No Code Supply Chain
A No-Code Supply Chain refers to the ecosystem of tools, platforms, pre-built components, and third-party services that are integrated and used to develop and operate applications in a no-code environment. Just as a traditional software supply chain involves various code libraries, frameworks, and dependencies, a no-code supply chain consists of the visual building blocks and underlying services that power no-code solutions.
In essence, the sequence of steps and the collection of interconnected elements, all leveraging a no-code paradigm, contribute to an application's creation, deployment, and ongoing function. This includes:
The Core No-Code Platform: The primary environment where applications are visually designed and built (e.g., Bubble, Webflow, AppGyver).
Pre-built Templates and Components: Reusable UI elements, logic blocks, and workflows provided by the no-code platform or third-party marketplaces. These act as "pre-coded" modules that users drag and drop.
Third-Party Integrations and APIs: Connections to external services (e.g., payment gateways, CRM systems like Salesforce, communication tools like Slack, database services) that extend the functionality of the no-code application. These integrations are often configured visually rather than through custom API calls.
Data Sources and Databases: These are where the no-code application stores and retrieves its information, which can be internal databases provided by the platform or external cloud databases (e.g., Airtable, Google Sheets, custom databases).
Cloud Infrastructure: The underlying cloud services (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) that host the no-code platform and/or the deployed no-code applications. While the end-user doesn't manage this directly, it's a critical part of the supply chain.
Plugins and Extensions: Additional functionalities or connectors provided by the no-code platform ecosystem or third-party developers to enhance capabilities.
In the context of cybersecurity, the no-code supply chain introduces unique considerations:
Dependency on Platform Security: The security of a no-code application is heavily reliant on the security of the core no-code platform itself. If the platform has vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, or experiences a breach, all applications built on it could be at risk. This is akin to a vulnerability in a foundational library affecting all applications that use it in traditional coding.
Third-Party Integration Risks: No-code applications frequently integrate with numerous third-party services via pre-built connectors. Each integration introduces a potential attack vector. A vulnerability or compromise in one of these connected services could impact the no-code application and the data it handles.
Component Vulnerabilities: While users don't write code, the pre-built components and templates provided by the platform or third-party vendors might contain underlying vulnerabilities inherited by the deployed application. These are often black boxes to the no-code developer, making it difficult to assess their security.
Configuration Errors: The visual nature of no-code can mask complex underlying configurations. Misconfigurations by "citizen developers" (e.g., overly permissive access controls, exposed APIs, insecure data storage settings) are a significant supply chain risk, as they can inadvertently expose sensitive data or functionality.
Data Flow and Privacy Risks: Understanding how data flows between different no-code components, integrated services, and underlying databases is crucial. If data pathways within the no-code supply chain are not adequately secured, insecure data handling practices or non-compliance with data privacy regulations (like GDPR or CCPA) can arise.
Lack of Transparency: Developers may not fully understand the security practices, code quality, or dependencies of some no-code components and integrations because they are "black boxes." This lack of transparency can hinder proper security assessments and risk management.
Shadow IT Expansion: The ease of use of no-code platforms can lead to a proliferation of applications developed outside central IT and security oversight. These "shadow IT" applications introduce unmanaged risks into the organization's digital supply chain, as they may not adhere to security policies or undergo proper vetting.
Vendor Lock-in and Exit Strategy: Reliance on a specific no-code platform and its ecosystem can lead to vendor lock-in. If the platform vendor experiences security issues or goes out of business, migrating applications and their interconnected supply chain elements can be challenging and introduce new security risks.
While enabling rapid innovation, the no-code supply chain requires a robust cybersecurity approach that considers the security posture of the core platform, all integrated third-party services, the integrity of pre-built components, and the potential for user-driven misconfigurations. Organizations must treat these no-code ecosystems with the same, if not greater, scrutiny as traditional software supply chains.
ThreatNG, as an all-in-one external attack surface management, digital risk protection, and security ratings solution, offers numerous capabilities that can be instrumental in securing the no-code supply chain.
