Addressing misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in third-party hardware requires a comprehensive approach to manage risks throughout the supply chain. Implementing a propersupply chain risk management (SCRM) program is the most effective solution as it encompasses the following:
Holistic Approach: SCRM considers the entire lifecycle ofthe product, from initial design through to delivery and deployment. This ensures that risks are identified and managed at every stage.
Vendor Management: It includes thorough vetting of suppliers and ongoing assessments of their security practices, which can identify and mitigate vulnerabilities early.
Regular Audits and Assessments: A robust SCRM program involves regular audits and assessments, both internally and with suppliers, to ensure compliance with security standards and best practices.
Collaboration and Communication: Ensures that there is effective communication and collaboration between the company and its suppliers, leading to faster identification and resolution of issues.
Other options, while beneficial, do not provide the same comprehensive risk management:
A. Performing vulnerability tests on each device delivered by the providers: While useful, this is reactive and only addresses issues after they have been delivered.
B. Performing regular red-team exercises on the vendor production line: This can identify vulnerabilities but is not as comprehensive as a full SCRM program.
C. Implementing a monitoring process for the integration between the application and the vendor appliance: This is important but only covers the integration phase, not the entire supply chain.
[References:, CompTIA SecurityX Study Guide, NIST Special Publication 800-161, "Supply Chain Risk Management Practices for Federal Information Systems and Organizations", ISO/IEC 27036-1:2014, "Information technology — Security techniques — Information security for supplier relationships", , , , , ]
