Why Third-Party Risk Management Programs Don’t Actually Reduce Risk
Third-party risk management programs are failing to reduce risk because they focus on compliance and evidence collection rather than actual exposure. Breaches involving third parties have doubled, yet organizations continue to rely on self-reported vendor data and point-in-time assessments. This approach is insufficient as vendors are increasingly integrated into critical systems, making them a significant part of the attack surface. A shift is needed to treat third parties as an integral part of the overall security environment, cross-referencing evidence with operational reality to truly understand and mitigate risk. AI
IMPACT Highlights a critical gap in enterprise security, suggesting a need for new approaches to vendor risk that go beyond compliance.