A B2B supplier is a business that sells goods or services to other businesses rather than to consumers. Examples include industrial distributors, logistics firms, software vendors, and managed service providers. In cyber security, these organizations matter because they often sit inside procurement, identity, payment, and operational workflows that many customers depend on.
Attackers target B2B suppliers to create broader impact than a single-company breach. If a supplier is disrupted, customers may lose access to ordering systems, support portals, shipping coordination, or trusted email communications. Even when no data theft is confirmed, an extortion claim against a supplier can force defenders to verify logs, isolate accounts, and check whether downstream customers or partners are affected. Strong MFA, segmented systems, backup access paths, and supplier risk reviews help reduce this exposure.