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Why Are Supply Chain Attacks Targeting Critical Infrastructure?
- 3N1 IT Consultants
- Apr 9, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 12
Introduction
Supply chain attacks are not new cyber-threats. For a long time, cybercriminals have targeted the services on which our services rely rather than targeting each individual. Ultimately, the goal is the same: to steal as much of your personally identifiable information (PII) as is possible.
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting the supply chains of critical infrastructure providers, such as power grids and water treatment plants. These attacks can have a devastating impact on society and are likely to become even more common in the coming years.
Why Critical Infrastructure?
First, let’s define “critical infrastructure” in case you aren’t aware. It refers to the backbone systems that keep society functioning, such as power grids, water treatment plants, transportation networks, and healthcare facilities.
In other words, it’s the systems that society can’t effectively function without! We all rely on critical infrastructure to make our day-to-day lives more convenient and take advantage of twenty-first-century technology.
Critical infrastructure systems often hold sensitive data about individuals, including PII (Personally Identifiable Information). By compromising the supply chain, attackers can access this data for malicious purposes, including identity theft, fraud, and blackmail.
Unfortunately, threat actors have increasingly targeted these systems in recent years. Supply chain attacks, whose risks and uncertainties often disrupt operational efficiency, can adversely affect an organization and its members. Cybercriminals don’t have to target your Facebook profile if they can take over Facebook itself, or sneak in via the third-party that Facebook hires to take customer complaint calls.
By compromising a single vendor used by many critical infrastructure providers, attackers can gain access to multiple targets with minimal effort. This amplifies the attack's potential impact, causing widespread disruption and even endangering lives. Threat actors also tend to target the weakest link because smaller supply chain partners often have less robust cybersecurity measures due to limited resources and expertise. Attackers exploit these vulnerabilities to gain a foothold and then pivot to the more protected critical infrastructure systems.
How does this all come back to you? Businesses tend to trust their established vendors, relying on their security practices and on the assumption that they have always been secure. This trust creates a blind spot for attackers to exploit, allowing them to infiltrate seemingly secure systems through compromised products or services. You don’t have to fall for their tricks at all, and they could still get your PII.
Conclusion
If a cyberattack successfully breaches critical infrastructure through a supply chain vulnerability, the perpetrators could steal large amounts of PII, including names, addresses, Social Security numbers, financial information, and medical records. This exposes individuals to the risk of identity theft, financial loss, and medical privacy violations.
On a larger scale, compromised critical infrastructure can lead to disruptions in essential services like electricity, water, communication, and healthcare. This can significantly compromise our health and safety!
When critical infrastructure is compromised, it erodes public trust in these systems and the organizations responsible for their security. To protect your PII from supply chain cyberattacks, it’s up to YOU to take proactive measures!
Be cautious about sharing personal information online and with unknown entities.
Use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication.
Stay informed about cyber threats and scams.
Report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.
By taking these steps, we can collectively build a more secure and resilient cyber environment that protects our critical infrastructure and safeguards our PII!
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