Cyber Brief: Supply Chain and SaaS Risk

Security reporting today highlights growing scrutiny of third-party SaaS providers, limited visibility across supplier ecosystems, and the governance gaps that can quietly increase exposure over time.

As organisations adopt more cloud services, third-party access is becoming a defining risk factor.

SaaS Platforms Increasingly Targeted

Recent analysis shows that attackers are increasingly probing SaaS platforms for misconfigurations and weak authentication controls. While SaaS providers maintain infrastructure, responsibility for configuration and access control often remains with the customer.

This shared responsibility model can create misunderstandings.

Why it matters
Organisations must understand where their responsibilities begin and end. Visibility across SaaS access and permissions is essential to reducing risk.

Source: Cloud security reporting

Limited Supplier Visibility Creates Blind Spots

Security research highlights that many organisations struggle to maintain a clear inventory of third-party providers with system access. Over time, relationships evolve, access expands, and oversight becomes less consistent.

This creates blind spots that attackers actively look for.

Why it matters
Strong third-party governance reduces inherited risk and strengthens overall resilience.

Source: Third-party risk commentary

Governance Processes Lag Behind Technology Adoption

Reporting this week also indicates that while technology adoption accelerates, governance frameworks often struggle to keep pace. Policies may exist, but enforcement and review cycles are inconsistent.

Why it matters
Security maturity depends on both controls and oversight. Regular review and proactive validation help close governance gaps before they widen.

Source: Industry governance research

Today’s Key Actions

1. Review third-party SaaS access and permissions
2. Validate shared responsibility assumptions
3. Maintain an accurate supplier access inventory
4. Strengthen third-party governance review cycles

Secarma Insight

As supplier ecosystems expand, visibility becomes critical. Proactive assurance and structured governance reviews help organisations manage third-party exposure with confidence and reduce uncertainty across interconnected environments.

If you would like support strengthening supplier and SaaS security oversight, speak to the Secarma team:
https://secarma.com/contact