When a Parking Permit Becomes a Cyber Risk: Understanding Indirect Supply Chain Threats

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While applying for a parking permit, I discovered an expired SSL certificate on a council website, highlighting how small oversights in public services can expose broader cybersecurity risks. This real-world example shows why organisations must take indirect supply chain risk seriously, particularly in regions critical to national security.

Earlier this week, while applying for a residential parking permit through Gloucestershire County Council (GCC)’s website, I noticed something concerning: the site’s SSL security certificate had expired. The sign said ‘Way In’. The expired SSL certificate said ‘Help Yourself’.

At first glance, this might seem like a minor administrative oversight. In reality, it presents a significant cybersecurity risk. Without a valid SSL certificate, the connection between a user’s browser and the council’s website is no longer securely encrypted. Personal information, addresses, payment details, or other sensitive data, is exposed to interception or manipulation.

The issue is made even more serious when you consider the location. Gloucestershire is home to organisations like GCHQ, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and a wide network of defence contractors and critical national infrastructure. In such a region, even small digital vulnerabilities can have disproportionate consequences.

This real-world example prompted me to write about a broader, often overlooked topic: indirect supply chain cyber risk.

Please note: This article was written and posted after GCC had been informed and subsequently fixed the issue. They could probably do with reviewing their HTTPS redirection rules.

What is Indirect Supply Chain Cyber Risk?

When organisations think about supply chain risk, they tend to focus on direct suppliers such as software vendors, IT partners, and cloud services. But there is a wider digital ecosystem that supports daily operations, from council services and permit applications to accreditation bodies and event platforms. These are part of what we call the indirect supply chain.

Weaknesses in these peripheral systems can be exploited by attackers to target individuals, businesses, or even national assets. Common risks include:

  • Phishing websites impersonating insecure public services
  • Malware distribution through compromised official portals
  • Data harvesting through insecure forms and payment systems
  • Credential theft for later use in more targeted attacks

Attackers rarely take the front door anymore. They look for cracks along the side.

Why Regional Context Matters

In regions like Gloucestershire, small lapses have bigger stakes. Employees, contractors, and supply chain partners connected to critical infrastructure organisations live and work locally. Their personal data, if exposed, can be weaponised for:

  • Spear-phishing and social engineering
  • Identity theft
  • Physical security risks
  • Longer-term intelligence gathering

An expired SSL certificate may seem small, but it signals deeper potential issues such as poor maintenance practices, delayed patching, and a lack of proactive security monitoring. In sensitive environments, trust and vigilance must extend beyond the obvious enterprise networks.

Lessons from a Small Incident

This incident highlights the importance of better management of indirect supply chain risks. Practical steps to improve resilience include:

  • Automatic SSL Renewal and Monitoring: Public services must implement automated certificate management with alerts for pending expiry.
  • Ecosystem Risk Assessments: Organisations, especially in critical sectors, should assess not just their suppliers but the full digital environment their people interact with.
  • Security Awareness Beyond Work Systems: Staff must be trained to spot risks even when engaging with seemingly harmless external systems.
  • Rapid Incident Response Culture: Public bodies must treat public-reported vulnerabilities seriously, acting swiftly and transparently.

Final Thoughts

Cybersecurity does not live neatly within the walls of an organisation anymore.
It flows through every interaction, every permit, every application, every click.

The expired SSL certificate I encountered may well be an isolated mistake, easily fixed. But it serves as a tangible reminder of the broader, systemic risks we all face from indirect digital relationships.

In cybersecurity, it is rarely the obvious threat that brings trouble. More often, it is something small, something overlooked, until it is not.