The modern world runs on a web of connections. Our supply chains are vast and complex, from the software we use daily to the parts that build our cars. A single compromised software can trouble your entire organization by interrupting operations and exposing sensitive data. These disruptions not only cause financial losses but also erode customer trust. This is the chilling reality of supply chain attacks. However, implementation of PAM can help organizations to safeguard critical systems and data.

Statistics show that 76% of businesses experience revenue loss with every supply chain disruption.

In the past, businesses used to secure their networks often by building firewalls and guarding against external threats. However, the rise of supply chain attacks demands a better approach. 

Enters Privileged Access Management (PAM). PAM is a set of tools and processes designed to control, monitor, and secure access to privileged accounts and resources within an organization. These accounts hold the keys to your most critical systems and data making them prime targets for attackers. 

Implementing PAM can reduce the risk of unauthorized access and mitigate the potential devastation of a supply chain attack. Let’s explore how PAM strengthens our digital infrastructure by securing privileged accounts within our supply chains.

Understanding Supply Chain Attacks

Supply chain attacks target vulnerabilities in a company’s network by exploiting weaknesses in its third-party vendors. A supply chain attack targets the network to gain access to the company system through its trusted partner. 

Hackers can compromise software vendor products or they can enter some manufacturer production lines to inject malicious code. Once they are inside, they can steal data, disrupt operations, and even launch further attacks within your network.

Let’s look at some of the real-world supply chain attacks:

1. SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack (2020): Hackers attacked SolarWinds’ Orion software update system. Attackers with a software update entered malicious code into the system. The code infected thousands of organizations including some government agencies. The large-scale attack cost the company around $18 million in 3 months and revealed the dangers of software vulnerabilities within their supply chain.

2. Target Supply Chain Attack (2013): In 2023 hackers attacked Target’s third-party HVAC supplier and stole their login credentials. With this, they injected a malware into Target’s point-of-sale systems. The malware compromised over 40 million customer credit card and debit card numbers across 1800 Target stores. This shows the vulnerabilities of well-defended companies to attacks that target the weaker links in the supply chain.

3. Toyota Japanese Manufacturing Plant Attack (2021): A cyberattack happened on a supplier of electronic control units (ECUs) used by Toyota. This attack affected production at multiple manufacturing plants and led to losing 13000 cars of output. This incident showcases the potential impact of hardware-based supply chain attacks on a critical infrastructure.

Why Attackers Target Supply Chains?

Attackers target supply chains for various reasons such as:

• Financial Gain: They steal financial data or deploy ransomware for payouts.
• Espionage: They get access to sensitive information for industrial espionage. They can also cause national security breaches.
• Disruption: They can affect a company’s infrastructure or cause an operational problem

The Cost of Compromise

A successful supply chain attack can have long-term effects on a company such as:

• Data Breaches: These attacks can expose sensitive customer or business information.
• Financial Losses: These attacks can impact a company’s finances by affecting its operations or leading to potential fines.
• Reputational Damage: A supply chain attack can affect a brand image and it can lead to customers losing trust in the brand. 

The Role of Privileged Access in Supply Chain Attacks

Privileged accounts have a high level of access to sensitive data and network controls in a company. Which is why they are often the first target of attackers. 

In a supply chain attack, hackers can attack the privileged accounts in your vendor network. They can use methods such as:

• Tricking an employee into revealing their login credentials.
• Entering malware by different means in the vendor software to get access or credentials.
• Taking advantage of unknown vulnerabilities in vendor software and getting unauthorized access.

If attackers get the privileged credentials, they can move freely within your network and also access all information that can be damaging for business. 

This is where the principle of least privilege comes in. With this principle, users only get a minimum level of access that is required to do their job. This way even if the credentials with the least privilege get compromised, attackers will have less or no access to sensitive information.

However, the problem is many companies trust their third-party vendors too early and give them more access than they need. This leads to less visibility into privileged activity and makes it hard to detect suspicious behavior.

A Detailed Overview of Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Privileged Access Management (PAM) is the processes and technologies that act as bodyguards for important business accounts and resources. It manages high-privileged accounts that have access to important information in the company. 

