When the Cloud Gets Stormy: Why Offline Storage Still Holds Up

Third-party vulnerabilities arise when external vendors or service providers introduce security flaws, whether knowingly or unknowingly, into an organisation’s ecosystem. These vulnerabilities often result from a lack of direct control or visibility over the security practices of third parties. In many cases the risks are unintentional, such as outdated software, misconfigured systems, or insufficient security protocols that go unnoticed until exploited. However, some threats are deliberate and highly sophisticated, such as supply chain attacks where malicious actors target trusted vendors to gain indirect access to their customers’ systems.

As organisations increasingly integrate third-party services like cloud platforms, SaaS tools, and outsourced IT infrastructure, their attack surface expands, creating more entry points for potential breaches. Even a minor security lapse in a third-party component can serve as a gateway for attackers to infiltrate a much larger network. This makes third-party risk not just a theoretical concern, but a practical and growing threat that requires proactive monitoring, strong vendor due diligence, and a layered security approach.

Several recent incidents have highlighted the growing threat posed by third-party vulnerabilities. In 2023, the MOVEit data breach became one of the largest of its kind, after attackers exploited a vulnerability in the widely used file transfer software. The breach impacted hundreds of organisations across sectors, including government, finance, and healthcare, underscoring the scale of risk introduced through a single third-party tool. Similarly, Okta, a major identity management provider, suffered a breach when attackers gained access to its customer support system via a compromised service account, exposing sensitive client data. One of the most infamous cases remains the SolarWinds supply chain attack in 2020, where a compromised software update from a trusted vendor enabled threat actors to infiltrate U.S. federal agencies and Fortune 500 companies. In 2021, the Kaseya VSA ransomware attack saw hackers exploit vulnerabilities in IT management software to launch widespread ransomware attacks affecting over 1,500 businesses. That same year, a T-Mobile vendor breach exposed the personal data of more than 40 million individuals, including Social Security numbers and driver’s license information. These incidents demonstrate how third-party weaknesses, whether through software flaws, support systems, or vendor negligence, can quickly escalate into large-scale security crises.

1. Lack of Visibility

One of the biggest challenges organisations face with third-party vendors is the lack of transparency into their security practices. Unlike your own internal systems, where you can enforce strict policies, run audits, and continuously monitor, third-party vendors operate independently. This means you often have limited insight into how they manage vulnerabilities, update software, or handle incident response. Without this visibility, organisations may remain unaware of critical weaknesses or ongoing attacks until it’s too late.

2. Complex Supply Chains

Modern software and IT infrastructure rarely come from a single source. They usually rely on intricate supply chains with multiple layers of vendors, subcontractors, and service providers. Each additional layer adds complexity and potential points of failure. A vulnerability in a seemingly minor component, like a library, plugin, or cloud service, can cascade through the supply chain, compromising the entire system. This interconnectedness makes it difficult to identify and isolate threats quickly.

3. Data Exposure

Many third-party applications and services require access to sensitive or proprietary data to function properly. Whether it’s customer information, financial records, or intellectual property, granting access inherently increases risk. If a third party is breached, your data can be stolen, corrupted, or held for ransom. Even if the attack targets only the vendor, your organisation bears the consequences, including regulatory penalties, reputational damage, and operational disruption.

4. Limited Control

When relying on SaaS or cloud-based services, organisations hand over a significant portion of their security responsibility to external vendors. This means trusting that these providers will promptly patch vulnerabilities, maintain strong access controls, and safeguard their infrastructure. However, your security posture becomes dependent on their security maturity and response times, both of which may not align with your organisation's priorities or risk tolerance. Delays or gaps in vendor security can leave your systems exposed, often without your immediate knowledge.

1. Immune to Network-Based Attacks

If a system isn’t connected to the internet, it cannot be targeted by remote attackers. Offline storage is naturally resistant to a wide range of threats, including ransomware, malware infections, unauthorised remote access, and DDoS attacks. Air-gapped data cannot be encrypted or exfiltrated over a network, giving your most critical files a physical layer of defence that even the most sophisticated attackers struggle to bypass.

2. No Third-Party Intermediaries

One of the biggest benefits of offline storage is that you maintain complete control. There’s no dependency on third-party vendors, cloud providers, or external service platforms, each of which introduces their own set of vulnerabilities and compliance concerns. With offline storage, you define the access rules, you manage the hardware, and you govern the data lifecycle. This eliminates the risk of being affected by a vendor’s security failures or delayed patch management.

3. Physical Access Control

Accessing offline data requires physical presence, which makes unauthorized access significantly harder to achieve. Whether stored on encrypted external drives, backup tapes, or isolated servers in secure facilities, offline data is protected by the simple fact that it can’t be accessed remotely. This dramatically reduces the risk of insider threats, remote hijacking, and mass data breaches.

4. Reliable for Backups & Disaster Recovery

Offline storage plays a critical role in business continuity and disaster recovery. If a ransomware attack encrypts your live systems, having clean, offline backups ensures you can restore operations without negotiating with cybercriminals or suffering prolonged downtime. These backups are immune to the same malware that may have compromised online systems, making them an essential safety net in any robust cybersecurity strategy.

In today’s fast-moving digital economy, relying on third-party tools and services is virtually unavoidable. From cloud computing to SaaS platforms and outsourced IT providers, these partnerships power efficiency, scalability, and innovation. However, they also introduce significant security risks that are often underestimated, until a breach occurs. As attackers become more sophisticated, they increasingly exploit the weakest links in the supply chain: your vendors, their tools, and any overlooked third-party connection in your ecosystem.

These risks aren’t going away. In fact, as digital ecosystems grow more interconnected and complex, third-party vulnerabilities will only become more common and harder to detect. That’s why organisations must rethink their approach to data protection, not just focusing on perimeter defences or trusting vendor SLAs, but by adopting a layered security strategy that includes robust offline safeguards.

Offline storage isn’t outdated, it’s essential! When applied strategically, offline storage acts as a critical fail-safe, protecting your most valuable data from the worst-case scenarios: ransomware attacks, supply chain breaches, or catastrophic vendor failures. It may not replace your cloud infrastructure or online tools, but it complements them by providing a secure, isolated environment that can’t be easily reached, or exploited, by cybercriminals.

In an age where your digital data is often your most valuable asset, having a portion of that data completely disconnected from external threats could mean the difference between a quick recovery and long-term damage. Whether you're a small business or a global enterprise, building resilience starts with going back to the basics, and planning for when things go wrong, not if.

In our commitment to increasing data protection and cybersecurity practices, we will be posting insightful information throughout the month on how to remain safe online, increase cybersecurity awareness and ultimately protect your valuable data.

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