183,000 Companies Were Hit by Cyberattacks on Tech Providers in 2024
Technology plays a vital role in supplier networks and digital ecosystems today. While supply chains used to be primarily physical, digitalization has improved efficiency but also introduced new cybersecurity risks that are often overlooked.
As software and digital service providers are often integrated into organizations’ environments, they have become prime targets for cybercriminals looking to scale their attacks. This impacts small providers particularly, owing to factors such as lack of proper protection, limited resources, and lower response capacity, all of which make them more vulnerable to attacks. According to Statista, approximately 183,000 customers were affected by supply chain cyberattacks in 2024.
This is where MSPs can step in to help customers proactively manage these risks. Reactively addressing risks is like putting cardboard under a wobbly table leg instead of fixing the leg. It may offer temporary stability, but it doesn’t solve the root problem. Adopting a reactive approach makes it harder for businesses to mitigate the consequences of a cyberattack, which almost immediately can cause financial losses, reputational damage, and a loss of trust after a security incident.
Top 5 Supply Chain Risks
Prioritizing cybersecurity in the supply chain is still a challenge for many companies. According to a study conducted by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBM IBV) in collaboration with Microsoft, only 30% of organizations focus on building a secure and connected environment for their supply chain operations. MSPs need to understand the key security challenges in the supply chain before they can help their clients mitigate these risks. These threats include:
- Zero-Day Malware
- Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities
- EOL Software
- Living-off-the-Land (LotL) Applications
- Ransomware
Proactive supply chain risk management requires a strategic approach that allows MSPs to anticipate threats and strengthen customer security. This entails taking the following steps:
- Real-Time Risk Monitoring: Monitoring a provider’s cybersecurity posture can reveal early signs of vulnerability, enabling organizations to take preventive action. Real-time monitoring is essential for this purpose, as it offers a clearer overview of customer device health.
- Collaboration with Providers: Strong relationships with providers are critical to reducing threats in the supply chain. Collaborative models, where organizations and vendors work together to meet regulations and address vulnerabilities, bolster the entire value chain. MSPs can assist their clients in implementing shared security protocols, improving visibility into third-party risks, and promoting common standards to strengthen cybersecurity.
- Implementing Regular Risk Assessments: Endpoints can be entry points for cyberattacks, and in the supply chain, a breach in a critical supplier can compromise all customers consuming its digital products or services, augmenting the scale of the attack. To reduce these risks, MSPs can help clients implement endpoint risk management solutions that enable them to detect vulnerabilities, fix misconfigurations, and pre-empt a breach by ensuring software is up to date, identifying attack indicators, and applying security patches in a timely manner.
For many organizations, digital ecosystem system is limited to an initial provider assessment. But today’s threats require ongoing vigilance. Static reviews are no longer enough. This represents both a challenge and an opportunity for MSPs to deliver strategic value by helping organizations adopt a proactive security approach, where endpoint risk management is continuous and adapts to emerging threats. MSPs that stay ahead of risks and protect their clients’ digital environments will be better positioned to become trusted experts and long-term security partners.
