How We Disrupted a Supply Chain Attack on a Major Logistics Supplier

Overview

The logistics sector — a backbone of global trade — has increasingly become a prime target for cyberattacks. Due to its critical role in both economic continuity and government revenue, threat actors are intensifying their focus on this high-stakes industry. In this case study, we outline how our cybersecurity team successfully disrupted a sophisticated supply chain attack targeting a major logistics provider. (For confidentiality reasons, the company remains anonymous.)

Challenge

• 🚨 The Initial Breach.
• The attack originated from a drive-by compromise, executed by a well-resourced threat actor. The attacker’s objective was to gain access to a third-party software development firm responsible for customer-facing applications and data integrations for the logistics company. In an effort to speed up development cycles, the company had allowed the third-party developers increased access to internal APIs and systems — a business decision that, while operationally sound, introduced new cyber risk.
• 🎯 Attack Progression.
• After compromising an internal user, the attacker launched a targeted spear-phishing campaign against the third-party development team. Their aim: move laterally into environments where privileged access and sensitive data were accessible. Fortunately, our Incident Response Team was alerted within minutes via a Microsoft Sentinel DLP trigger. Our Incident Response protocols were activated immediately. Just 45 minutes later — and 44 minutes after the threat had already been neutralized — a developer from the third-party company called to report unusual behavior. The rapid response was made possible through layered defences and proactive monitoring.

Solution

• 🧠 Key Learnings. Cyber risk is often introduced by business decisions — especially when speed and convenience outweigh security considerations. Cybersecurity education and protocols must extend beyond internal teams' to include all third-party vendors, especially those with privileged access, both physical and logical. Threat intelligence revealed a targeted reconnaissance campaign focused on this industry, prompting the implementation of enhanced controls — including stricter governance around software development pipelines — without compromising business agility.

Results

🔐 Final Thoughts. This incident underscores the importance of holistic cybersecurity strategies that balance business needs with security. It also highlights the power of early detection, cross-organizational communication, and continuous vendor risk management.