With PAM, companies can secure their assets and reduce the chances of unauthorized access. 

Key Features of a PAM System

• Least Privilege Enforcement: PAM promotes the principle of least privilege and makes sure that users only have the minimum access needed for their tasks. 

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): RBAC assigns different roles to users in the company and gives them access permissions based on those roles. For example, an accountant will not have the same access as a system administrator.

• Real-time Monitoring: PAM systems keep checking privileged activity in real-time. They track who accesses what, when, and why. This way companies can detect any suspicious behavior and respond quickly to them.

Components of PAM

PAM is not a single tool. In fact, it is made of different components that address the various privileged access needs:

• Shared access password management: PAM works like a vault that keeps all your company’s privileged credentials safe. PAM stores and manages all your passwords and makes sure that only authorized users gain access to sensitive information.

• Privileged session management: When a user needs high-level access for a specific task PAM acts as a video recorder for this privileged session. It tracks user activity in real-time and lets you see exactly what privileged users are doing. Once the task is complete it makes the privileged access disappear.

• Vendor-privileged access management: PAM also helps you with third-party vendors to secure access control. This way they can do the jobs without any unnecessary access to your company system.

• Application access management: Application access management tool provides two sets of credentials — one to access a target resource and another one to access an application located on that resource. This ensures that applications within your company have the necessary permissions to function without any issues while securely managing how these applications handle the company’s sensitive information.

Application to Application Password Management (AAPM) is a utility in Axidian Privilege system that addresses the specific challenge of managing credentials used by applications to access resources. Unlike traditional AAM, it allows you to access privileged accounts that are installed on targeted resources.

Many organizations store application credentials in insecure locations, like local text files, increasing the risk of unauthorized access. AAPM provides a secure method to store and manage these credentials within a privileged access management (PAM) solution.

By centralizing application credentials and controlling their usage, AAPM strengthens overall security and reduces the potential for data breaches.

By implementing PAM, organizations can secure privileged access in their supply chain. PAM will also help companies reduce the risk of successful cyberattacks and protect their sensitive data and infrastructure. 

Implementing PAM to Prevent Supply Chain Attacks

To efficiently safeguard your supply chains, implementing PAM is important. PAM can reduce  company’s vulnerability to attacks by securing privileged accounts and establishing strict access controls.

Here are key strategies for deploying PAM to protect your supply chain.

Identifying and Securing Privileged Accounts

The first step to implementing PAM is identifying all the privileged accounts in your supply chain and third-party vendors. After you have identified these accounts make sure to secure them using multi-factor authentication or other security measures.

Least Privilege in Action

Apply the principle of least privilege to all identified accounts. Grant them only the minimum access level for each user to perform their tasks. With reliable access policies like the least privilege, companies can secure their high-value credentials.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Enhance the security with multi-factor authentication (MFA) for privileged access. In multifactor authentication, a user has to provide more than one type of verification such as a password or one-time code sent to you. 

So even if hackers get access to your supply chain, MFA will restrict their access to sensitive information. 

Managing Internal and External Threats

PAM addresses both internal and external threats. It helps companies establish secure remote access sessions for vendors and third-party providers. PAM can also enforce multi-factor authentication and session recording. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access even through remote connections.

Guest User Management

Guest user accounts can cause security risks for your supply chain if not properly managed. Implementing PAM here can create secure guest user accounts for vendors with limited access and activity monitoring for their short-term needs. 

PAM also allows you to define and enforce access policies for vendor users. This ensures they only have the specific permissions within your systems.

Enhancing Security with Privileged Password Management

Privileged passwords are like the main keys of your supply chains. This is why strong security practices to keep them safe are important. PAM solutions manage privileged passwords securely and ensure their controlled usage. 

This way they ensure that passwords are strong, unique, and regularly updated. This reduces the risk of unauthorized access and an attacker manipulating your sensitive data.

Monitoring and Auditing

Enable real-time monitoring of privileged activities. Continue to monitor user accesses and what they do and why. This allows you to spot suspicious behavior and take quick action if needed.

