In cybersecurity, attackers go where the defenses are weakest—and increasingly, that’s not you. It’s the vendors, partners, and platforms your business relies on every day. This is the essence of supply chain attacks, and they’re quickly becoming one of the most dangerous and disruptive forms of cybercrime in 2025. 

What Is a Supply Chain Attack? 

A supply chain attack targets a trusted third party to gain access to a larger set of victims. This might be a software provider, cloud vendor, IT service firm, or hardware manufacturer. Once compromised, these suppliers serve as a conduit for the threat actor to enter downstream customer environments—often undetected. 

Rather than break into one organization directly, attackers exploit trust and dependency in digital relationships to gain access to multiple organizations. 

Why These Attacks Are So Devastating 

• Scale: A single vendor breach can impact hundreds or thousands of downstream organizations. Think about what would happen if a common payroll or HR software were compromised and the potential reach of a single breach. 

• Stealth: Because attacks originate from trusted systems, they often evade detection.  

• Slow Burn: Damage isn’t always immediate—many organizations remain unaware until long after data is stolen. History has shown that these types of breaches can go unnoticed for months thus allowing cybercriminals to extract mass quantities of data (example: SolarWinds).  

Supply chain risk can’t be eliminated—but it can be managed. 

To learn more about supply chain attacks and how best to protect your business, contact Structured Technology Solutions today – [email protected] OR visit www.ststexas.com.