As part of its annual Kaspersky Security Bulletin, the company’s experts have analyzed significant supply chain attacks and IT outages from the past year and explored potential future risk scenarios, providing insights aimed at helping businesses of all sizes enhance cybersecurity, build resilience, and prepare for possible emerging threats in 2025.
In 2024, supply chain attacks and IT outages demonstrated the pervasive risks to modern infrastructure. High-profile incidents, including a faulty CrowdStrike update that disrupted millions of systems, the XZ backdoor, and the Polyfill.io supply chain attack, exposed vulnerabilities in widely used tools.
These events underscored the urgent need for rigorous security measures, robust patch management, and proactive defenses to protect global supply chains and critical infrastructure.
Kaspersky’s “Story of the Year” highlights growing AI risks, including outages, breaches, and misuse of sensitive data. Operation Triangulation revealed attackers exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in system hardware and software, targeting neural processing units and on-device AI. Kaspersky also uncovered the first misuse of machine learning for data extraction, weaponizing AI features.
Satellite internet, vital for onboard connectivity and emergency communications, is another area of concern. A cyberattack or faulty update targeting a dominant provider could trigger widespread outages, impacting individuals and organizations reliant on these services.
The internet also faces physical threats, with 95% of global data transmitted through subsea cables, and there are nearly 1,500 Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) facilitating traffic exchange.
Disruptions to key components like cables or IXPs could overload infrastructure, leading to widespread connectivity issues.
Critical operating systems like Windows and Linux face potential exploitation of kernel vulnerabilities, which could expose servers, IoT devices, and logistics systems to attacks. Such scenarios threaten to disrupt global supply chains, underscoring the need for enhanced defenses and resilience across digital ecosystems.
“Supply chain risks may seem overwhelming, but awareness is the first step toward prevention,” said Igor Kuznetsov, Director of Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT) Kaspersky. “By testing updates rigorously, leveraging AI-driven anomaly detection, and diversifying providers to reduce single points of failure, we can reduce weak elements and build resilience.
A culture of responsibility among personnel is equally vital, as human vigilance remains the cornerstone of security. Together, these measures can safeguard supply chains and ensure a more secure future”.
Read more on Securelist.
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