When Your Vendor Gets Hacked, You Can Get Hit Too

In this week’s “Strike a Nerve” update, I want to highlight one threat that stands out because it is spreading fast and can hit you even if you are doing everything right.

Researchers recently uncovered more than 17,000 GitLab repositories containing exposed secrets. That means API keys, private tokens, and access credentials were sitting in public code where attackers could quietly collect them.

Once criminals gain that level of access, they do not need to target you directly. They only need to compromise a vendor or tool you rely on.

This is why supply chain attacks are becoming so common. Attackers slip into trusted software updates or development pipelines, and the risk moves downstream into your environment. It often happens with no alerts. Many businesses do not realize something is wrong until systems slow down; accounts behave oddly, or data starts leaking.

What is most troubling is that you can have solid security and still inherit someone else’s vulnerability. When vendors unknowingly ship compromised code, the impact spreads to every client in their ecosystem. That is exactly how these attacks are designed to work.

Here are three steps to reduce the risk right now:

• Confirm that any vendor with network access meets basic security standards.
• Turn on MFA everywhere. It is one of the strongest defenses you can enable quickly.
• Review user permissions inside your systems and remove access that is no longer needed.

Do you know where you might be vulnerable? A quick assessment will show you exactly what needs attention before something slips in through a trusted connection.

Click here  to Know Your Risk!

— Steve, "Strike a Nerve” Weekly Cyber Threat Update