Quick Response

Create a plan to quickly respond if any suspicious activity occurs or if you monitor any potential threats. This could involve taking measures such as isolating compromised accounts or removing their access.

Restricting Privileges 

Automatically restricting privileges through PAM solutions is another essential strategy for securing supply chains. With stringent access control policies, companies can limit user privileges to only what is necessary. This will mitigate any risk of unauthorized access and improve the overall security posture.

Challenges and Considerations in PAM Implementation

PAM offers tons of benefits to manage privileged access, but there can also be some challenges when implementing PAM. These challenges include:

Change Management

Shifting to a new security system is like changing the locks of your entire house. It may take time for everyone to adjust. However, for companies to ensure a smooth transition they should focus on clear communication plans. 

They should also provide comprehensive training for both employees and vendors. This will help everyone understand the new policies and how they fit into their daily workflows.

Integration Complexity

Integrating PAM with the existing business IT infrastructure can be tricky. The good news is that you can ensure a successful rollout without disrupting ongoing company operations by careful planning and thorough testing. 

Working with experienced IT professionals can be invaluable during this stage, as they can help identify potential integration challenges and develop strategies to overcome them.

Cost Considerations

Let’s face it, PAM solutions come with a price tag. Such as businesses may have to pay for licensing, implementation, and ongoing maintenance. However, remember that these costs are an investment in the security of your entire supply chain. 

The potential financial losses and reputational damage caused by a successful supply chain attack can far outweigh the cost of a robust PAM solution.

Internal Resistance

Some users that have high-level access, might resist the stricter controls implemented by PAM. To address this concern, companies should promote clear and open communication. 

Organizations should explain the importance of PAM in protecting sensitive data and the overall security of the company. Demonstrating the benefits of PAM to users such as improved efficiency and streamlined access management, can also help alleviate user concerns.

Compliance Maze

Another challenge is that companies should align their PAM solutions with relevant data security and access control regulations and compliances. Here, working with experienced IT security professionals can be a major asset.

They can help with the complexities of compliance and ensure your PAM implementation meets all regulatory requirements.

Despite these challenges, the benefits of PAM for supply chain security are undeniable. By carefully considering these factors and developing a well-defined implementation plan, companies can overcome these challenges and enjoy the security benefits of PAM.

Supply Chain Under Siege? Secure Privileged Access with Axidian!

Supply chains are like the lifeline for businesses. However, they also present a vulnerability that attackers can exploit. Here PAM emerges as a powerful defense strategy. PAM limits access and enforces strong authentication to reduce the risk of supply chain attacks. 

With a proactive approach and continuous monitoring of PAM processes, companies can avoid successful supply chain attacks and protect their assets and brand reputation.

Axidian offers a number of solutions to help organizations secure their supply chain and protect against the growing threat of cyber attacks. Axidian offers a best-in-class PAM solution designed to combat supply chain vulnerabilities.

Here’s what Axidian Privilege can do for your supply chain:

• Discover and Monitor Privileged Accounts: Automated discovery tools locate privileged accounts across the network. Regularly updated and maintained inventory of privileged accounts, including their associated attributes and access levels. Continuous monitoring mechanisms to detect new or dormant privileged accounts promptly.
• Secure Privileged Accounts: Multi-factor authentication (MFA) for accessing privileged accounts. Regular update and rotation of passwords for privileged accounts to mitigate the risk of credential-based attacks. Encryption to protect privileged account credentials during transmission and storage.
• Track Privileged Access Activity: Logging mechanisms to capture detailed information about privileged access events. Real-time alerts for specific access patterns or unauthorized actions. Periodic audits of privileged access logs to ensure compliance with security policies.
• Automate Privileged Management: Privileged account discovery and inventory management. Provisioning and de-provisioning privileged access based on predefined policies. Password rotation and updating processes to minimize the window of vulnerability. Integration with Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems for automated responses to security incidents.

Don’t let supply chain vulnerabilities affect your company’s operations. Learn more about Axidian Privilege and take the first step towards strengthening your supply chain security.

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