Platform Lock‑in and Cyber Risk

Platform lock‑in is more than a commercial problem — it can be a cybersecurity problem too. When a single vendor controls critical interfaces, updates, or tooling, the entire ecosystem becomes dependent on that vendor's security posture.

Key risks:

• Single-vendor update windows: delayed or rushed patches create exploitable gaps.
• Proprietary tooling and lack of transparency: hidden dependencies and opaque supply chains increase the chance of unnoticed compromise.
• Concentration of privilege: a successful compromise of the vendor can cascade to millions of dependent systems.

Mitigations organizations should consider:

1. Favor open standards and interoperable tooling where feasible.
2. Maintain layered defenses — don't rely on a single vendor control plane for detection and response.
3. Implement vendor risk management: require SBOMs, independent audits, and incident response SLAs.
4. Architect for graceful degradation — design systems that can continue operating safely when a dependent platform becomes unavailable or untrustworthy.

Platform competition isn't only about consumer choice — it's also about resilience. Security-conscious architects should include supply-chain and vendor diversity considerations in threat models.