How to Cyber Secure Your Shipment Carriers

Reviewing vulnerabilities is something that every logistics company should know, but it’s something that’s every single logistics firm needs to do. Unfortunately, relatively few of them are and that’s creating problems for those who rely on international shipment carriers to fulfill their orders. Business managers should take a look at some surprising statistics if they’ve never thought about the issue before.

According to one study, some 48% of cyberattacks were the result of misinformed staffers. Considering that more than 80% of logistics companies use third-party chains, this is especially concerning. It’s extremely possible for a company to dramatically increase its own attack surface simply by going through its regular day-to-day business activities. The good news is that there are a few ways for individuals to tackle these problems on their own along with prevent them with cybersecurity.

How To Lock Down Your Shipment Carriers

Cargo theft is probably one of the biggest issues these days. Organizations that ship materials all over the world will want to start protecting against it by tracking their containers and figuring out where every piece of merchandise is at any given time. Even putting together a basic database that lists every open waybill will go a long way toward reducing the risk of a particular shipment going suddenly missing.

Marine industry representatives should be aware of the fact that even allegedly secured transmission channels can become compromised. Never consider a long distance line of communication completely secured unless you know that both ends are truly encrypted. Protocols need to adhere to 256 or 512-bit standards, which are in excess of what you’d find in many areas of the world. Things might be squared away where your business’ headquarters are, but you need to remember that ships are sailing all over the world. Satellite connections are vulnerable, even if they’re more secure than most land-based networking systems.

Dealing With Existing Threats

Password hygene and regular updates are as important for logistics-related cybersecurity as they are for online safety in any other field. Keep in mind that ports of call could potentially have highly insecure network connectivity. Legislative standards aren’t the same the world over, which is a major problem for those used to doing business in only one country. If something doesn’t seem safe, then it’s always best to assume that it is.

Don’t use courtesy phones or computer terminals a port operator provides your crews with, if you can avoid it. The same goes for public terminals at truck stops or any other area that caters to the shipping industry as a whole. While these might seem like nice options for those on the go, there’s always a risk that they’ve been compromised.

Most importantly, keep in mind that more than a few customers online are actually bad actors in disguise. Take a closer look at any request for information before going through with it. That’s the best way to be certain that you’re not willingly surrendering anything sensitive, especially if you’ve been dealing with customer contact details.