Which concept considers an OEM's supply chain management and security reputation?

• A. Bootloader Security
• B. End of Life (EOL)
• C. Trusted OEM suppliers
• D. eFuse

Answer: (C)

Evaluating trust in who provides the hardware and how they manage their supply chain. This concept focuses on selecting OEMs whose supply chain controls, component provenance, and security practices create confidence that parts and firmware come from reputable sources, aren’t counterfeit, and will receive timely, secure updates. When an organization considers the supplier’s security reputation, it reduces risk of tampering, hidden malicious components, or weak post‑manufacture support that could undermine device security. Bootloader security is about protecting the startup code, End of Life refers to ongoing support and vulnerability exposure after a product’s lifecycle ends, and eFuse is a hardware feature for storing persistent settings or keys—not about evaluating supplier trust.