1. External Discovery: ThreatNG's ability to perform purely external, unauthenticated discovery using no connectors is crucial for identifying components within the no-code supply chain. Many no-code applications and their underlying services are internet-facing and can be deployed rapidly, sometimes without complete security oversight. ThreatNG can autonomously discover these externally accessible no-code applications, associated domains, subdomains, and cloud resources, providing a comprehensive inventory of an organization's external digital footprint. This helps identify "shadow IT" applications or third-party integrations built on no-code platforms that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, suppose a department uses a no-code platform to quickly launch a new public-facing portal that integrates with a marketing tool. In that case, ThreatNG can discover this portal and its associated infrastructure even if it wasn't formally registered with the IT department.
2. External Assessment: ThreatNG provides a wide array of external assessments critical for understanding the security posture of elements within the no-code supply chain:
Web Application Hijack Susceptibility: No-code platforms often produce web applications or components. ThreatNG analyzes the external attack surface and digital risk intelligence, including Domain Intelligence, to identify potential entry points for attackers. For instance, it can assess if a no-code customer onboarding portal is susceptible to a web application hijack due to exposed administrative interfaces or misconfigurations.
Subdomain Takeover Susceptibility: Many no-code applications or their integrated services use subdomains. ThreatNG evaluates the susceptibility of these subdomains to takeovers by analyzing DNS records, SSL certificate statuses, and other relevant factors. An example would be identifying a vulnerable subdomain used by a no-code internal dashboard that, if misconfigured after a project's completion, could be hijacked by an attacker.
BEC & Phishing Susceptibility: No-code platforms can be used to create phishing sites or facilitate business email compromise. ThreatNG assesses this risk by examining Domain Intelligence (including DNS Intelligence capabilities like Domain Name Permutations and Web3 Domains, Email Intelligence for security presence and format prediction) and Dark Web Presence (Compromised Credentials). This can help detect if a no-code platform is being used to host a look-alike domain for phishing attacks targeting an organization's customers or if compromised credentials from a no-code platform's user base are circulating on the dark web.
Data Leak Susceptibility: No-code applications often handle data, which might be stored in connected cloud services or databases. ThreatNG identifies data leak susceptibility based on Cloud and SaaS Exposure, Dark Web Presence (Compromised Credentials), Domain Intelligence (DNS Intelligence capabilities like Domain Name Permutations and Web3 Domains, and Email Intelligence), and Sentiment and Financials (Lawsuits and SEC Form 8-Ks). For example, if a no-code internal data collection tool inadvertently exposes a cloud storage bucket containing sensitive employee data, ThreatNG can identify this exposure.
Cyber Risk Exposure: ThreatNG considers parameters covered by its Domain Intelligence module, including certificates, subdomain headers, vulnerabilities, and sensitive ports, to determine cyber risk exposure. For a no-code internal workflow tool, this could mean identifying an exposed sensitive port on a server hosting its database, or a misconfigured certificate on a no-code-built employee portal.
Code Secret Exposure: While no-code platforms aim to eliminate traditional coding, underlying configurations for integrations or connections to external services within the no-code supply chain might expose secrets. ThreatNG discovers code repositories and investigates their contents for sensitive data. If a no-code application integrates with an external API and an API key for that integration is inadvertently exposed in a public code repository used during its initial setup or a custom component's development, ThreatNG can detect this exposure.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: No-code platforms frequently rely on cloud services and SaaS solutions as part of their supply chain. ThreatNG evaluates an organization's cloud services and SaaS solutions, including discovering sanctioned and unsanctioned services, cloud service impersonations, and open exposed cloud buckets on AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud Platform. It also evaluates all SaaS implementations associated with the organization, such as Salesforce, Slack, Workday, Okta, and ServiceNow. This is highly relevant as no-code platforms often connect to these services for core functionality. For example, ThreatNG can identify if a no-code application uses an unsanctioned cloud storage service that has an open bucket, or if an organization's instance of a popular SaaS CRM (like Salesforce, which a no-code app might connect to for customer data) has an exposed configuration that could be exploited.
Supply Chain & Third Party Exposure: This is directly derived from Domain Intelligence (Enumeration of Vendor Technologies from DNS and Subdomains), Technology Stack, and Cloud and SaaS Exposure. ThreatNG can identify the technologies and vendors underpinning an organization's no-code applications, revealing potential third-party risks within the supply chain. For instance, it can detect if a no-code application relies on a specific third-party CDN or payment gateway with known vulnerabilities, or if a vendor used in the no-code stack has an exposed cloud service.
