The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), a cybersecurity industry leader within the supply chain, is set to host its annual Digital Solutions Conference on Cybersecurity from Sunday, October 22 to Wednesday, October 25. 

The event is open to all cybersecurity, trucking industry, and supply chain professionals.  This comes just in time as hackers are proving to become more sophisticated in technique, and the trucking and logistics sectors are experiencing an increase in cyberthreats, with a top 25 LTL carrier Estes Express Lines experiencing one as recently as last week.

In fact, cyberthreats against mid-sized companies have increased by 150%, while attacks against specific sectors range from doubling to nearly tripling over the past two years.

“Approximately 90% of hacks occur through phishing and misconfigured networks/devices” said Antwan Banks, director of enterprise security for NMFTA. “Because of recent geopolitical events, attacks have become more aggressive and skilled. As a result, companies need to prioritize cybersecurity internally to be proactive before a threat occurs. NMFTA is dedicated to ensuring that the industry has the tools and resources needed to incorporate an action plan. While implementing such a system can seem overwhelming, we instruct professionals to begin with low-hanging fruit initiatives.”

These initiatives include:

• Routinely train all employees in identifying cybersecurity threats and the necessary steps to take should one occur.
• Routinely scan all internet-facing networks and devices to identify vulnerabilities before attackers. 
• Conduct tabletop exercises to develop a cybersecurity strategy in case an attack occurs.
• Install immutable backups that cannot be impacted during a cyberattack and test those backups regularly for accuracy.
• Segment the network so that if a hacker can access it, they will not have free reign over all networks.

In a recent survey conducted for the 2023 Travelers Risk Index, it was discovered that 55% of transportation leaders were worried about cyber risks, while for the ninth year in a row, cyber threats were one of the top three business concerns.  Furthermore, the 2024 Third-Party Logistics Study confirmed that 87% of shippers and 94% of third-party logistics providers agree that adopting emerging technologies is vital to future supply chain growth. 

“As technology continues to evolve, hackers are going to continue to enhance their strategy as it pertains to infiltrating the networks of companies across various industries,” continued Banks. “Industry leaders can visit the NMFTA website to access best security practices, ransomware, and incident response resources. The NMFTA conference will also have industry practitioners from the federal government and commercial companies to discuss the best tools and procedures needed to protect your network.”

NMFTA has been an industry leader for nearly a decade in addressing cybersecurity issues, conducting vital research, and hosting critical education efforts on cybersecurity for organizations within the supply chain. The conference is the only one in the freight industry devoted to securing business.

“When companies choose to take these steps to prevent or minimize the impact of cyberattacks and implement a dedicated team to handle this business sector, they can be successful like Estes,” said Debbie Sparks, executive director for NMFTA. “Additionally, as soon as a compromised company can safely share the details of their attack, the industry benefits from this information. It’s important that we continue to evolve in our efforts to maintain safe spaces for our industry data.”

To register for the upcoming conference and access additional cybersecurity research, reports, and resources, visit www.nmfta.org.