Imagine handing over a master key that doesn’t just open your office, but every partner, supplier and cloud platform you rely on.

Digital ecosystems are now deeply interconnected. Critical business platforms are joined by layers of third-party integrations, APIs and automation tools. These connections deliver efficiency but they also significantly increase an organisation’s attack surface.

Traditional defences assume cyber risk can be managed at the network edge. Whilst this still needs to be a consideration, the perimeter has all but evaporated, with cyber risk residing in the trust layer, the points where systems exchange data based on assumed identities and permissions. Once a threat actor compromises that trust layer, they can bypass controls that protect users and devices and increasingly operate undetected.

The multi-dimensional impacts of third-party cyber risk

• Regulatory exposure if customer, employee or financial data is accessed — including breach reporting obligations and potential penalties.
• Financial disruption from incident response costs, legal support, operational downtime, and loss of revenue.
• Reputational damage eroding stakeholder confidence and brand trust, with long-term effects on customer retention and investor relations.
• Supply chain contagion risk, where one compromised vendor or integration exposes connected organisations.
• Resilience pressure, with boards, regulators and customers demanding stronger assurance around third-party governance and security monitoring.

These attacks are deliberate, audacious and well-resourced. They target precisely where organisations feel safest, the trusted systems and vendors they depend on most. So, cyber resilience is no longer just about defending your own network, it’s about securing the trust relationships your business relies on.

Every integration represents both a business advantage and a potential vulnerability. Without active governance and ongoing monitoring, third-party connections can silently become backdoors.

For executives, the risk is strategic as much as technical. The question is no longer ‘are our defences strong?’, but ‘are our dependencies resilient?’

How we can help you govern and secure your third-party ecosystem

We work with clients across sectors to strengthen their resilience and reduce exposure to third-party and supply chain cyber risks. Our support spans the full lifecycle:

• Conducting third-party and integration cyber risk reviews.
• Assessing and designing third-party risk management frameworks.
• Establishing robust governance for vendor onboarding, and integration approvals.

• Assessing and testing security operations capability to detect suspicious activity across non-human identities (tokens, integrations, service accounts).
• Advising on monitoring approaches for connected environments.
• Supporting leadership visibility into risk exposure and resilience metrics.

• Assisting with crisis incident response and planning.
• Assessing response activity robustness.
• Advising on regulatory reporting and stakeholder communications.

• Reviewing controls and assurance frameworks to strengthen long-term resilience.

Third parties sit at the heart of how organisations work today. They can make things faster, smarter and more connected, but they also widen the target surface in ways that aren’t always visible until something goes wrong.

Managing that risk isn’t just about frameworks or audits. It’s about knowing who and what your business depends on, having the right signals to spot when something’s off and being ready to respond when trust is tested.

Resilience comes from visibility, accountability and a willingness to challenge assumptions, not just from adding more controls.

In the end, it’s about keeping trust where it belongs, as a strength, not a vulnerability.

For more information on how we can support with your cyber risk, please contact Sheila Pancholi.

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