Breach & Ransomware Susceptibility: ThreatNG assesses this based on external attack surface and digital risk intelligence, including domain intelligence (exposed sensitive ports, exposed private IPs, and known vulnerabilities), dark web presence (compromised credentials and ransomware events and gang activity), and sentiment and financials (SEC Form 8-Ks). This helps understand the likelihood of a successful attack against no-code deployments. For instance, if a component in the no-code supply chain, like a linked database server, has an exposed sensitive port or a known vulnerability, ThreatNG can highlight this as increasing ransomware susceptibility for the dependent no-code application.
Mobile App Exposure: If a no-code platform is used to generate mobile applications, ThreatNG discovers these apps in marketplaces and investigates their contents for exposed Access Credentials (e.g., Amazon AWS Access Key ID, APIs, GitHub Access Token), Security Credentials (e.g., PGP private key block, RSA Private Key), and Platform Specific Identifiers (e.g., Amazon AWS S3 Bucket, Firebase). This helps identify if a no-code-built mobile app inadvertently contains hardcoded credentials or sensitive identifiers, critical elements of its supply chain.
3. Reporting: ThreatNG provides various reports, including Executive, Technical, Prioritized (High, Medium, Low, and Informational), Security Ratings, Inventory, Ransomware Susceptibility, U.S. SEC Filings, and External GRC Assessment Mappings (e.g., PCI DSS). These reports are essential for communicating the security posture of the no-code supply chain to different stakeholders. For example, an executive report could summarize the overall risk introduced by shadow IT no-code applications and their dependencies. In contrast, a technical report would detail specific vulnerabilities found in a no-code-built customer portal or a third-party service it relies on. The prioritized reports would help security teams focus on the most critical risks related to their no-code supply chain components.
4. Continuous Monitoring: ThreatNG continuously monitors external attack surface, digital risk, and security ratings for all organizations. Continuous monitoring is vital for no-code environments, where new applications can be deployed rapidly, and configurations or third-party integrations can change frequently. It ensures that new no-code applications or changes to existing ones, or their associated supply chain elements, are immediately assessed for new vulnerabilities or exposures. If a no-code application's cloud environment configuration changes, exposing a new port or service, or if a new third-party integration is added, continuous monitoring will quickly flag it.
5. Investigation Modules: ThreatNG's investigation modules provide deep insights into discovered assets, which are critical for understanding and remediating risks associated with the no-code supply chain:
Domain Intelligence: This includes Domain Overview, DNS Intelligence, Email Intelligence, WHOIS Intelligence, and Subdomain Intelligence. For no-code applications, this helps in understanding their digital presence, identifying domain record analysis (IP identification, vendors, and technology identification), potential domain name permutations for phishing, and email security presence. For example, suppose a no-code platform hosts a marketing landing page. In that case, Domain Intelligence can reveal its DNS configuration, associated technologies (e.g., specific website builders or e-commerce platforms like Shopify, content management systems like WordPress ), and potential subdomain takeover susceptibilities. It can also identify exposed admin pages, APIs, or development environments that might be part of the no-code development or deployment process.
Sensitive Code Exposure: Although no-code platforms aim to eliminate traditional coding, configurations, and integrations that form part of the supply chain can inadvertently expose secrets. This module discovers public code repositories and uncovers digital risks such as exposed Access Credentials (e.g., Stripe API key, Google OAuth Key, AWS Access Key ID), Security Credentials (e.g., cryptographic private keys, SSH Private Key), Configuration Files (e.g., application configuration, shell configuration), and Database Exposures (e.g., SQL dump file, database credentials). This is crucial if developers use version control for configuration files related to no-code platform integrations or custom components. For instance, if an API key used by a no-code workflow to connect to a third-party service is accidentally pushed to a public GitHub repository, ThreatNG will identify it.
Search Engine Exploitation: This helps identify if no-code applications or their underlying services expose sensitive information through search engines via misconfigured robots.txt or security.txt files, or if they have exposed errors, sensitive files, or user data. For example, if a no-code internal knowledge base, part of the internal no-code supply chain, is accidentally indexed by a search engine due to an oversight, exposing internal documents, ThreatNG can flag this.
