The Supply Chain: A Blind Spot in Identity Security
Security breaches often originate at the weakest link in the chain, and increasingly, this entry point is third-party access. Suppliers, contractors, and partners require access to internal systems to operate, but these permissions become potential backdoors for attackers if not managed properly.
A Thales report (Digital Trust Index, Third-Party Edition) highlights that identity and access management (IAM) for third parties is a significant risk area. More than half (51%) of professionals surveyed admitted to maintaining active partner access for days or even a month after they no longer need it, accumulating latent vulnerabilities over time.
Common Weaknesses in Third Party Access Management
The lack of rigor in B2B processes creates gaps that are exploited by cybercriminals. Among the most common failures are:
- Weak Authentication: Less secure authentication methods are allowed to speed up partner onboarding, leaving identities vulnerable to phishing attacks.
- Inefficient Passwords: Practices such as frequent password resets (40% of professionals surveyed do it once or twice a month) not only reduce productivity, but fail to secure critical systems.
- Delayed Revocation: Inactive accounts retain outdated permissions, or sessions remain active much longer than necessary.
- Lack of Rigor in Monitoring: Unlike internal workforce identity management, B2B access often escapes close scrutiny, becoming a mere “check” in supplier evaluations.
The Impact of Gaps in the Supply Chain
Failures in access management are not just inefficiencies; They make the work of attackers easier, who seek persistent access.
- Scale of Threat: The Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2025 indicates that 62% of systems intrusion incidents involve the supply chain.
- Identity Black Market: Threat actors buy and sell stolen identities (email/password combinations, session cookies) on dark web markets.
Financial and Regulatory Consequences
Gaps in access management have tangible operational and regulatory costs:
- Operational Costs: Delays in third-party access are common (31% of members wait days), and login issues cost an average of 48 minutes per user per month.
- Regulatory Impact: The European Union has implemented the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), which requires greater oversight of ICT providers. Fines for non-compliance with DORA can reach 2% of annual global turnover. In the US, OCC and SEC guidelines also increase scrutiny on third-party risk.
- Loss of Trust: 82% of consumers have abandoned brands due to concerns about digital trust. Reputation and trust are much more difficult to recover than prevention costs.
Implementation of Zero Trust in the Supply Chain
To break the cycle of vulnerability, organizations must extend Zero Trust principles to their third parties. This means:
- Full Lifecycle Management: Implement end-to-end identity lifecycle workflows to ensure access is automatically revoked the moment it is no longer needed.
- Zero Trust as a Principle: Assume a possible breach and leave aside implicit trust. Authentication should not equate to trust; Policies and risk signals must be continually evaluated to determine access to resources.
- Automation: Use automation to manage third-party access seamlessly and quickly, based on roles and attributes, without compromising security.
Conclusion
Third-party access management is the cornerstone of supply chain security. Extending Zero Trust principles to partners not only protects systems, but also safeguards business relationships, revenue, and company reputation.
The first step to strengthening your security posture is simple: audit who has access, automate what you can, and monitor what you can’t automate. By closing inactive accounts and modernizing login processes, organizations can transform third-party access from a weakness to a strategic advantage.