Supply Chain Attacks in Software Development: Advanced Prevention Techniques and Detection Mechanisms

Abstract

Supply chain attacks in the software development domain have become a prominent threat in the ever-changing landscape of cybersecurity. Supply chain attacks target software supply chain vulnerabilities by exposing vulnerabilities in third-party dependencies, open-source libraries, and development tools, thereby compromising the integrity of software systems. Despite growing awareness and implementation of core security practices, conventional detection mechanisms continue to be ineffective in mitigating sophisticated supply chain intrusion and therefore pose a critical research challenge. The main challenge is the dynamic nature of supply chains, where multiple players get involved and impose multiple risks and therefore effective preventive frameworks and real-time detection mechanisms are difficult to implement. This paper aims to balance current gaps by designing advanced prevention mechanisms and detection techniques specifically targeting today's software development environments.