SUPPLY CHAIN RISK MANAGEMENT (SCRM) FOR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY

Overview

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) relies on a complex, globally distributed, and interconnected supply chain ecosystem to provide highly refined, cost-effective, and reusable solutions. This ecosystem is composed of various entities with multiple tiers of outsourcing, diverse distribution routes, assorted technologies, laws, policies, procedures, and practices, all of which interact to design, manufacture, distribute, deploy, use, maintain, and manage ICT products and services.

The factors that allow for low-cost, interoperability, rapid innovation, a variety of product features, and other benefits, also increase the risk of a compromise to the ICT supply chain, which may result in risks to the end user. These ICT supply chain risks may include insertion of counterfeits, unauthorized production, tampering, theft, insertion of malicious software and hardware, as well as poor manufacturing and development practices in the ICT supply chain.

ICT Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) is the process of identifying, assessing, and mitigating the risks associated with the distributed and interconnected nature of ICT product and service supply chains. It covers the entire life cycle of a system (including design, development, maintenance, and destruction) as supply chain threats and vulnerabilities may intentionally or unintentionally compromise an ICT product or service at any stage.

NIST/ITL Approach

The NIST ICT SCRM program started in 2008, when it initiated the development of ICT SCRM practices for non-national security information systems, in response to Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative (CNCI) #11, “Develop a multi-pronged approach for global supply chain risk management.”

Since then, NIST has worked with diverse stakeholders from across government, industry, and academia to identify and evaluate effective technologies, tools, techniques, practices, and standards useful in securing the ICT supply chain. NIST has and continues to research the state of ICT SCRM in both the public and private sectors, related standards and initiatives, effective practices, and metrics. In addition, NIST has given several grants to conduct research in this area as well as to develop a web-based risk assessment and collaboration tool.

NIST ICT SCRM Fact Sheet