Sioux Falls Businesses: Treat Cyber Supply Chain Risks as a Top Priority
- ELBO Computing Resources
- Jun 10
- 3 min read
This week, in early June 2025, one of the largest natural and organic food distributors in the United States, United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), disclosed a cybersecurity incident that disrupted its IT systems and led to “temporary distribution challenges” across the country.
Though UNFI’s name might not be familiar to most shoppers, it powers the supply chain behind thousands of retail locations nationwide—including stores right here in Sioux Falls.
A local grocery store alerted customers via Facebook that due to the distributor’s system outage, they expected delays and gaps in product availability in the coming days. While they emphasized that shelves would not be bare, they asked for customers' patience and understanding as they worked through order delays with their primary supplier.
This local ripple effect from a national incident underscores a key truth: you don’t have to be the direct target of a cyberattack to feel the impact.
How Cyberattacks Disrupt Entire Supply Chains
Whether it’s grocery shelves, healthcare devices, or industrial components, cyberattacks on upstream vendors and logistics providers can quickly translate into inventory shortages, operational downtime, and customer frustration—right at the local business level.
The UNFI incident is just one in a string of recent high-profile examples:
In the MOVEit breach of 2023, attackers exploited a file transfer tool used by thousands of organizations, compromising over 93 million individuals' data.
The SolarWinds hack in 2020 let attackers quietly insert malicious code into routine software updates, affecting major corporations and government agencies.
Supply chain cyberattacks rose by over 430% between 2021 and 2023, and remain a top global threat in 2025.
Common Routes Cybercriminals Use to Breach Supply Chains
Attack Vector | What Happens |
Software Update Injections | Malicious code is inserted into trusted updates (e.g., SolarWinds). |
Vendor Credential Compromise | Third-party logins are stolen via phishing or weak access controls. |
Exploiting Vulnerable Tools | Breaches like MOVEit happen when hackers find unpatched or insecure software. |
Insecure IoT Devices | Smart sensors or connected equipment can become backdoors for cyber intrusions. |
What Sioux Falls Businesses Can Do Right Now
1. Assess Vendor Cybersecurity
Ask your suppliers and service providers for documentation of their cybersecurity practices.
Require Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs) where applicable.
2. Segment and Monitor Your Networks
Limit access from external vendors and third-party tools to critical systems.
3. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Especially important for any account that connects to shared portals or supplier platforms.
4. Train Your Team
Social engineering remains a leading cause of breaches. Regular staff training helps mitigate this.
5. Create (or Update) an Incident Response Plan
Include scenarios where your business is impacted indirectly—such as by a vendor outage.
Final Thoughts
If a food distributor’s system outage can disrupt shelf availability in a Sioux Falls retail store within days, imagine what a breach at your business’s software provider, data host, or logistics partner could mean for you.
Supply chain risk isn’t an abstract concept—it’s local, it’s real, and it’s growing. But with the right strategies, it’s also manageable.
Let’s secure the links in your chain—before someone else does. ELBO Computing helps Sioux Falls-area businesses conduct vendor risk assessments, develop cybersecurity-aware contracts, monitor supply chain dependencies, simulate supply chain breach scenarios, and provide compliance support for HIPAA, FTC Safeguards Rule, and more. Contact us today for a cybersecurity consultation.
Sources:
UNFI Cybersecurity Disclosure: Reuters, June 6, 2025
MOVEit Breach Summary: CISA.gov
Supply Chain Attack Trends: ENISA Threat Landscape 2023
SolarWinds Attack Overview: CSO Online
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