Manufacturers today depend on complex networks of specialized devices, backed by an even more complex network of third-party vendors – it drives operational efficiency but also increases vulnerability to cyber threats. A recent Imprivata study found that 42 percent of industrial organizations experienced a data breach or cyberattack involving a third-party vendor accessing the organization’s network in the last 12 months.
Despite this clear and present third-party risk, only 29 percent of manufacturing organizations have a strategy consistently applied across the entire organization to address privileged access and supply chain risk. To adequately address these risks and safeguard operations, manufacturers must implement strong access management and identity governance practices that protect operations without disrupting workflows.
The Value of Efficient Access Management
With manufacturing’s reliance on third parties, a breach in one part of an organization’s supply chain can ripple through the entire production process, leading to cascading breaches across a whole network. Defending against such attacks requires comprehensive access management solutions that drive both security and operational efficiency.
One of our own customers, Oldcastle Infrastructure, Inc., sought to improve third-party risk management by replacing fragmented VPN solutions with a secure, centralized vendor access system. By implementing our vendor privileged access management platform, Oldcastle gained critical auditing features, including session logging and recording of all vendor activity to significantly enhance security and oversight. The solution has enabled the organization to manage access across 85 U.S. sites and various vendors, standardizing processes and eliminating risky practices like shared credentials. Along with two-factor authentication and centralized control, Oldcastle can now efficiently manage external access while reducing risk and improving compliance.
Comprehensive access management that leans on zero-trust principles is key to controlling what information third parties have access to — and when and how they have access to it. Operating by the principle of least privilege ensures that all third-party users can only access the systems and data necessary to execute their respective job functions. Practices that reduce the attack surface and prevent unauthorized access escalation if a breach occurs can include:
- Zero-Trust Network Access. Zero trust removes trust from any user, whether internal or external, and requires authentication and identification before granting access. Such a method could replace old tools and processes like VPNs or desktop sharing tools that once granted third-party users network access.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). With MFA, users must provide two or more forms of identity verification before accessing a system. These additional authentication layers are a critical safeguard to prevent unauthorized access even if login credentials are compromised. MFA is essential in environments with high-value data and operations like manufacturing, where a single breach can have significant consequences throughout the supply chain.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). By aligning access permissions with a user’s operational role, RBAC ensures users can only access the systems and data necessary to do their jobs. By segmenting access across roles, manufacturers can significantly reduce the impact of a breach and avoid one compromised account providing access to the entire system. This safeguard is critical for maintaining manufacturing operations, which can quickly disrupt entire commercial ecosystems without quickly containing vulnerabilities.
Activating the Strategy
Implementing these strategies for the complex networks of third-party identities and solutions requires building an access management system that ensures access to sensitive systems and data is appropriately managed, monitored, and controlled. Solutions that meet security and compliance requirements should not disrupt user productivity or existing operational workflows. Organizations can seamlessly implement and scale their security practices as their third-party network expands by leveraging an effective remote access solution.
Regular security audits will ensure access rights are current, the organization meets compliance standards, and prompt remediation of potential vulnerabilities is taking place. Automated auditing tools can streamline this process with ongoing, real-time insights. Oversight of vendors’ cybersecurity practices is another crucial integration for a comprehensive security strategy.
Imprivata’s recent report, The State of Third-Party Access in Cybersecurity, found that 55 percent of organizations do not evaluate the security and privacy practices of third parties before engaging in work that requires providing access to sensitive or confidential information. Assessing the cybersecurity practices of third-party vendors is critical to ensure they align with the organization’s security standards. Be sure to include provisions for cybersecurity compliance in all third-party contracts and regularly assess the security practices of external partners to ensure they maintain a high level of security.
Third-party risk will continue to proliferate across the manufacturing sector as operations become increasingly distributed to meet modern supply chain demands. In fact, 48 percent of organizations surveyed in Imprivata’s recent report agree that third-party remote access is becoming the most common attack surface.
Manufacturers must proactively safeguard sensitive data and systems when dealing with an expanded attack surface due to third-party access. They can minimize risks and avoid costly disruptions by adopting a digital identity management solution that centers on zero-trust tools like MFA and RBAC. Without adequate security, one minor breach can quickly escalate across the network, jeopardizing operations across the entire ecosystem.