A shortage of qualified IT security workers is hampering efforts by global organisations to prioritise various security tasks that would mitigate the risk of supply chain and trusted relationship attacks.
Both factors are cited by nearly half (42%) of the respondents in a new Kaspersky study.
The 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 severity and frequency of supply chain attacks necessitate uncovering the key reasons preventing them from addressing the risks successfully.
According to the survey, one of the key barriers to reducing supply chain and trusted relationship risks is the lack of a qualified workforce. This shortage leaves organisations without the capacity to consistently access and monitor possible third-party vulnerabilities across their ecosystems.
Among other primary obstacles, 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, respondents also point to structural issues: 39% say their contracts lack clear IT security obligations for contractors.
Further, 32% note that non‑IT security staff often do 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, leaving them exposed to evolving vulnerabilities across their ecosystems.
It’s noteworthy that companies that have already experienced supply chain and trusted relationship attacks tend to adopt stronger security habits.
Those hit by supply chain incidents are more likely to request penetration test results (56%), while victims of trusted relationship breaches prioritise checks on compliance with industry standards (56%) and their contractors’ own supply chain policies (53%).
“When security teams are overstretched, understaffed and have to prioritise urgent tasks over long term resilience priorities, organisations are left exposed to threats that can move silently through their provider ecosystem,” comments Sergey Soldatov, head of security operations centre at Kaspersky .
“To break this cycle, the industry needs to adopt more unified and consistent mitigation strategies, from standardised contractor assessments to stronger cross‑team awareness. Supply chain security should become a shared, enforceable responsibility across the entire business network.”
Only by implementing preventive measures across the organisation and approaching partnerships with suppliers and contractors strategically can companies reduce supply chain risks and ensure the resilience of their business.
To mitigate such risks, Kaspersky recommends the following:
- Adopt managed security services. For organisations lacking dedicated cybersecurity resources, the best solution is to resort to outsourcing in the form of managed detection and response (MDR) or incident response.
- Invest in additional cybersecurity courses. Enhance the cybersecurity knowledge of your employees with practically-oriented self-guided or live training.
- Thoroughly evaluate suppliers before entering a deal. Check their cybersecurity policies, information about past incidents and compliance with industry security standards. For software and cloud services, it’s also recommended to review vulnerability data and penetration test results.
- Implement contractual security requirements. Contracts with suppliers should include specific information security requirements, such as regular security audits, compliance with your organisation’s relevant security policies, and incident notification protocols.
- Collaborate with suppliers on security issues. Strengthen protection on both sides and make it a shared priority.