Third-party attacks occur when threat actors exploit vulnerabilities in third-party tools or partnerships to gain unauthorized access to an organization. These attacks can spread quickly, as compromising one organization can lead to potential breaches in many others due to interconnected supply chains. The risks are amplified by human behavior, making every third-party connection a potential path for attack.

Attackers often gain access through phishing and social engineering tactics. By targeting third-party vendors, they can exploit weaknesses in these partnerships to reach their primary targets. For example, incidents involving companies like Twilio and Mailchimp demonstrate how a single breach can expose sensitive data across multiple organizations.

Organizations should conduct thorough assessments of their third-party relationships and map out potential security risks. This includes identifying all connections and understanding the level of access each vendor has. By rethinking their approach to third-party security, companies can better defend against potential breaches and minimize the impact of any attacks that do occur.