As many organizations have become more reliant on third-party software partnerships, the supply chain has inadvertently become an integral part of how most businesses operate. Vendors provide critical components of an organization’s operation, including software and hardware. Therefore, potential security risks lurk in every relationship between an organization and its supplier base.

Supply chain attacks are an emerging threat that target software developers and suppliers. The goal is to access source codes, build processes or update mechanisms by infecting legitimate apps to distribute malware. According to a survey conducted in June 2020 by Opinion Matters for BlueVoyant, 80% of organizations have had a breach that was caused by one of their vendors. Despite the high risk of a breach through a supplier, 77% of respondents said they had limited visibility into those vendors.