The realm of third-party risk has expanded significantly, moving past traditional open-source dependencies to encompass new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) components, including those from OpenAI. This evolution presents complex challenges for organizations managing their digital supply chains.

The Shifting Sands of Supply Chain Security

Historically, third-party risk primarily focused on vulnerabilities within open-source software libraries and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products. Managing these risks involved tracking component licenses, known vulnerabilities, and potential compliance issues. Organizations developed strategies to vet and monitor these external codebases to mitigate associated security and operational threats.

AI Integrations: A New Frontier of Risk

The advent of sophisticated AI models, such as those offered by OpenAI, introduces novel dimensions to third-party risk. These AI components are often integrated as black boxes, making it challenging to assess their internal security posture, data handling practices, and potential biases or adversarial manipulation. Organizations must now contend with risks associated with data privacy, intellectual property, ethical AI use, and the potential for these advanced systems to be compromised or misused, requiring updated vendor risk management frameworks to address these emerging threats effectively.

Source: https://www.securityweek.com/from-open-source-to-openai-the-evolution-of-third-party-risk/