Cloud and SaaS Exposure: As covered in the external assessment, this module details the discovery of sanctioned and unsanctioned cloud services and SaaS implementations within the organization's attack surface. This provides deep insight into the no-code supply chain's cloud components.
Online Sharing Exposure: This capability checks for organizational entities mentioned within online code-sharing platforms like Pastebin, GitHub Gist, Scribd, and Slideshare. This is critical for no-code supply chains, as configuration snippets, API keys, or sensitive data related to no-code integrations might inadvertently be shared on these platforms.
Archived Web Pages: This feature investigates archived web pages for sensitive information like API keys, emails, login pages, and directories. If a no-code application was publicly accessible and then taken down, but its content remains in an archive with exposed sensitive data related to its configuration or integration, ThreatNG can detect this.
Dark Web Presence: This module checks for organizational mentions, associated ransomware events, and compromised credentials on the dark web. If credentials used to access a no-code platform or its connected services are found on the dark web, it indicates a significant risk to that part of the no-code supply chain.
Technology Stack: This provides insights into the technologies being used by the organization, including databases, web servers, CDNs, and security tools. Understanding the underlying technologies used by a no-code platform or its integrated services can help assess potential vulnerabilities within the broader no-code supply chain.
6. Intelligence Repositories (DarCache): ThreatNG's continuously updated intelligence repositories provide vital context for securing the no-code supply chain:
Dark Web (DarCache Dark Web): Provides information on compromised credentials (DarCache Rupture) and ransomware groups and activities (DarCache Ransomware). This is crucial for identifying if the credentials of users accessing or administering no-code platforms or their integrated systems have been compromised, directly impacting the security of the no-code supply chain.
Vulnerabilities (DarCache Vulnerability): Includes NVD (DarCache NVD) for technical characteristics and potential impact of vulnerabilities, EPSS (DarCache EPSS) for the likelihood of exploitation, and KEV (DarCache KEV) for actively exploited vulnerabilities. This intelligence helps prioritize remediation efforts on vulnerabilities that could affect the underlying components, third-party services, or integrations of no-code platforms, even if the no-code application has no "code". It also links to Verified Proof-of-Concept (PoC) Exploits (DarCache eXploit). It helps security teams understand how a vulnerability can be exploited and develop effective mitigation strategies for vulnerable components within the no-code supply chain.
Complementary Solutions and Synergies:
ThreatNG's capabilities can be significantly enhanced when used in conjunction with complementary solutions, bolstering the security of the no-code supply chain:
Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) / Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) Platforms: ThreatNG's continuous monitoring and external assessment findings, particularly those related to newly discovered no-code applications, exposed sensitive data, or vulnerable third-party services in the supply chain, can feed directly into a SIEM for centralized logging and correlation with internal security events. For example, suppose ThreatNG identifies a newly exposed no-code application with a critical vulnerability or a compromised credential for a connected service. In that case, this information can trigger an alert in the SIEM. A SOAR platform could then automate the incident response, such as initiating a vulnerability scan on the identified no-code application using a different tool, blocking the exposed port for a connected service, or creating a ticket for manual investigation of the supply chain risk.
Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) Tools: ThreatNG assesses cloud and SaaS exposure from an external perspective. CSPM tools focus on the internal configuration and compliance of cloud environments. Synergistically, ThreatNG might identify an exposed cloud bucket used by a no-code application's data storage, and a CSPM tool could then provide the granular details of the misconfiguration within that cloud account, enabling faster and more precise remediation of that supply chain element.
Identity and Access Management (IAM) Systems: ThreatNG's findings on compromised credentials from the Dark Web (DarCache Rupture) can be directly integrated with an organization's IAM system. Suppose ThreatNG discovers compromised credentials related to a user or an API key for a service integrated into a no-code platform. In that case, the IAM system can automatically force a password reset or temporarily disable the account/key, preventing unauthorized access to the no-code application or its data via that supply chain component.
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Solutions: ThreatNG identifies data leak susceptibility based on external exposure, including Cloud and SaaS Exposure. A DLP solution, working internally, can prevent sensitive data from being exfiltrated from no-code applications or associated data stores, complementing ThreatNG's external detection of supply chain data risks. For instance, if ThreatNG flags potential data exposure from a no-code application's integration with a cloud drive, a DLP solution can block specific types of sensitive data from being uploaded or shared through that connection.
