Supply Chain-Ransomware: Protecting Business Partners

I’ve been around a while in cyber — a network admin since ‘93, I built networks, even with multiplexers, when voice and data shared twisted-pair copper. I chased down SQL Slammer as it attacked like a freight train. Now running PJ Networks, I spend my days protecting businesses (including some extremely fearful banks) against the nastiest threats of today.

And right now? Supply chain ransomware is giving me sleepless nights—well, that and my third coffee.

Quick Take

If you don’t have time to read all of this, here’s what you need to know:

• Ransomware is no longer only your problem — it’s a problem for your vendors, too.
• Attackers enter through a side entrance; they slip in through smaller, less hardened suppliers.
• The best defense? Screen your business partners, curb their access, and conduct regular security evaluations.
• Stop believing in any “AI-powered” security solutions that claim magic. The best protection is not still yourself, but preventing yourself.

Okay, let’s break it down.

Supply Chain Vulnerabilities

Here’s the problem — your security is only as good as the weakest link in your supply chain. You have partners, vendors, contractors … and if their networks are vulnerable, so is yours.

How ransomware sneaks in:

1. Compromised software updates — Recall NotPetya? Hackers poisoned a widely used accounting software update and bam, global pandemonium.
2. Vendors with poor cybersecurity — Small third parties rarely have even basic defenses. Attackers know this.
3. Stolen credentials — One weak password can gain access to your whole network.
4. Phishing & social engineering — It only takes one employee clicking on the wrong link to spread ransomware like wildfire.

I’ve seen it happen. One client — a manufacturing company — almost lost it all when a subcontractor’s machine was infected by ransomware and passed malware through a shared network drive. The worst part? They had no idea that their supplier had no security controls.

Supply Chain Attacks — Real World

I’ve been at this a long time, and I will tell you this — attackers are not innovating, they are just getting better at exploiting known weaknesses. A few nasty cases:

• Kaseya (2021) – One hacked IT management tool caused ransomware outbreaks at more than 1,500 businesses.
• SolarWinds (2020) — The attackers sprinkled malware into software updates — months before anyone noticed.
• Colonial Pipeline (2021) — Not directly supply chain but a single leak in a password took down fuel distribution on the East Coast. One password.

And the ugly truth? Things are not improving; they are getting worse.

How to Find Business Partners

Here’s what I say to every business (including the banks we recently helped lock down with zero-trust architecture):

1. Require comprehensive security evaluations
   • Request security policies from your vendors.
   • Penetration testing is a prerequisite to access.
   • Check that they’re using at least MFA and endpoint protection.
2. Limit third-party access
   • Adopt the principle of least privilege: Vendors shouldn’t have any more access than is absolutely necessary.
   • Segregate networking (no untrusted traffic reaching into critical systems).
   • Cut off unnecessary incoming and outgoing connections.
3. Monitor continuously
   • Use threat detection tools (but don’t just trust AI-powered solutions).
   • Review vendor security audits on a regular basis.
   • Look for anomalous login activity — ransomware actors move laterally rapidly.
4. Enforce strong authentication
   • Stop using weak passwords. Or better yet, eliminate passwords altogether with passkeys.
   • MFA: Implement for everything you can, in particular third-party vendors.
5. Backups & incident response
   • Immutable backups — you wanna ensure an attacker can’t touch them.
   • Schedule a time to test recovery procedures before you need them.
   • Include your vendors in your incident response plan.

Not doing these? Congrats—you are playing breach roulette.

Supply Chain Security Services from PJ Networks

I spent three decades in cybersecurity, and I didn’t do that to watch businesses get ransomwared out of existence. That is what makes PJ Networks different: we protect full supply chains, not just endpoints.

What we do:

• End-to-end threat monitoring — If a vendor’s system is compromised, we’re informed before it ever makes it to you.
• Zero-Trust architecture – No one gets in without proving they’re worthy—every single time.
• Vendor Risk Assessments – We’ll tell you who the security risks are that you partner with (and what you need to do to fix it).
• Real-world attack simulations – Because the best way to find weaknesses is to test like an attacker does.

Recently, we were able to ensure the safety of three banks against supply chain threats (and to put it mildly, their already conducted risk assessments were…optimistic).

If you’re reading this, and thinking to yourself that you wonder if your vendors are secure — they probably aren’t.

Conclusion

Ransomware is not some esoteric risk; it is the present growing through third parties and causing the most damage to unprepared businesses.

That seriousness typically comes from things going wrong, though. Be the exception.

• Vet your vendors.
• Lock down your network.
• Never trust a security solution simply because it is said to be AI-enabled.

And if you don’t have any idea where to begin? Well—that’s why we’re here.

Excuse me now, I have another coffee to get.