Cyber risk is not a direct contest between a company and an attacker. The real challenge today is the ecosystem: the vendors, software providers, and service partners that businesses depend on. Each connection offers value, but also creates exposure.
The scale of the problem is growing. SecurityScorecard’s Global Third-Party Breach Report revealed that 98% of organizations have a relationship with a third party that has been breached. These incidents are accelerating, and few sectors have been spared.
The attack on United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) shows just how disruptive supply chain risk can be. When its systems were compromised, deliveries to retailers, including Whole Foods, were delayed, shelves went empty, and the impact stretched from corporate offices to consumers’ daily lives.
What these incidents show is that timing matters, as too often weaknesses only come to light once they’ve already turned into crises. The risk is the loss of trust built over decades, something far harder to regain than to preserve. Without visibility, leaders are pushed into reactive cleanup and “damage-control mode” instead of proactive management.
Visibility is what shifts the equation. With clear insight into the supply chain, businesses can anticipate where risks might emerge, ask sharper questions of their partners, and strengthen fragile links before they fail. Risk management becomes a source of trust, not a defensive measure.
That’s why Cowbell recently introduced its new Vendor Risk Assessment feature. By providing a clear view into an organization’s extended network, it helps turn blind spots into strengths. In today’s interconnected world, resilience is no longer just about internal defenses but about every link in the supply chain.
