Many people think their organization won’t be affected because ‘they don’t have anything special’. And that’s precisely where a weakness lies, because anyone can become a victim of a cyberattack. A cybercriminal always has a motive to enter an organization with a specific interest, and often that interest lies in the supply chain. From that perspective, it’s wise to consider how a criminal could gain unauthorized digital access to your organization. And that’s exactly the mindset all companies should have, regardless of whether they’re small, medium-sized, or multinational, and in which sector they operate.
Anyone can become a cyber victim. We find it very normal for organizations to regularly conduct fire drills. Up and away from desks to a central gathering point, practicing evacuation routes and counting heads at the assembly point. However, the chance of a fire occurring at your company is 1 in 8000. Compare that to the likelihood of a cyberattack, and yet we see that practicing cyber scenarios is much less common than fire drills.
What is Your Organization’s Weak Spot?
There’s always a weak spot somewhere, an employee who clicks on a link, a weak admin password, or an insecure connection with a supplier. And this applies exactly the same to all your chain partners. Because even if they become victims of a cyberattack, you have a problem.
By being aware of the dangers with the entire chain and preparing together for possible incidents, short and practiced lines of communication with chain partners ensure quick and collective action in case of a cyberattack in the chain. An appropriate response to a cyberattack can significantly reduce the impact of an attack. By practicing various scenarios, these responses can be partially prepared in advance.
As organizations, we need to practice together much more; you will become a victim of an incident at some point, even if you have all measures in order. The chain is inherently vulnerable.