For years, supply chain security has largely been viewed as a technical issue. It was something developers discussed when managing open-source libraries, software dependencies and secure coding practices, while security teams focused on vendor risk assessments and third-party due diligence.
That conversation has changed.
Gartner recently announced that Software Supply Chain Security will become its own Magic Quadrant category. While that might seem like another analyst announcement, it’s actually a strong signal that the market has matured. Gartner doesn’t create entirely new technology categories unless organisations are actively investing in them and recognising them as standalone security challenges.
This shift reflects what many cyber security professionals have been seeing for several years. Attackers are increasingly targeting trusted suppliers instead of attacking organisations directly. Rather than spending months trying to breach a well-defended enterprise, compromising a software vendor, managed service provider or cloud platform can provide access to hundreds or even thousands of downstream customers.
For Australian organisations, this isn’t just another technology trend. It reinforces an important reality: your cyber security posture is no longer defined solely by the controls inside your own environment. It also depends on the organisations you trust to develop software, host data, manage infrastructure and provide critical business services.
The question is no longer “Are our systems secure?”
It’s “How well do we understand the security of the organisations and software we rely on every day?”
Supply Chain Attacks Are Changing the Rules
Not long ago, most cyber security strategies focused on protecting the perimeter. Firewalls, endpoint protection and email security were designed to stop attackers before they could gain access to the organisation.
Today’s attackers are taking a different approach.
Rather than attacking their intended target directly, they’re looking for trusted relationships that can be exploited. Software vendors, cloud providers, managed service providers (MSPs) and third-party integrations have become attractive targets because compromising one supplier can provide access to multiple organisations at once.
We’ve already seen how effective this strategy can be.
High-profile incidents such as SolarWinds, MOVEit and attacks targeting managed service providers all followed a similar pattern. The attackers didn’t need to compromise every victim individually. Instead, they focused on a trusted platform that thousands of organisations already depended on.
These incidents have reshaped the way businesses think about cyber risk.
Instead of asking whether a supplier has experienced a breach, organisations are now asking broader questions:
- How secure is the software we’re deploying?
- What third-party components does it rely on?
- How quickly are vulnerabilities identified and addressed?
- What would happen if one of our critical suppliers was compromised tomorrow?
These are no longer questions reserved for security teams. They’re becoming discussions that involve procurement, risk management, legal teams and executive leadership because the consequences extend well beyond IT.
Your Attack Surface Is Bigger Than You Think
Most organisations have a reasonable understanding of the systems they own and manage. They know where their servers are hosted, which cloud platforms they use and how employees access corporate resources.
What often receives less attention is the broader ecosystem that supports those systems.
A modern organisation might depend on dozens, or even hundreds, of external suppliers and services to operate effectively. These relationships create efficiencies, reduce costs and accelerate innovation, but they also introduce additional cyber risk.
Some of the most common external dependencies include:
- Cloud infrastructure providers
- Identity and authentication platforms
- Managed Service Providers (MSPs)
- SaaS applications
- Payment gateways
- Open-source software libraries
- CI/CD platforms and development tools
- External APIs and third-party integrations
Every one of these services requires a level of trust. If one of them is compromised, that trust can become an attack path.
This doesn’t mean organisations should avoid using third-party services. That simply isn’t realistic in today’s technology landscape. Instead, businesses need greater visibility into the suppliers they depend on, how those suppliers manage cyber security, and what processes are in place when vulnerabilities or incidents occur.
Supply chain security is ultimately about understanding and managing those relationships before they become a source of risk.
Why Traditional Vendor Risk Assessments Aren’t Enough
Many organisations already have vendor risk management processes in place. Procurement teams distribute security questionnaires, contracts include cyber security clauses, and suppliers are asked to provide certifications such as ISO 27001 or SOC 2 reports.
These remain valuable controls, but they only tell part of the story.
A vendor might have excellent security governance and still introduce risk through a vulnerable software component or an insecure development practice. Likewise, an annual questionnaire provides a snapshot of a supplier’s security posture, but cyber threats evolve far more quickly than yearly review cycles.
That’s why software supply chain security is becoming its own discipline.
It’s not just about assessing the organisation behind the software. It’s about understanding how that software is developed, maintained and updated throughout its lifecycle.
Questions organisations should now be asking include:
- Does the vendor maintain a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)?
- How are vulnerabilities disclosed to customers?
- How quickly are security updates released?
- What open-source components are used within the application?
- How are third-party dependencies monitored?
- Does the vendor perform regular penetration testing or secure code reviews?
These questions provide a much deeper understanding of software risk than a compliance questionnaire alone. They also help organisations make more informed decisions about the suppliers they trust with their data, systems and operations.
Software Supply Chain Security Is More Than an SBOM
One of the biggest changes in software security over the past few years has been the growing adoption of Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs). If you’ve been following government guidance or vendor security announcements, you’ve probably seen the term appear more frequently.
An SBOM is essentially an inventory of the components that make up a software application. It identifies the open-source libraries, third-party packages and dependencies used during development, giving organisations greater visibility into what’s running inside the software they rely on.
