D6


The number of supply-chain attacks has been rising every passing day. They target the weakest link in a supply chain and hack into even the most secure companies by first hacking a less-secure supplier in the chain. The 2020 United States federal government data breach – also known as the SolarWinds breach – was an example of a supply chain attack. It was the worst cyber-espionage incident ever suffered by the U.S. because of the long duration and the sensitivity and high profile of the targets.

Watch the following video to gain insight into supply-chain attacks:

Watch the following video about software supply-chain attacks, a particular type of supply-chain attack:

Why are supply-chain attacks challenging to prevent and detect? What are the solutions to prevent and detect supply-chain attacks?

Action Items

  1. Post a 3- to 4-paragraph (375 to 500 words) discussion and reflection on the topics.
    • Consider this to be a mini “reflection paper” per most of your other course work. Talk about what was interesting, difficult, or surprising in what you read. Note any “ah-ha!” moments.
    • Find a current news article or journal article that highlights the topics for the week. Summarize the article’s main points, and connect them to the material you read/watched in the resources of the current module. Suggested resource to use for this assignment: News bank Links to an external site.
    • Connect the topics from the above resources back into prior coursework you have taken at Franklin or other institutions. Talk about where you first encountered the topics or concepts and whether or not this exposure to them enhanced or solidified your understanding.