Contractor Abuse Contractor access abuse arises when a consultant, a contractor, an external firm or a temporarily engaged person uses access more widely or for longer than the work requires. The access is often granted legitimately, but afterwards it is not monitored, not narrowed and not withdrawn in time.

Pretexting Pretexting is social engineering with a prepared story. The attacker does not simply send a link and wait for a click; they build a scenario in which what they are doing looks normal. They present themselves as a colleague, technical support, an auditor, a bank, a supplier, a courier or an official.

Supply Chain Attack A supply chain attack does not always aim at the final victim directly. The attacker compromises software, hardware, a supplier, a build process or an update mechanism before the product or service reaches the user. The victim then carries the problem into their own environment, because it comes from a source they trust.

Third-Party Compromise Third-party compromise happens when the attacker does not go at an organization directly but at a supplier, a partner, a service provider or an external associate who already holds some form of trust and authorized access. Instead of forcing the front door, the attacker looks for a side entrance somebody else has already opened.