Guidance for businesses to protect against ransomware on supply chains

On October 4th, the Home Office released new guidance designed to help organisations identify and address weaknesses in their supply chains. As cyberattacks—particularly ransomware—continue to rise, the government is urging businesses to take proactive steps to secure the connections between suppliers, partners and customers.

The guidance provides practical actions companies can use to assess the security of key suppliers and reduce the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited. By encouraging stronger oversight and better cyber practices across entire supply chains, the Home Office hopes to make organisations more resilient to attacks and limit the potential impact of ransomware incidents.

Specifically, the guidance focuses on:

• Raising awareness of ransomware threats across all parts of the supply chain

• Promoting strong cyber hygiene to help protect shared systems and data

• Embedding supply-chain risk considerations into procurement processes, risk assessments and operational decision-making

As supply chains grow more interconnected, these steps aim to minimise the chance that a single weak link could cause significant disruption. For organisations of any size, it’s a timely reminder that cybersecurity is no longer just an internal concern—it’s a shared responsibility across every partner you depend on.