Telecommunications Service Providers
Telecommunications networks form a vital part of the critical infrastructure sector in the United States and globally. These networks enable communication, data transfer, and access to essential services, from emergency response systems to business operations and personal connectivity. Given their widespread importance, any disruption to telecommunications networks can have cascading effects on national security, economic stability, and public safety.
Cyber and Supply Chain Risk Management - SCRM
A cyber risk assessment focuses on vulnerabilities within a telecom provider’s internal systems and networks, a supply chain risk assessment centers on the external risks posed by third-party vendors, contractors, and service providers. Both assessments are crucial as they address different aspects of risk exposure.
Cyber Risk Assessment: A cyber risk assessment focuses on the critical assets of an organization. The focus of this type of an assessment is to derive risk these assets present to the organization. Risk comes from a combination of an Asset, Vulnerabilities associated with that asset, Threat factors oriented to that asset, and the criticality of the asset to the organization. Modern telecom providers manage and rely on a myriad of assets, including protected data. Accordingly, taking into account the internal systems and networks, corporate systems and networks as well as OT/Customer delivery focused systems and networks become critical in developing an accurate perspective of risk to a telecom organization meeting its mission critical obligations.
Key areas of focus: Network security, Data protection, Access control, Threat monitoring.
Supply Chain Risk Assessment - SCRM: A supply chain risk assessment centers on the risks to the organization posed by third-party vendors, contractors, and service providers. Both assessments are crucial as they address different aspects of risk exposure, especially in todays relationships where vendors or 3rd party suppliers often have privileged access to organization systems and data.
Key areas of focus: Third-party vendor security practices, Dependencies on suppliers for critical components, Risks related to outsourcing and subcontracting.
Collaboration with MSPs
Are you a Managed Service Provider MSP providing services to the telecommunications sector interested in collaborating with BorderHawk?
Collaboration ensures a proactive, layered security approach, addressing both operational and strategic aspects of risk management, making the telecom provider’s systems more resilient to attacks.
Cyber Attacks Targeting Telecommunications Networks
In recent years, telecommunications networks have become targets for cyberattacks. These attacks range from data breaches to more sophisticated disruptions, putting sensitive customer data, business operations, and even national security at risk.
Ransomware: Disrupt services and compromise customer data. Hackers take advantage of vulnerabilities to breach internal systems and cause significant operational damage.
Supply Chain Attacks: Cybercriminals have targeted supply chains, using vulnerabilities in third-party vendors or software providers to compromise entire networks that depend on shared supply chains for software and hardware components.
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks: Attacks aimed at overwhelming servers and disrupting services for millions of customers. These attacks can bring down entire services for extended periods, causing severe economic losses.
Salt Typhoon: First identified by cybersecurity experts in 2023. It is attributed to a Chinese state-sponsored hacker group. The primary goal of the attack is to infiltrate telecommunication networks and steal sensitive data, disrupt services, and potentially facilitate espionage.The attack leverages advanced malware to gain unauthorized access to critical systems within telecommunication infrastructure. It exploits vulnerabilities in both the supply chain and internal systems. Once inside, the attackers are capable of exfiltrating large volumes of data, including communications metadata, network traffic, and sensitive organizational details.Salt Typhoon went unnoticed for extended periods, while it quietly gathered intelligence. It is reported that the hackers may have stolen call records, accessed and copied U.S. court orders in CALEA servers (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement) as well as intelligence collected under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).