Supply Chain Risks, Cybersecurity and C-TPAT, a Literature Review

ABSTRACT: The past year has seen critical fluctuations in business operations throughout the US and the world. Due to COVID-19, employees have been encouraged or forced to work from home instead of commuting to a regular work location. Remote work has disrupted and weakened security processes.  Cyber criminals have seen an opportunity in this weakened infrastructure. Cybersecurity attacks have disrupted supply chains for businesses, schools, healthcare organizations and other entities. Organizations will need to reassess security strategies with the assumption that work-from-home will become permanent. The US Department of Homeland Security has stepped up its efforts to meet this risk head-on and has incorporated supply chain cybersecurity measures within the constructs of the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. This all-volunteer program was launched immediately after 9/11 to thwart potential supply chain risks that could open the door to major terrorist attacks on the US homeland. This research will explore the reasons why cybersecurity has become the nation’s number one commercial concern for supply chains and logistics management and how C-TPAT is enabling the proper change to the current business climate as a risk mitigating option.

KEYWORDS: cyber-security, C-TPAT, supply chain, risk