The Invisible Threat: Reimagining Third-Party Risk Management
Cybersecurity leaders are drowning in questionnaires while threat actors are swimming in data. The traditional approach to vendor risk management is broken, and Black Kite is pioneering a revolutionary solution that transforms how organizations protect their digital ecosystem.
Ferhat Dikbiyik, Chief Research and Intelligence Officer at Black Kite, understands the critical vulnerability that most CISOs overlook. “Now, when we talk about the attack surface for any company, it’s not your own environment only – your third parties, your vendors, are an extension of that attack surface,” Dikbiyik explains.
The Anatomy of a Modern Cyber Threat
Consider the infamous Target breach – a cautionary tale that still sends shivers through cybersecurity circles. A small HVAC vendor became the gateway to a massive data compromise, illustrating the fragility of interconnected business networks.
Black Kite’s approach goes beyond traditional risk assessment methods. Instead of relying on annual questionnaires that provide a snapshot of security at a single moment, the company leverages continuous intelligence gathering from cyberspace and the dark web.
“The current system of managing third-party cyber risk is through questionnaires,” Dikbiyik notes. “You send some questionnaires once or twice a year, collect answers, and try to understand their cybersecurity maturity. But that doesn’t mean you are secure.”
The AI-Powered Risk Revolution
What sets Black Kite apart is its innovative use of artificial intelligence and unique risk metrics.
The company’s Ransomware Susceptibility Index (RSI) is a game-changer, analyzing thousands of potential victims to predict ransomware likelihood. Most striking is their statistic: companies with an RSI value above 0.8 have a 47% chance of experiencing a ransomware attack.
In a landscape where successful ransomware attacks are relatively rare, this predictive power is revolutionary.
The Threat Landscape is Evolving Faster Than Defense Strategies
Threat actors are now using advanced AI tools to conduct deep reconnaissance. They’re not randomly selecting targets but strategically choosing victims based on sophisticated intelligence gathering.
“These threat actors use sales intelligence tools like Zoom Info and new LLM-based tools,” Dikbiyik reveals. “They can do deep searches about potential victims using AI-powered platforms, purposefully targeting specific countries, industries, and revenue ranges.”
A New Approach to Vendor Risk Management
Black Kite’s latest innovation, the Adversary Susceptibility Index (ASI), takes risk assessment to the next level. It doesn’t just identify vulnerabilities – it pinpoints susceptibility to specific threat actors like Scattered Spider or state-sponsored groups like APT42.
Practical Implementation for CISOs
For security leaders, the message is clear: traditional risk management is no longer sufficient.
The future demands:
- Continuous, real-time risk intelligence
- AI-powered threat detection
- Proactive vendor communication
- Automated risk response mechanisms
The Vision of Automated Cyber Defense
Dikbiyik envisions a future where AI agents communicate autonomously, identifying and responding to risks without human intervention. “Imagine an incident happening in the middle of the night, with AI agents consuming risk intelligence and communicating with vendors immediately,” he describes.
Practical Steps for CISOs
- Move beyond questionnaire-based assessments
- Implement continuous risk monitoring
- Leverage AI-powered intelligence platforms
- Develop proactive vendor communication strategies
The Call to Action
Cybersecurity is no longer about building walls – it’s about creating intelligent, adaptive ecosystems that can detect, predict, and neutralize threats before they materialize. Black Kite represents more than a technology solution. It’s a paradigm shift in how organizations conceptualize and manage cyber risk. Learn more at https://blackkite.com/
About the Author
Pete Green is the CISO / CTO of Anvil Works, a ProCloud SaaS company and co-author of “The vCISO Playbook: How Virtual CISOs Deliver Enterprise-Grade Cybersecurity to Small and Medium Businesses (SMBs)”. With over 25 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity, Pete is a seasoned and accomplished security practitioner.
Throughout his career, he has held a wide range of technical and leadership roles, including LAN/WLAN Engineer, Threat Analyst, Security Project Manager, Security Architect, Cloud Security Architect, Principal Security Consultant, Director of IT, CTO, CEO, Virtual CISO, and CISO.
Pete has supported clients across numerous industries, including federal, state, and local government, as well as financial services, healthcare, food services, manufacturing, technology, transportation, and hospitality.
He holds a Master of Computer Information Systems in Information Security from Boston University, which is recognized as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance / Cyber Defense (CAE IA/CD) by the NSA and DHS. He also holds a Master of Business Administration in Informatics.
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