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What is Supply Chain Attack?
A supply chain attack reaches your organization through a third party — software updates, managed providers, or operational vendors. Instead of breaking your front door, attackers break someone you already let inside.
How a Supply Chain Attack Attack Works
Map dependencies
Public partner pages, job posts, and filings reveal who you rely on.
Choose the softest link
Smaller vendors with access to your email, code, or logistics become primary targets.
Abuse trusted channels
Compromised updates, shared portals, or vendor email deliver the payload.
Expand into your environment
Once inside via trust, attackers pursue data, ransomware, or fraud.
Real-World Example
Attackers used customs and supplier data to identify a manufacturer's Tier-2 parts vendor, compromised that vendor, and rode a legitimate invoice PDF into the manufacturer's corporate network.
How AiVERSARY Detects Supply Chain Attack Risk
AiVersary reports highlight publicly visible vendor and technology relationships that shape your third-party attack surface — the shortlist an adversary would research first.
Is your organization exposed to supply chain attack?
AiVERSARY scans your public footprint and identifies the exact data attackers would use against you. $499 per report.
Get Your Threat ReportRelated Terms
Vendor Email Compromise
Vendor email compromise is BEC aimed through a trusted supplier. Attackers breach or spoof a vendor, then send altered invoices or payment instructions to that vendor's customers — riding existing business relationships that finance teams already trust.
OSINT Reconnaissance
OSINT reconnaissance — Open Source Intelligence gathering — is the first phase of nearly every targeted cyberattack. It's the process of collecting publicly available information about an organization and its people to plan an attack. Everything from your company website and LinkedIn profiles to job postings, DNS records, and conference presentations becomes intelligence. This is exactly the same process AiVersary uses, but we do it first so you can fix what's exposed.
Ransomware
Ransomware is malware that locks your files or systems and demands payment for restoration. Modern campaigns often combine encryption with data theft and public shaming. Attackers rarely start with the ransomware itself — they start with reconnaissance to find who can authorize payment and which systems will hurt most if taken offline.
Spear Phishing
Spear phishing is a targeted email attack where criminals research a specific person and craft a message designed just for them. Unlike mass spam, these emails reference real details about your job, your colleagues, or recent company events to appear legitimate. They are the number one way attackers breach organizations today.