In this modern day and age, mobile business messaging—specifically, secure mobile business messaging—is a must-have for the transportation and logistics industry. Today, electronic data is a critical part of supply chains, making secure communications a necessity for both efficiency and security.

 

Cyberattacks in the Transportation and Logistics Industry

We’ve heard about cyberattacks against hospitals, banks, government agencies and now it seems that hackers have zeroed in on another target: the transportation industry. The June 2017 cyberattack via ransomware against Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk is one such example. The attack had a global impact, causing delays in shipping in ports ranging from New York, USA to Rotterdam, Netherlands and Mumbai, India. The attack cost the company $250 to $300 million and during the ten days that Maersk’s shipping information system was held hostage during the attack, Maersk had to replace 4,000 servers, 45,000 computer and 2,500 applications.

 

Hackers have set their sights on the transportation and logistics industry in part because of its increasing digitalization. As the system has increasingly gone online (an absolute must these days), it has also become vulnerable to hackers looking for easy targets and the sector’s reliance on email and spreadsheet attachments, as well as its many relationships, make it especially vulnerable. And the transportation and logistics industry is tempting to hackers because it is global—with connections to many different industries. The industry is also fragmented—with large companies working alongside small companies—meaning that multiple technology systems are used with varying levels of cyber security—making it easier for hackers to attack.

 

As the Maersk incident shows—such attacks are no small thing. Forbes estimates that the cost to the transportation and logistics industry is likely to grow from $1.7 billion in 2015 to more than $6.8 billion by 2020.

 

Developing Cybersecurity Strategies

When it comes to cybersecurity in companies, one of the biggest risks are employees. Too often hackers manipulate human behavior through phishing emails, malicious links and forms. Training employees to recognize suspicious emails or sites and educating them on best security practices is one of the most important things companies can do (check out some tips here on how to train employees).

 

But in addition to education, the correct tools are necessary as well. Installing security systems like firewalls and detection systems for denial of service attacks and other malware is important. Ensuring secure communications is also important—especially when one considers how frequently attacks happen through phishing emails and man-in-the-middle attacks. One way to address this is through adopting secure mobile business messaging. Selecting the right secure communication platform is a win-win because it both protects communications—increasing security against cyberattacks—and improves efficiency for staff.

 

The Advantages of Mobile Business Messaging

Given the risks that insecure communications such as email can pose to a company, it is important to think carefully when selecting a mobile business messaging solution for your company. End-to-end encryption is a must – but it is not enough. Truly secure messaging and communication platforms need to allow for content control in addition to encryption—ensuring that messages cannot be screenshotted or stored indefinitely on devices that can be lost or stolen. At the same time, however, they need to meet compliance regulations by archiving conversations in a client designated repository. A repository that a vendor does not have access.

 

Using a secure mobile business messaging solution is advantageous not only because it protects communications in an increasingly vulnerable digital world but because it also helps with efficiency. Gone are the days when people communicated primarily through email and phone calls—these days texting is the primary mode with 90% of text messages read within three minutes. Using business mobile messaging within the transportation and logistics industry has a lot of advantages and can be used in many situations, including:

  • Sending out emergency alerts quickly and easily to many during situations such as natural disasters, route hazards, vehicle issues, or a cyberattack.
  • Notifying drivers of changes in delivery schedules, core tasks, or supplier appointments.
  • Keeping everyone updated through messaging broadcasts on system and company changes, timesheets, and employee recognition.
  • Automating updates on the status of shipments, deliveries, and other logistics that occur regularly.
  • Keeping contents of shipments confidential to ensure secure delivery.
  • Communication between individual staff to coordinate logistics.

Vaporstream offers a secure messaging solution that offers end-to-end-encryption, content control, and automated messaging. To learn how we can meet your business mobile messaging needs, contact us here.

Contributor: The Vaporstream Team