Your security is only as strong as the least secure company you do business with. And odds are, that company isn’t taking security as seriously as you are.
Third-party risk is the blind spot in cybersecurity. Businesses invest heavily in protecting their own systems, but vendors are often given access with little oversight. Payroll providers, cloud vendors, IT services, and software dependencies all introduce risk, yet many companies assume those external organizations are handling security on their end.
Most of the time, they aren’t.
Attackers take advantage of this disconnect. Instead of targeting a well-defended company head-on, they look for weaknesses in the supply chain. A small marketing firm with access to thousands of customer accounts, a software update containing compromised code, or a managed service provider with privileged access to multiple organizations—these are the doors threat actors walk through.
Once inside, they move quickly. Credentials are stolen, systems are encrypted, and businesses that thought they were secure suddenly find themselves in the middle of a breach. The damage isn’t limited to the compromised vendor. It spreads to everyone connected to them.
Companies need to start treating vendor security like an extension of their own. Due diligence doesn’t stop at contract signing. Vendors should be vetted, monitored, and held to the same security standards as internal teams. Least privilege access should be the default, and critical third parties should undergo regular security assessments.
Ignoring third-party risk doesn’t make it go away. It just hands attackers an easier way in.
principia/RAID can help you take control of vendor security before it becomes your next big problem. We work with businesses to assess third-party risks, implement smarter access controls, and build a security framework that doesn’t leave the back door open. Let’s make sure your weakest link doesn’t become your biggest breach.