Your telecommunications network is at risk. How will you navigate a vendor's compromised technology solution?

If we are getting latest patches, then we must not immediately implement the latest patch, until the vendors flags that there are vulnerability in the current patches we have in our security tools

When a supplier's technology is compromised, start with a comprehensive risk evaluation. Identify the compromised components—whether software, hardware, or firmware. Assess the potential impact on your network's security and functionality. This evaluation is essential to understand the scope and severity of the issue. By determining the vulnerabilities, you can prioritize your response, focusing on mitigating risks while ensuring business continuity

Risk assessment with proper RCA acts as a primary step to mitigate the issue but aligning to this process it is always better to adhere to vendor specific configuration by stimulating their requirements which are committed before delivery.

After assessing the risks, promptly engage with the compromised supplier. Establish a clear and direct line of communication to ensure an efficient exchange of information. Inquire in detail about the nature of the breach and the corrective actions they are taking. Your goal is to gather comprehensive insights that will inform your own response strategy. Emphasize the need for transparency and collaboration, as these are critical for timely and effective resolution. If required, escalate the issue within the supplier’s organization to ensure it receives the urgency and attention it demands. This proactive approach will enable you to align efforts and mitigate risks swiftly

executing a robust contingency plan is crucial. First, it is essential to immediately isolate affected systems to contain the threat. Next, redundancy procedures must be enabled, such as using backup networks or alternative secondary providers, ensuring service continuity. Transparent communication with all stakeholders, including customers and regulators, is vital to maintaining trust. Simultaneously, an in-depth analysis of the supplier failure must be conducted to mitigate future risks and adjust the contingency plan as necessary

Rigorous implementation of security protocols is essential. This includes immediately applying containment measures such as network segmentation to limit the spread of the threat and disabling non-essential access. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) must be strengthened to protect critical access points. Additionally, reviewing and updating firewall policies and intrusion detection systems (IDS) should be performed to block potential attack vectors. Continuous log auditing and real-time monitoring help you identify suspicious activity and take corrective action quickly. These protocols ensure that the network continues to operate securely, even in a compromised scenario.

Monitoring systems play a critical role in incident detection and response. Real-time monitoring allows you to identify anomalous activities and behavior patterns that could indicate a breach, the integration of monitoring solutions with log analysis and event correlation provides a comprehensive view of network security, making it easier to identify vulnerabilities and attacks in progress. Configuring custom alerts and creating dashboards for centralized viewing helps you respond quickly and effectively. Performing periodic assessments and penetration tests also ensures that monitoring systems are up to date and prepared to face new threats.

Train your monitoring systems based on the events that have been already treated and resolved. This feedback process can be essential to effectively predict and mitigate potential future risks.

Keep or install telecommunication cables under guard place support by any company or try to use application can detect any damage and locate it in the exact distance to fix it

As part of learning and future safeguarding it is always good to keep track of delivered features and how those challenges were mitigated to improve the quality of future deliveries.