The Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) program regularly emphasizes certain security matters to raise awareness and renew their partners’ caution in supply chain security. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a CTPAT alert, updated on January 22, 2021, that warns CTPAT members of cyber threats.

As many CTPAT members have transitioned to working from home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP warns that threat actors may try to exploit weakness associated with remote work. Companies have been targeted through email phishing attacks with malicious links attached.

In mid-January, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component agency of U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), issued Analysis Report AR21-013A: Strengthening Security Configurations to Defend Against Attackers Targeting Cloud Services.

The report stated, “threat actors are using phishing and other vectors to exploit poor cyber hygiene practices within a victims’ cloud services configuration”. CISA has asserted that companies that function in a cloud environment are at risk for the dangers created by cyber threat actors. These actors may be able to access a company’s data, impacting your supply chain or taking advantage of your products in transit.

If you participate in the CTPAT program and have questions regarding cyber threats, reach out to our CTPAT experts.

Share this article