised application.
- WordPress Plug-ins
The WordPress ecosystem is a prime target for attackers—many plug-ins are installed without oversight by security teams. This kind of Shadow IT creates blind spots, expanding the attack surface without oversight. In 2020, a vulnerability in the Duplicator plugin, which had over 1 million active installations, was discovered to be actively exploited by threat actors. It's a reminder that supply chain risk can start with a single unchecked install.
The above breaches had different origins, but shared a common thread: they weren’t caused by direct attacks on the victims —they stemmed from weaknesses in the supply chain.
Why Traditional Security Falls Short
Many organizations focus their efforts on protecting internal systems, endpoints, and networks. But in doing so, they overlook a crucial truth: your security is only as strong as your weakest connection. That might be a forgotten cloud resource, an outdated web service, or a third-party vendor’s exposed server.
What makes supply chain attacks especially difficult to defend against is trust. Businesses often assume that their partners and providers maintain the same level of security they do. But attackers exploit this trust—leveraging access, integrations, and shared credentials to move laterally or escalate their privileges.
As the attack surface expands, so too does the number of potential entry points. Trying to manually track every asset, dependency, and exposure across your ecosystem is nearly impossible. This is where modern security teams are turning to a new kind of solution: Attack Surface Management (ASM).
What is Attack Surface Management—and Why It Matters
ASM is a modern approach to cybersecurity that shifts the focus from what’s inside your perimeter to everything that’s exposed on the outside. It continuously maps your digital footprint—domains, cloud services, IPs, APIs, web apps, third-party components—and identifies where attackers might gain a foothold.
Think of it as a satellite view of your organization’s online presence. But more than just observing, ASM tools actively scan for vulnerabilities, detect misconfigurations, and prioritize risks based on real-world exploitability.
The best ASM solutions don’t stop at internal assets. They extend visibility to third-party vendors and services, helping you assess their security posture just as rigorously as your own. This means fewer surprises when something in your supply chain goes wrong—and faster response times when it does.
How ASM Helps You Get Ahead of Supply Chain Risk
Modern ASM platforms help security teams stay one step ahead by offering:
- ASM continuously maps all internet-facing assets, including those owned by third parties. This broad visibility helps uncover hidden vulnerabilities like shadow IT, exposed APIs, or outdated services, reducing potential blind spots in your supply chain.
- These tools provide 24/7 monitoring for vulnerabilities, risky configurations, and changes to your digital environment, allowing security teams to spot issues proactively—before they’re exploited by attackers.
- ASM helps uncover vulnerabilities that are unique to third-party software or services. By scanning not just your own assets but also the components provided by vendors, it ensures that any risks in third-party systems are quickly identified and mitigated.
- Modern ASM solutions offer dynamic risk assessments, identifying which parts of the attack surface are actively being targeted by malicious actors. This allows security teams to stay ahead of evolving threats and adapt defenses in real-time.
- ASM provides comprehensive reporting that enables better collaboration between internal teams and third-party vendors. By improving communication on risk, organizations can ensure that all parties take swift and coordinated action to mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities.
With the ability to integrate threat intelligence feeds, ASM tools are constantly updated with the latest vulnerabilities and exploit techniques. This means when something like Log4Shell hits the headlines, your ASM system is already looking for it across your environment—and your partners’.
Equally important is the ability to act. Many ASM platforms integrate directly with patching workflows, enabling swift remediation once vulnerabilities are found. Because identifying risk is only half the battle—fixing it before it’s exploited is what truly protects your business.
Prevent Supply Chain Attacks Today
Supply chain attacks aren’t just a cybersecurity trend—they’re a reflection of how modern businesses operate. When your infrastructure depends on countless third parties, components, and cloud-based services, your attack surface grows far beyond your direct control. That’s why tools like ASM are becoming essential for any security team looking to stay resilient.
Rather than playing catch-up when the next high-profile vulnerability drops, ASM gives you a proactive, continuous way to understand and reduce your exposure. It doesn’t replace your existing tools—it adds a vital layer of context and coverage that traditional approaches often miss.
Your supply chain might be out of sight—but it should never be out of mind. By investing in visibility today, you’re investing in the long-term security and stability of your organization tomorrow. To learn more, get in touch with one of our security experts.