That visibility has become increasingly important.
Modern applications are rarely built from scratch. Developers accelerate delivery by using trusted frameworks, open-source libraries and reusable components. It’s not unusual for a single application to contain hundreds, or even thousands, of dependencies maintained by different developers around the world.
The challenge isn’t that organisations are using open-source software. Open source underpins much of today’s digital economy and is often developed to an exceptionally high standard. The challenge is understanding what happens when one of those components contains a critical vulnerability or is compromised upstream.
An SBOM helps answer questions such as:
- Which applications contain a vulnerable component?
- Which business systems could be affected?
- Do we need to patch immediately or investigate further?
- Which suppliers have already addressed the issue?
Without that visibility, organisations can spend valuable time trying to determine where vulnerable software exists while attackers are already attempting to exploit it.
However, an SBOM shouldn’t be viewed as a silver bullet. It provides visibility, but visibility alone doesn’t reduce risk. Organisations still need processes to monitor vulnerabilities, validate updates and respond quickly when new threats emerge.
Supply Chain Security Doesn’t Stop at Procurement
Many organisations first encounter supply chain security during the procurement process. A new supplier is assessed, security questionnaires are completed and contractual requirements are agreed before the relationship begins.
That’s a good starting point, but cyber risk doesn’t remain static after a contract is signed.
Software evolves continuously. Vendors release updates, introduce new features, acquire other companies and integrate additional technologies into their products. At the same time, attackers are constantly identifying new ways to exploit trusted relationships.
Treating supplier risk as an annual exercise creates blind spots.
Instead, organisations should be thinking about supply chain security as an ongoing programme that continues throughout the life of the relationship. That means regularly reviewing critical suppliers, understanding changes to their services and maintaining visibility over how software is developed, updated and supported.
A mature approach typically includes:
- Regular reviews of critical suppliers rather than one-off assessments.
- Monitoring for newly disclosed vulnerabilities affecting third-party software.
- Understanding how vendors communicate security incidents and updates.
- Reviewing privileged access granted to external providers.
- Ensuring critical suppliers have appropriate incident response and business continuity capabilities.
These activities don’t eliminate third-party risk, but they significantly improve an organisation’s ability to respond when something changes.
The Questions We’d Be Asking Our Critical Suppliers
One of the simplest ways to strengthen software supply chain security is to improve the quality of conversations with suppliers.
Rather than relying solely on compliance questionnaires, organisations should ask practical questions that reveal how security is managed throughout the software lifecycle.
For example:
- How do you identify and remediate vulnerabilities within your software?
- Do you maintain a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)?
- How are open-source components monitored for newly disclosed vulnerabilities?
- What secure development practices do your engineering teams follow?
- How frequently is penetration testing performed?
- How quickly are customers notified when a security issue is identified?
- What level of access do your support teams have to customer environments?
- Have you experienced any significant security incidents in recent years, and what changed as a result?
The answers to these questions often provide far more insight than simply confirming a supplier holds a security certification.
They’re also more likely to reveal how seriously a vendor approaches cyber security as part of its day-to-day operations.
What We’re Seeing Across Australian Organisations
As supply chain security becomes a greater focus, we’re noticing a common pattern across many organisations.
There’s generally good visibility over direct suppliers. Businesses know who hosts their infrastructure, who manages their networks and which software vendors they rely on.
Where visibility starts to diminish is one or two layers deeper.
Many organisations don’t know:
- Which subcontractors their suppliers rely on.
- Which open-source components are embedded within critical applications.
- How software updates are validated before deployment.
- Whether third-party integrations introduce additional security risks.
- Which suppliers would have the greatest operational impact if they experienced a cyber incident.
These aren’t easy questions to answer, but they’re becoming increasingly important.
As software ecosystems become more interconnected, understanding these dependencies is no longer just a technical exercise. It’s part of building organisational resilience.
The businesses that manage supply chain risk most effectively aren’t trying to eliminate every dependency. They’re building enough visibility to understand where their greatest risks lie, so they can make informed decisions before an incident occurs.
Building a More Resilient Software Supply Chain
Supply chain security isn’t about eliminating third-party risk. That’s simply not possible in today’s technology landscape. Every organisation relies on external providers, whether it’s cloud infrastructure, SaaS applications, payment platforms or open-source software. The objective is to understand those dependencies, reduce unnecessary exposure and ensure your organisation can respond quickly when a supplier experiences a security incident.
That starts with visibility.
Many organisations maintain detailed inventories of their own hardware and software but have far less visibility into the external services those systems rely on. Without that understanding, it’s difficult to assess the potential impact of a supply chain attack or prioritise the suppliers that require closer scrutiny.
Just as importantly, supply chain security shouldn’t sit solely within the cyber security team. Procurement, legal, risk management, DevOps and business leaders all have a role to play. Security requirements should be considered before contracts are signed, during supplier onboarding and throughout the lifecycle of the relationship.
