Supply chain attacks hit one in 3 businesses

Kaspersky's recent study on supply chain and trusted relationship risks showed that supply chain attacks have emerged as a top threat for businesses, with every third organisation hit by such an attack over the past year. The study has identified the lack of qualified IT security workers and the need for global organisations to prioritise various security tasks to mitigate the risk of supply chain and trusted relationship attacks. Both factors are cited by nearly half (42%) of survey respondents. According to the survey, one of the key barriers to reducing supply chain and trusted relationship risks is the lack of a qualified workforce. Among other primary obstacles, the respondents noted the need to juggle multiple cybersecurity priorities. This reflects the fact that security teams are stretched across too many tasks at once, which might leave supply chain threats unaddressed. Beyond resource constraints, the respondents also point to structural issues as 39% say their contracts lack clear IT security obligations for contractors. Further, 32% note that non-IT security staff often does not fully understand these risks. Globally, according to the survey, an overwhelming 85% of businesses admit their organisations need to upgrade protection against supply chain and trusted relationship risks, with only 15% of enterprises considering their current security measures effective. At the same time, the results of the survey showed that current mitigation practices for third-party risks remain fragmented, with no way of protection getting more than 40% of current adopters. Even the most common protective measure, two-factor authentication, is used by only 38% of respondents. In addition, only 35% of organisations conduct regular reviews of contractors' cybersecurity postures. As a result, nearly two-thirds of businesses lack ongoing visibility into the security of their partners.