Cyber Brief: Supply chain exposure and public sector pressure

Today’s cyber developments reinforce how attackers continue to prioritise access over exploitation. Supply chain weaknesses, reused credentials and pressure on public sector infrastructure remain key entry points. These stories highlight the need for stronger third-party governance, identity hygiene and resilience planning as organisations head into the year-end period.

Supply chain compromise continues to expose downstream organisations

Security teams have reported further incidents where attackers gained access to organisations by compromising third-party suppliers rather than targeting the primary environment directly. In several cases reviewed today, threat actors exploited weak authentication, outdated remote access tools or shared credentials within supplier environments, then leveraged trusted connections to move laterally into customer systems.
What stands out is the persistence of long-standing issues. Supplier access was often over-privileged, poorly monitored or left active after projects concluded. Once attackers obtained access, activity blended into legitimate supplier operations, delaying detection. In some environments, attackers were able to access sensitive systems, extract data or deploy additional tooling before anomalous behaviour was identified.
These incidents demonstrate that supply chain compromise remains attractive because it offers scale. A single breach can provide access to dozens of downstream organisations, each trusting the same provider or integration.

Why it matters
Third-party access remains one of the highest-impact risks. Organisations should enforce least privilege for suppliers, require strong authentication, regularly review integrations and ensure supplier activity is logged and monitored.

Source
UK and international supply chain incident reporting

Credential replay attacks rise as attackers exploit reused access tokens

Threat intelligence teams have observed an increase in credential replay activity, where attackers reuse previously captured credentials or session tokens to access systems without triggering alerts. These attacks often follow phishing campaigns or data breaches where credentials were exposed but not immediately exploited.
Attackers are timing replay attempts carefully, often waiting weeks or months to reduce suspicion. Once access is gained, they avoid privilege escalation and instead quietly explore environments using legitimate user permissions. In cloud environments, attackers frequently attempt to generate new access tokens or reuse existing sessions to maintain persistence.
The rise in credential replay highlights ongoing weaknesses in credential lifecycle management. Many organisations still allow long-lived tokens, reuse passwords across services or lack visibility into anomalous authentication behaviour.

Why it matters
Credential replay bypasses many traditional controls. Organisations should enforce short-lived tokens, rotate credentials regularly, monitor unusual login patterns and reduce reliance on static authentication.

Source
Identity security and threat intelligence reporting

UK public sector faces sustained cyber pressure heading into year end

UK public sector organisations continue to experience elevated cyber pressure as year-end staffing constraints intersect with increased attacker activity. Recent assessments highlight that many organisations rely on ageing infrastructure, limited internal capacity and third-party service providers to maintain essential services.
In several recent incidents, detection occurred quickly but recovery was slow due to unclear ownership, limited testing of continuity plans and dependency on external suppliers. Public sector bodies also face challenges implementing rapid change due to governance requirements, making them attractive targets during holiday periods.
These conditions create an environment where even low-level attacks or misconfigurations can result in significant disruption to public services.

Why it matters
Public sector resilience depends on preparation, not reaction. Clear escalation routes, tested recovery plans and strong supplier coordination are essential to reducing impact during periods of heightened risk.

Source
UK public sector cyber resilience assessments

Today’s Key Actions

1. Review supplier access permissions and remove unnecessary or dormant integrations.
2. Enforce short-lived credentials and rotate access tokens across cloud and on-prem systems.
3. Monitor authentication behaviour for replay patterns and delayed misuse.
4. Validate continuity and recovery plans ahead of reduced year-end staffing.
5. Ensure escalation routes and supplier contacts are clearly documented and tested.

Secarma Insight

Today’s stories reinforce a consistent message: attackers favour the paths that organisations trust the most. Supplier access, reused credentials and under-tested resilience plans remain key pressure points. Organisations that strengthen governance, tighten identity controls and rehearse recovery will be better positioned to manage disruption and enter the new year with confidence.

Get in touch with us to prioritise your next steps and strengthen your security posture.