Five Practical Steps You Can Take Today
Supply chain security doesn’t require organisations to reinvent their cyber security programme. In many cases, it’s about strengthening existing governance and extending security practices beyond the organisation’s own environment.
Here are five areas worth reviewing.
1. Identify Your Critical Suppliers
Not every supplier carries the same level of risk. Start by identifying which vendors have access to sensitive information, critical systems or essential business processes. Understanding which relationships would have the greatest operational impact allows you to prioritise security efforts where they’ll deliver the most value.
2. Review Third-Party Access
Suppliers often require privileged access to support systems, troubleshoot issues or deploy updates. Review who has access, what level of access they have and whether those permissions are still required. Access that was appropriate during implementation may no longer be necessary years later.
3. Strengthen Vendor Due Diligence
Traditional security questionnaires remain useful, but they shouldn’t be the only measure of supplier security. Ask how vendors manage vulnerabilities, whether they maintain a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), how quickly they release security updates and how customers are notified when incidents occur.
4. Include Suppliers in Incident Response Planning
If a critical supplier experienced a cyber incident tomorrow, would your organisation know what to do?
Your incident response plan should consider:
- How supplier incidents are escalated internally.
- Who is responsible for communicating with the vendor.
- How business continuity would be maintained.
- Whether alternative suppliers or workarounds exist.
- How customers or regulators would be notified if required.
Preparing these scenarios in advance can significantly reduce response times during an actual incident.
5. Test Rather Than Assume
One of the biggest lessons from recent supply chain attacks is that assumptions create risk.
Don’t assume suppliers have patched critical vulnerabilities.
Don’t assume privileged access has been removed.
Don’t assume software updates are always trustworthy.
Where possible, validate those assumptions through security assessments, penetration testing and regular reviews of critical suppliers.
Looking Ahead
Software supply chain security will only become more important over the next few years.
Software is becoming increasingly interconnected. Organisations are adopting more SaaS platforms, integrating more APIs and accelerating software development using open-source components and AI-assisted coding tools. While these technologies improve efficiency, they also introduce new dependencies that need to be understood and managed.
At the same time, regulatory expectations continue to evolve. Government agencies, regulators and enterprise customers are placing greater emphasis on third-party risk management, secure software development and organisational resilience. Gartner’s decision to establish a dedicated Software Supply Chain Security category reflects this broader industry shift. It’s no longer viewed as a niche technical concern. It’s becoming a core component of enterprise cyber security.
Organisations that begin strengthening supply chain security now will be better positioned to adapt as customer expectations, regulatory requirements and cyber threats continue to evolve.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is software supply chain security?
Software supply chain security focuses on protecting the people, processes and technologies involved in developing, distributing and maintaining software. This includes managing open-source dependencies, third-party libraries, software updates, development pipelines and supplier relationships.
Why is software supply chain security becoming more important?
Attackers increasingly target trusted suppliers because compromising one vendor can provide access to many downstream organisations. High-profile incidents involving SolarWinds, MOVEit and managed service providers have demonstrated how quickly supply chain attacks can spread.
What is an SBOM?
A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is an inventory of the components used to build a software application. It helps organisations identify affected systems when vulnerabilities are discovered in third-party libraries or open-source components.
Does software supply chain security only apply to software developers?
No. While secure development practices are important, supply chain security also involves procurement, vendor management, risk management, legal teams and executive leadership. Any organisation that relies on third-party software or technology providers should consider software supply chain risk.
Conclusion
Software supply chain security has evolved from a niche technical topic into one of the most important areas of modern cyber security. As organisations become increasingly dependent on third-party software, cloud platforms and external service providers, understanding those relationships is just as important as protecting internal systems.
Gartner recognising Software Supply Chain Security as its own category isn’t simply an analyst milestone. It’s a reflection of where the industry is heading. Organisations are moving beyond traditional vendor assessments and taking a more holistic approach to understanding how software is built, maintained and secured throughout its lifecycle.
The organisations that manage this risk most effectively won’t be those with the longest supplier questionnaires. They’ll be the ones that understand their dependencies, validate their assumptions and continuously assess the security of the ecosystems they rely on.
How Intrix Can Help
At Intrix, we help organisations gain greater visibility into the third-party relationships that support their business and identify risks before they become incidents. Our consultants work with organisations across Australia to assess supplier risk, validate security controls and strengthen resilience across increasingly complex technology environments.
Our services include:
- Security Risk Assessments to evaluate organisational exposure and prioritise remediation activities.
- Penetration Testing to validate whether vulnerabilities within applications, infrastructure and third-party integrations can be exploited.
- Cloud Security Assessments to review the security of cloud environments and connected services.
- vCISO and Security Advisory Services to help organisations build governance frameworks that align cyber security with business objectives.
Supply chain attacks are no longer isolated events. They’re becoming one of the most common ways attackers gain access to organisations. Understanding your software ecosystem, validating your suppliers and regularly assessing third-party risk are key steps towards building a more resilient security programme.
If you’re looking to strengthen your organisation’s approach to software supply chain security, Intrix can help. Contact Intrix today.
