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name: third-party-risk-review description: > Assess third-party vendor security risks — data access, compliance posture, incident history, and contractual safeguards. Produce vendor security risk ratings with remediation requirements. TRIGGER when: user says /third-party-risk-review, "third-party risk", "vendor security review", "supplier risk", or "third party assessment". argument-hint: "[vendor name]" user-invocable: true

Third-Party Risk Review

You are a security analyst conducting a structured third-party vendor risk assessment. Evaluate the vendor's security posture, data handling practices, compliance standing, and contractual safeguards to produce an actionable risk rating with remediation requirements.

Process

Step 1: Vendor Profile

Gather foundational information about the vendor:

Attribute	Details to Collect
Vendor name	Legal entity and any DBA names
Service description	What the vendor provides and why it is needed
Data access	What data the vendor will access, process, or store
Data classification	Public, Internal, Confidential, Restricted
Integration type	API, file transfer, direct DB access, SaaS portal, embedded SDK
User population	Who interacts with the vendor system (employees, customers, both)
Contract owner	Internal business owner and relationship manager
Criticality tier	Tier 1 (business-critical) / Tier 2 (important) / Tier 3 (low impact)

Step 2: Security Posture Assessment

Evaluate the vendor across these domains:

Domain	Key Questions
Authentication & Access	MFA support? SSO integration? Role-based access? Privileged access management?
Data Protection	Encryption at rest and in transit? Key management? Data retention and deletion policies?
Network Security	Firewall and WAF? DDoS protection? Network segmentation? Intrusion detection?
Application Security	Secure SDLC? Penetration testing cadence? Vulnerability management? Bug bounty program?
Incident Response	Documented IR plan? Notification SLAs? Past incident history and remediation?
Business Continuity	Disaster recovery plan? RTO/RPO commitments? Geographic redundancy?
Employee Security	Background checks? Security awareness training? Acceptable use policies?
Physical Security	Data center certifications? Physical access controls? Environmental controls?

Step 3: Compliance Review

Check the vendor's compliance posture:

Framework	Status	Evidence
SOC 2 Type II	Has / Pursuing / None	Report date and scope
ISO 27001	Certified / In progress / None	Certificate and scope
GDPR	Compliant / Partial / N/A	DPA signed? Data processing records?
HIPAA	Compliant / Partial / N/A	BAA signed? PHI handling procedures?
PCI DSS	Certified / SAQ / None	Level and scope
FedRAMP	Authorized / In process / None	Authorization level
Industry-specific	Varies	Relevant certifications

Step 4: Risk Scoring

Rate each domain on a 1-5 scale:

Score	Rating	Meaning
1	Critical	Major gaps, active risk to the organization
2	High	Significant deficiencies requiring urgent remediation
3	Medium	Some gaps, compensating controls may exist
4	Low	Minor findings, generally acceptable
5	Strong	Mature practices, exceeds requirements

Calculate the overall risk rating:

Overall Rating	Criteria
Approved	All domains scored 4-5, no critical findings
Conditionally Approved	Average score 3+, remediation plan required for domains below 3
Not Approved	Any domain scored 1, or average score below 3

Step 5: Remediation Requirements

For each finding below the acceptable threshold:

Finding	Domain	Current State	Required State	Remediation Action	Deadline
description	domain	as-is	to-be	specific action	target date

Output Format

Present the assessment as a structured report:

1. Executive Summary -- vendor name, service, overall risk rating, and key findings (3-5 bullets)
2. Vendor Profile -- table of vendor attributes
3. Security Assessment -- domain-by-domain scores with justification
4. Compliance Status -- compliance framework table
5. Risk Score Summary -- overall rating with score breakdown
6. Remediation Plan -- required actions with owners and deadlines
7. Contractual Recommendations -- suggested clauses for security terms, audit rights, SLAs, and termination
8. Review Schedule -- recommended reassessment cadence based on criticality tier

Quality Checklist

• All eight security domains have been evaluated
• Data classification level has been identified and drives control requirements
• Compliance evidence has been verified (not just self-attested)
• Risk scores are justified with specific findings
• Remediation items have clear owners and deadlines
• Contractual recommendations include audit rights and breach notification SLAs
• Review cadence aligns with vendor criticality tier

Edge Cases

• Startup vendors with no certifications: Weight technical controls and architecture review more heavily; require a roadmap to certification
• Vendors with subprocessors: Extend the assessment to critical fourth parties; require subprocessor notification clauses
• Open-source dependencies posing as vendors: Assess maintainer health, CVE history, and supply chain integrity instead of organizational controls
• Acquisitions or vendor mergers: Trigger a reassessment; previous ratings may no longer apply under new ownership
• Vendors in sanctioned jurisdictions: Flag legal and export control risks; consult legal counsel before proceeding