Episode 59 — Supply Chain Risk Management — Part Three: Evidence, approvals, and pitfalls
Evidence in the supply chain domain must show that components are authentic, code is untampered, and providers are meeting obligations over time. For the exam, be able to cite examples that matter: signed release artifacts matched to hash values, software bill of materials linked to vulnerability scans, manufacturer certificates tied to lot numbers, and service control attestations that align with your inherited control claims. Approvals should be conditional on the presence and validity of these artifacts, with exceptions documented, time-bound, and paired with compensating measures. A common pitfall is accepting glossy attestations without verifying scope or test depth, or filing evidence with no process to track expirations and updates. Another is failing to connect supplier evidence to your own authorization packages, leaving gaps between external claims and internal assurance.
Operationally, teams institute evidence intake workflows that check format, timestamps, signatures, and control mappings before granting approvals. Risk registers include supplier-specific entries tied to missed deliverables, recurring vulnerabilities, or incident responsiveness, making governance decisions traceable. Periodic re-approvals force a fresh look at high-impact dependencies and ensure that obsolescence or ownership changes do not silently degrade assurance. When pitfalls surface—like unverifiable binaries, mismatched version histories, or unsupported components—approval gates pause deployment until corrective evidence is produced. This disciplined approach proves not only that suppliers said the right words, but that your environment runs with components and services that are demonstrably trustworthy. Produced by BareMetalCyber.com, where you’ll find more cyber audio courses, books, and information to strengthen your educational path. Also, if you want to stay up to date with the latest news, visit DailyCyber.News for a newsletter you can use, and a daily podcast you can commute with.
