World Wide Web Day on August 1st is a celebration of global digital connectivity—but it’s also a prompt to examine the risks that come with it. As the economy grows ever more connected, your suppliers, platforms, and service providers are more than just partners—they’re part of your digital ecosystem. That means their cybersecurity practices directly influence your own risk exposure.
Third-party digital risks are among the fastest growing and most costly challenges facing U.S. organizations. According to a recent report from LevelBlue, only 23 percent of enterprises have strong visibility into their software supply chains—while 80 percent of those lacking visibility experienced a cyberbreach in the past year. The message is clear: what you can’t see can hurt you.
Even something as routine as a third-party print service or an internet-connected office device can become a point of entry for attackers—particularly where internal systems aren’t properly separated, or access controls are weak.
For small and midsize enterprises, managing outsourced IT services, cloud platforms, or connected IoT tools, these vulnerabilities carry real-world consequences. From operational disruption to reputational damage and regulatory penalties, third-party risks can impact every aspect of business resilience.
ISO/IEC 27001, the international standard for Information Security Management Systems (ISMS), offers a structured set of requirements businesses can follow to manage these risks—helping organizations build resilience into their supplier relationships and digital operations from the start.
What Are Third-Party Digital Risks?
Third-party digital risks arise when your organization depends on external providers—such as cloud services, platforms, or IT vendors—that have access to your systems, data, or infrastructure. If one of these providers experiences a cybersecurity incident, the impact can quickly ripple into your environment, leading to disruption, data loss, or exposure of sensitive information.
Examples of Third-Party Cybersecurity Threats
- Data exposure: Poor data handling by vendors, especially those managing personal or regulated information, can lead to unauthorized access or disclosure.
- Vulnerable software: Outdated or insecure third-party applications may introduce exploitable weaknesses into your environment.
- Supply chain attacks: Cybercriminals may compromise trusted providers to gain access to larger organizations through indirect pathways.
How ISO 27001 Helps Manage Third-Party Cybersecurity Risks
Many U.S. organizations gain ISO 27001 certification to establish control over their information security posture—especially in relation to risks associated with third-party service providers. This internationally recognized standard enables a structured, management system-based approach to identifying, evaluating and treating such risks.
ISO 27001 certification supports organizations to:
- Identify and assess information security risks across their vendor and partner network.
- Implement and monitor controls to manage third-party access, service provision and secure data exchange.
- Support fulfilment of contractual, audit, and stakeholder information security requirements.
- Demonstrate commitment to information security through certification to ISO/IEC 27001 by an independent certification body.
Why You Should Choose ISO 27001
Certification to ISO 27001 provides independent verification that your organization has established and maintains a structured management system for identifying, evaluating, and managing information security risks across internal operations and relevant external parties.
While no system can eliminate all cyber threats, certification supports stakeholder confidence by demonstrating conformity with an internationally recognized management system standard for information security—subject to ongoing audit and continual improvement.
Contact us to discuss how your business might be able to benefit from ISO 27001.
