Third-Party, First Problem — When Cybersecurity Depends on Someone Else’s Discipline
The first point of compromise isn’t inside your systems, it’s on the outside, just beyond your control, often within the network of vendors, partners, or service providers you’ve come to rely on.
These are not fringe actors or anonymous third parties. They are names you know, entities you’ve vetted, and companies that may even have direct access to your infrastructure or financial workflows. Yet increasingly, it is through these trusted links that attackers find their way in — not by breaking through your defences, but by slipping past them unnoticed, riding the blind spots of supplier trust and procedural routine.
What begins as a minor irregularity — a change in bank details, a login from a familiar portal, an emailed invoice that seems perfectly in order — can end in multimillion-dollar losses and prolonged operational disruption. And in almost every case, the board learns about it only after the consequences have landed. In this new reality, cyber risk isn’t just about what your company controls. It’s about what you can no longer afford to overlook.
Key Risks Identified
Third-Party Blind Spots: Many vendors maintain direct access to business systems or sensitive workflows but operate outside internal security audits and testing cycles.
Compliance ≠ Security: ISO certifications, NDAs, and audit checklists often fail to reveal vulnerabilities actively being exploited.
Governance Gaps: Boards are not consistently equipped with frameworks to evaluate cybersecurity beyond internal IT controls.
Unmodelled Incident Scenarios: Breaches that originate through trusted suppliers are rarely part of tabletop exercises or recovery planning.
Governance Questions for the Boardroom
Do we have an up-to-date inventory of vendors with system access or data privileges?
Are third-party risk assessments based on current threat conditions — or just contractual obligations?
Do our procurement policies mandate actual cybersecurity testing?
Have we simulated an incident involving a vendor breach?
If a key supplier suffers a ransomware attack, how quickly can we isolate, respond, and continue operations?
How AKATI Sekurity Helps Leadership Teams
AKATI Sekurity provides board-aligned advisory and testing services that translate technical cyber risk into leadership decisions:
Vendor Cyber Maturity Assessments Identify vulnerabilities in your extended ecosystem before attackers do — through independent security testing, not just paperwork review.
Cybersecurity Tabletop Simulations Engage leadership in executive-level breach simulations that include realistic third-party compromise scenarios.
Governance Policy Enhancement Develop procurement and compliance frameworks that enforce continuous cyber resilience in vendor relationships.
Strategic Threat Visibility Receive actionable intelligence on exposed credentials, leaked data, or dark web chatter involving key suppliers.
Final Note to Stakeholders
Cyber risk governance cannot stop at the perimeter. In 2025, companies must govern trust with the same rigour they govern access. That means building oversight, embedding verification, and preparing leadership to act swiftly — even when the breach isn’t their fault, but still their problem.
To discuss how AKATI Sekurity can support your board’s cyber governance strategy, contact:
hello@akati.com | www.akati.com
