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When the Call Comes from Outside the House: Are You Ready for a Third-Party Breach? [Part 5 of 6]
- HAPevolve/Healthcare Preparedness Solutions
- Jan 5
- 1 min read
In today’s interconnected world, your security perimeter doesn’t stop at your firewall—it stretches across every vendor, supplier, and partner you rely on. When a breach originates from a third party, the impact can be just as devastating as an internal incident. The question isn’t if—it’s when.
Why Third-Party Breaches Are Different
-Limited visibility into vendor systems
-Dependency on their speed and transparency
IBM reports that breaches involving third parties cost 11.8% more and take 12.8% longer to resolve than internal incidents.
How to Prepare Before the Call Comes
Embed breach notification timelines and audit rights in contracts
Maintain a centralized vendor inventory and risk ratings
Conduct tabletop exercises simulating vendor breaches
Align with frameworks like NIST SP 800-61 for structured response
Key Takeaway: Vendor trust isn’t security—verify everything. Build joint playbooks, define escalation paths, and prepare communication templates for regulators and customers. When the call comes from outside the house, speed and coordination are everything.
HSCC Guides: The Health Sector Coordinating Council - Cybersecurity Working Group maintains a number of resources to assist with response and recovery activities- https://lnkd.in/eyYzFedT
Question for you: How confident are you in your organization’s ability to respond to a third-party breach?
Call-to-Action: If you haven’t reviewed your third-party incident response plan recently, now is the time. Start by mapping your critical vendors and updating your breach notification clauses. Your future self will thank you.
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