Cyber Brief: Third-Party Access and Security Ownership Gaps

Cybersecurity activity today highlights how risk often builds quietly over time. Third-party access continues to expand without sufficient oversight, configuration drift is weakening previously secure environments, and unclear ownership is delaying effective action when issues are identified.

Third-Party Access Continues to Expand Without Review

Security reporting shows that many organisations continue to grant suppliers and partners access to systems that is rarely revisited. Over time, permissions accumulate, access scopes widen, and former suppliers may retain connectivity longer than intended.

This creates an extended attack surface that can be difficult to track without deliberate review.

Why it matters
Third-party access can bypass traditional perimeter controls. Without regular validation, organisations may be exposed to risk through relationships they assume are low impact or inactive.

Source: Industry security reporting

Configuration Drift Undermines Previously Secure Systems

New analysis highlights how secure configurations degrade over time as systems are updated, expanded, or integrated with new services. Changes made for operational convenience are not always reassessed, gradually weakening security controls.

In many cases, these issues only come to light during incidents or external testing.

Why it matters
Security is not static. Configuration drift can quietly undo earlier hardening work, making regular validation essential to maintaining an effective security posture.

Source: Security operations research

Unclear Ownership Delays Remediation

Reports also show that even when vulnerabilities or weaknesses are identified, remediation is often delayed due to unclear ownership. Responsibility for fixing issues may sit between teams, suppliers, or business units, slowing decision-making and increasing exposure.

This challenge is particularly common in hybrid and cloud environments.

Why it matters
Speed matters once weaknesses are known. Clear accountability and prioritisation help organisations move from insight to action before issues are exploited.

Source: Security governance commentary

Today’s Key Actions

1. Review third-party access and remove unnecessary permissions
2. Validate configurations regularly to prevent drift
3. Assign clear ownership for remediation activities
4. Prioritise actions based on business impact

Secarma Insight

Many security issues are not the result of a single failure, but of small gaps that accumulate over time. Regular validation, clear ownership, and proactive review help organisations maintain control as environments evolve and reduce the likelihood of avoidable incidents.

If you’d like support strengthening visibility and accountability across your security posture, speak to the Secarma team:
https://secarma.com/contact