With protracted federal budget cuts at the Pentagon and NASA on the horizon, aerospace companies across the nation are choosing to combine forces as they vie for fewer dollars and brace for the tough times ahead.

Think it's tough tracking finished goods from source to sale? Trying doing the same for the millions of parts that go into them.

Boeing and its investors likely couldn't be happier with the first quarter 2014 earnings report: revenue rose 8 percent over the year-ago quarter, operating margins widened, and 2014 guidance got boost. The U.S. aerospace company ramped up deliveries for its 787 and 737 models to keep pace with demand, which in turn increased cash flow beyond analyst expectations. And a $374bn backlog of more than 5,100 aircraft guarantees that even if Boeing stopped booking new orders today it would take nearly a decade to deliver all the planes on order. But things don't appear quite so rosy in Boeing's Defense, Space & Security division.

The risk of cyber crime hitting your supply chain is greater than ever before.