Cybersecurity: the unfinished business in logistics and transport

In an absolutely hyper-connected society, cybersecurity has become an unavoidable aspect, both at the individual, corporate and institutional level.
Cyber attacks affect us all, and the transport and logistics sector is no exception.
Cybersecurity is no longer simply a concern, it has become a strategic element for the success and even the survival of transport companies.
Those that know how to prevent these attacks, anticipating the challenges of cyberspace and adopting a comprehensive approach to security, will not only be protecting their operations and business, but will also have competitive advantages.
A solid cybersecurity posture will strengthen customer and partner confidence and ensure business continuity.

Staff awareness and training, the first barrier against cyber-attacks

The ability of technology to protect against cyber-attacks is unquestionable, but we must not forget that the first barrier to protection against hackers is people, the employees of each company.
Hence, the great power of staff awareness and training.
In fact, more than half of cyber breaches have their origin in failures in the company’s processes and in the poor skills of its employees or their lack of knowledge about cyber attacks.
The human factor is considered the biggest threat to cyber security, as people, not devices, are the weakest link in these attacks.
Therefore, transportation companies must educate their workers on the practices necessary to ensure cyber security.
Practices such as creating strong passwords or identifying suspicious emails or potentially dubious attachments.
Fostering a culture of cybersecurity throughout the organization is the basic premise of a robust defense, ensuring the protection of data and systems.
Cybersecurity must be a priority for all employees at all levels and in all departments.
Enabling regular training and awareness sessions in this regard can go a long way toward achieving a workforce that is fully aware of the risks posed by hackers.

Constantly alert and adapting

Cyber attacks are becoming more numerous and hackers are becoming more aggressive and aware that transport and logistics companies are giving little importance to cybersecurity and have not made proactive policies against these attacks a priority.
This is why the protection of transport infrastructures is vital to ensure the future of the sector.
It is necessary to respond with network hardening measures and transportation-specific incident response plans.
Keeping up to date with the changing threat landscape and adjusting response plans to potential incidents is no longer an option, it is a pressing necessity and one of the most important challenges facing the industry with respect to digitization.

How to deal with cybersecurity risks

Logistics and transportation companies should implement a cybersecurity agenda based on a prior assessment of the cyber protection level of their hardware and software.
With this clear analysis, they will be able to configure protections for the most vulnerable applications and networks.
Both the mapping of vulnerabilities to hacker attacks and the identification of possible protection initiatives can be speeded up with the use of existing models and tools on the market, such as cyber risk quantification and management software.
Thanks to these programs, companies can classify their vulnerabilities, from a risk-based approach and the impact of security threats on critical assets.
Projects are then ranked according to their ability to improve resilience in relation to their cost and thus optimize cybersecurity investment budgets.
Beyond these precautionary measures, transportation and logistics companies should adopt more complex cyber protection concepts, such as zero trust architecture.
This methodology is based on the premise that every device, user or application that interacts with your network is a potential threat.
This zero trust strategy is implemented by segmenting and segregating networks, using DMZ (demilitarized zone) technology, which provides a strictly controlled environment that monitors connections inside and outside the organization.
These same principles should be adopted to enforce internal processes, including verifying the identity of users, programs and terminal devices before allowing access to information or assets.

Minimal regulation

While the commercial and operational aspects of the transportation and logistics industry are regulated in many regions, very few of these rules cover cybersecurity. However, given the increase in cyber attacks in recent years and the serious impact this can have on global trade and the economic stability of the transportation and logistics industry, regulators are beginning to take a more proactive stance, requiring effective protection of company networks. Among the regulations already in place is the EU’s Network Information Security Directive. This and other regulations pursue compliance with minimum standards to protect companies’ most sensitive data and operations, in particular customer records and shipping information.[:]