Vendor cybersecurity: the hidden risk in your packaging supply chain.
When considering third-party packaging vendors, it’s natural for supply managers to focus on cost efficiency, delivery times, and the ability to fulfill both current and future orders. However, a vendor might look like they easily fit these criteria, yet still fall short if their cybersecurity policies open both them and you up to cyber threats.
This article discusses why assessing the cybersecurity practices of packaging vendors is an essential consideration. It also outlines what criteria to pay attention to when doing so.
The Importance of Assessing Packaging Vendor Cybersecurity
Packaging vendors’ unique position in companies’ supply chains makes them a potentially severe liability if their cybersecurity implementation doesn’t meet strict standards.
On the one hand, they need access to your intellectual property and related sensitive data. Think about product specifications and images that are not yet ready for public display. Moreover, consider the potential threats to shipping schedules, order volumes, and even customer data if they offer package personalization. A breach that exposes this wealth of information can cause significant financial and reputational losses for your business.
On the other hand, your company doesn’t have to be involved in such cyber incidents directly to be impacted. For example, a successful ransomware attack may put packaging production on hold, which can turn into shipping delays, customer dissatisfaction, and revenue loss.
How to Assess Packaging Vendor Cybersecurity?
A comprehensive assessment must account for diverse criteria encompassing all aspects of the vendors’ operations.
Data protection policies should come first, as they reflect vendor commitment toward secure data handling and storage. All sensitive data should also be encrypted, whether stored locally or transmitted elsewhere.
Developed network security and access controls play pivotal security roles. The former offers protection from external threats like malware, ransomware, or DDoS attacks through firewalls and intrusion detection systems. The latter limits the damage malicious insiders and attackers with compromised credentials can do by stratifying and strictly monitoring access.
Packaging vendors also need to demonstrate compliance with relevant regulations and industry standards. Certificates like ISO 27001 and 9001, GDPR compliance, and existing third-party assessments are strong trust indicators that you should nevertheless follow up on.
Finally, the vendor should be able to demonstrate cybersecurity consciousness through appropriate actions and policies. These include an incident response plan that accounts for cyberattacks, relevant employee training, and regular pen testing as well as other cybersecurity assessments.
The Impact of Your Cybersecurity Practices on Packaging Vendors
All these precautions only make sense if your cyber defense implementation is comprehensive and effective. This sets the standards third-party vendors are expected to follow and may influence them to address any deficiencies.
Supply chain managers interact with vendor management platforms, procurement systems, and logistics tools, not to mention document repositories and customer databases that collect extensive sensitive data. They need to ensure secure access to all these resources, preferably through a combination of strong, unique credentials and multi-factor authentication.
Implementing password managers for Firefox or another browser that your company employees use helps fulfill both requirements. They can create and store all necessary credentials in an encrypted environment while avoiding reused or easily guessable passwords. As mentioned before, multi-factor authentication, based either on biometrics or one-time passcodes, can further secure accounts whose passwords might have been compromised.
How you access internal systems or communicate with vendors matters, especially if you work remotely and use Wi-Fi in hotels, distribution centers, or factories. Securing any such connection with a VPN will ensure all exchanged data is encrypted and secure while protecting you from man-in-the-middle attacks or credential and identity theft. If you’re unsure which service to choose, checking Cybernews recommendations for the best VPN can help you find a reliable and secure option.
Nevertheless, before adopting any cybersecurity tool, research their official websites or even Wikipedia pages, like this NordPass one. This step will help you verify whether these solutions deliver the security they promise rather than just marketing claims.
Securing Your Supply Chain
The interdependence with third-party vendors necessary to meet quotas and modern production standards also means loss of control over some avenues through which cyber threats could impact your company. This vulnerability exists even if everything is secure on your end.
Therefore, ensuring that packaging vendors follow the same standards can secure operational continuity, sensitive data, and supply chain integrity. After all, proactive vendor assessment today prevents costly security incidents tomorrow.
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This article is posted by the editorial staff of Reusable Packaging News. To find out more about submissions, please visit our submissions page. For article feedback or advertising information, please contact leblanc.richard@gmail.com.
