During the Vendor Risk Management process, information is in constant flux. From risk assessments to risk remediation processes, communication involving sensitive security control data continuously flows between an organization and its monitored vendors. If intercepted, this information stream could be used as open source intelligence for a third-party data breach campaign, nullifying the very efforts a VRM program is trying to mitigate.

The vulnerabilities perforating the global supply chain have remained dormant for many years. But the violent disruptions of the pandemic finally pushed these risks to the surface, revealing the detrimental impacts of their exploitation to the world.