SolarWinds Vice President, Government Affairs Chip Daniels
In early December 2020, nation-state threat actors exploited SolarWinds software in an unprecedented cyberattack – an event known today simply as SUNBURST.
It shone a light on the concerning new reality for the software industry – that previously unforeseeable attacks were becoming increasingly sophisticated, striking at the heart of the supply chains we all rely on.
SUNBURST was the first cyberattack to demonstrate this dangerous threat escalation. There have been many incidents since then that have highlighted both the scope and persistence of these cyberthreats, as well as the negative impacts they’re capable of inflicting.
If there is any good to be gleaned from this incident, it’s that the attack sounded an alarm for leaders everywhere to re-examine their security, prepare for threats, and raise the standards of the supply chain.
Three years on and it’s not just SolarWinds that has learned lessons from this incident. The global world of business and commerce, the IT industry, governments – in fact, everyone with a vested interest in the safety and security of their data and systems security – are implementing measures to address the weaknesses that these types of supply chain attacks uncovered.
Building security from the ground up
Protecting the supply chain starts with the entire IT industry ensuring that it builds secure software by default. By ensuring security is built in from the ground up, it will enable the entire industry to stay vigilant and safeguard our collective cyberinfrastructure.
A strong security foundation also requires having the right teams in place to monitor threat levels and ensure they have a cybersecurity incident playbook ready for any type of coordinated response. Why? Because the next attempted coordinated attack is just around the corner.
As an industry, we must ensure we address the ongoing cyber skills shortage so that we have enough skilled people to make our systems robust enough to keep them safe.
And yet, despite all the good work that is being done, the fact remains that it is almost impossible for any single company or organisation – working in isolation – to thwart persistent cyberattacks carried out by motivated and well-funded nation-state attackers.
That’s why it’s imperative that we come together – private and public sector – to strengthen our security efforts.
Securing cyber defences with public/private collaboration
We need to promote transparent and open information-sharing within the industry. One of the first things we advocated following SUNBURST was the prioritisation of transparent communication.
Not just with the industry and our customers, but as part of a wider collaboration with U.S. government agencies, so that we could understand what happened to help the entire industry be safer.
It’s an approach we believe should be replicated in every corner of the globe. Today, private companies and governments must form a two-way partnership and work together to negate cyberthreats.
Only by doing so can we ever hope that our digital world – used for trade, e-commerce, finance, healthcare, education, and so much more – can become a safer place to operate.
By collaborating and sharing our knowledge and experiences we can build a strong defence against well-organised and funded adversaries. This is imperative as modern threat actors have developed new tools and techniques with greater speed and sophistication than ever before.
Collaboration is key to ongoing security
This collaboration also extends to the way we train the people that keep us safe. As I mentioned earlier, we need to embrace education models to allow more cybersecurity professionals to enter the market, as the entire industry is experiencing a lack of qualified individuals to fill cybersecurity roles.
One way to do this is for software companies to increase incentives for young professionals and implement training among tech communities.
If SUNBURST taught us one thing it is this – the industry has learned that no one company, organisation, or government can stand alone against these threats. We’ve discovered that coordinated disclosure of incidents – and transparent, prompt information-sharing – helps protect us all. Over the last three years, I’m pleased to say that I’ve started to see the industry embrace a greater level of transparency and collaboration between public, private, and government organisations for our shared benefit. We just need more.
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