CISA and NIST Release New Interagency Resource: Defending Against Software Supply Chain Attacks

A software supply chain attack—such as the recent SolarWinds Orion attack—occurs when a cyber threat actor infiltrates a software vendor’s network and employs malicious code to compromise the software before the vendor sends it to their customers. The compromised software can then further compromise customer data or systems.

To help software vendors and customers defend against these attacks, CISA and the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) have released Defending Against Software Supply Chain Attacks. This new interagency resource provides an overview of software supply chain risks and recommendations. The publication also provides guidance on using NIST’s Cyber Supply Chain Risk Management (C-SCRM) framework and the Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) to identify, assess, and mitigate risks.

CISA encourages users and administrators to review Defending Against Software Supply Chain Attacks and implement its recommendations.