Blog Post

In today’s modern world, we can easily see how almost every aspect of our lives are connected to and rely on technology. This is especially the case for your small business, but not just for the sake of convenience; your business relies on technology. The need for vendor software is a vital function of your company (think payroll, accounting, supplies, order processing, etc.). It’s extremely important that you protect your software processes, whether it is used locally or on the cloud. To experience a breach of any kind can have far-reaching and lasting troubles.  

Many of you are familiar with a recent example of this: the CrowdStrike fiasco that happened in July. Not only did this standard update gone wrong affect small businesses, but also much larger corporations such as banks and airlines. This happened to be a link in many software supply chains. Let’s look at some important things to know to safeguard your business. 

1. Modern software relies on many components such as cloud services and third-party API’s. However, with each component, you have the risk of vulnerability. It is important to secure each part to uphold strong integrity in the system. Continuous integration and deployment often help you in your business but can open the doors for issues, so securing your pipeline is important in preventing any malicious codes from entering in.  
2. Be aware of the ever-increasing threat of cyber attacks, which often do target software supply chains. Hackers like to target these victims because once they have infiltrated their system, they have access to a much wider network. With methods such as zero-day exploits, social engineering, and advanced malware, hackers are becoming more advanced and sophisticated in their attacks. It is crucial to have a robust security defense to protect against these threats.  
3. Many industries have a standard of compliance for software security. These range from HIPAA, CMMC, GDPR, etc. If you are found to be non-compliant, you face serious penalties. Making sure that your software supply chain is secure is a big step in meeting these regulatory requirements. This will mean that you as a business must ensure that your vendors adhere to security best practices, which includes assessing and monitoring vendor security. If you want to have a secure software supply chain, you must be able to verify that those you are in partnership with are doing their part to meet compliance standards, as well.  

This can certainly seem like a despairing place to be in. Maybe you feel helpless or that these types of things are beyond your control. But there are things you can do to help secure your supply chain. 

First, put in place authentication methods such as MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) to access controls.  

Second, roll out updates in phases. It’s vital to keep your software patched and up to date, though this shouldn’t all be done at once. Start with just a few systems, then move on to the updates for systems that are more widely used.  

Third, you can perform regular security audits of your vendors. This can help you identify strengths and weaknesses and check for any gaps in their security practices. This is especially helpful for ongoing compliance with your industry standards.  

Fourth, educate and train your staff on cybersecurity for both your business and your vendors. This is a vital part of your business security, as a large majority of cyber breaches occur because of human error.  

And finally, call Tech Eagles today to help secure your business and equip you to strengthen your IT and cybersecurity posture so that you can grow your business. Not only can our experts help you with all your business IT needs, but we also provide continuous monitoring for your systems so that you can rest easy.