Cyberattacks on supply chains can be devastating and far-reaching. However, artificial intelligence can help security teams stop attempts and detect successful intrusions sooner. How should leaders consider applying AI for best results?
1. Reducing Alert Fatigue
Many security professionals overseeing supply chains use numerous tools to alert them to potential issues deserving further investigation. The idea is timely alerts give people accurate information sooner, minimizing the chances of cyberattacks going unnoticed for days or weeks.
However, as the adoption rate for these tools increases, so can the notifications security professionals receive. Sometimes, this incoming information is so intense that they ignore prompts about genuinely threatening incidents. Such circumstances can result in alert fatigue.
One company deployed AI to tackle the problem. Its chosen solution analyzes whether specific security alerts match particular parameters based on its security policies. If they do, the model takes specific automatic steps to address them, relieving the internal team’s burdens.
Additionally, if whatever triggered the alert requires human intervention, security professionals get breakdowns of the AI’s interventions and suggestions for the next steps. Although that information does not replace human insights, it can supplement them and help those experts make the best decisions based on the current circumstances.
Such offerings can also be ideal for companies with small teams overseeing large supply chains. Those situations can sometimes lead to cases where conscientious professionals miss cyberattacks in progress because of their overly heavy workloads.
Many supply chain workers recognize they need robust cyber infrastructures, even if they primarily sell physical goods rather than apps, software or other products delivered through the internet. One study found 45% of warehouse managers knew they needed better IT infrastructure. Some address that gap by investing in high-tech supply chain tools.
Although those can streamline operations, they may also introduce security risks. Artificial intelligence can augment human efforts, keeping supply chains safer from adversaries.
2. Spotting Phishing Attempts
Phishing is a growing problem for many industries, but it is a particular cybersecurity risk for supply chains. Many such attacks begin when someone poses as a party the recipient trusts, such as a known vendor or a delivery partner representative. These efforts are more likely to succeed when those receiving the phishing messages feel pressured to act quickly. Then, they are less likely to spot unusual aspects of the content that may tip them off to the scam.
Fortunately, well-trained AI algorithms can flag tiny abnormalities for real-time detection of potential cyberattacks. For example, one may warn someone that an email that seems to come from a long-time customer has a slightly different tone than the rest. Similarly, it might highlight how a URL’s format has an extra character compared to those in legitimate messages from a vendor.
Many cybercriminals orchestrating phishing attempts create fake websites to mimic the genuine ones, adding an extra dash or other minor changes to the URL. They hope people will trust the fabricated website and provide sensitive information there. However, investing in AI tools to detect and block phishing attempts can strengthen supply chains’ cybersecurity.
Companies should still devote resources to phishing training and other cybersecurity education for supply chain workers, especially if they regularly engage with partners via email. However, decision-makers should also familiarize themselves with commercially available AI-enabled phishing detection to broaden their strategies.
3. Managing Ransomware Threats
A 2024 study showed 91% of respondents felt concerned that ransomware attacks could threaten their supply chains. Downstream, software-related supply chains were among the worries cited, along with attacks on connected or third-party partners. Another startling takeaway revealed the uneasiness is not unfounded – 48% of those polled had already dealt with ransomware attacks. Some had also paid millions of dollars in ransom money.
Artificial intelligence poses benefits and possible complications to those hoping to secure their supply chains. Some cybercriminals have already harnessed the technology to create more damaging and far-reaching attacks. Those securing the world’s most extensive and valuable networks may see more incidents with unusual characteristics, making them harder to confirm and address.
Positively, though, AI can add layers to cybersecurity defenses. Advanced tools can detect and respond to potential threats at scale, giving security teams more time to enact other strategies, such as system configuration and policy enforcement. Those advantages may secure supply chains against ransomware, especially since some AI products learn what constitutes normal network activity and warn authorized parties of deviations. Many of the newest tools can detect potential ransomware types, even before the first confirmed instances of those threats in real life.
AI Is a Supply Chain Cybersecurity Partner
Many cybercriminals target supply chains because they know successful attacks will disrupt critical operations. IT teams should strongly consider implementing artificial intelligence into workflows, especially after identifying weaknesses that make it more challenging to protect digital assets and networks from intruders.
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