Cybersecurity is an important aspect of nearly every business, including (and especially!) freight companies. The sheer amount of data stored electronically means that extra steps must be taken to keep it safe from hackers and other bad actors. If freight companies experience data breaches and cyberattacks, the supply chain is put at risk which will impact other companies and industries. Let’s look at a few ways freight companies can be proactive about cybersecurity and why cybersecurity matters.
Be Up-To-Date with Current Cybersecurity Standards and Tips
There are many excellent resources for cybersecurity for freight companies that focus on the freight industry. There is a list of common techniques used by hackers to gain access to sensitive data and how to avoid them. There are also many cybersecurity-centric organizations outside the freight industry with more generic advice that is still applicable.
Hire a Managed IT Services Company
Another great way to handle cybersecurity is to choose a managed IT services company that will handle everything for you. In addition to improving your company’s overall cybersecurity, it’ll also free up money in the budget. Instead of paying salary plus benefits to full IT staff, you can pay a single monthly fee to an outside organization to handle all of the work.
Harness the Power of AI
Another emerging solution is AI-powered security software. It detects potential threats and stops hackers in their tracks before they can access any sensitive data or cause other problems. As more advanced hackers have started to use AI programs like voice modulators that can replicate a CEO or other C-suite executive’s voice, AI provides a great solution for counteracting those threats.
In some respects, AI is an emerging technology that has not been perfected. However, it’s been proven to be up to the task for cybersecurity purposes.
Maintain Offline Backups of All Data
Ransomware is a particularly dangerous form of cyberattack that involves a hacker gaining access to internal systems or files, changing or encrypting the data with a password, and demanding payment before giving back the files. In 2023, companies paid $1.1 billion to recover sensitive data from ransomware attacks. However, after the payments were made, many of these companies never got back their information, as they were relying on a hacker to keep their word.
By maintaining offline backups of all critical or sensitive information, the information can simply be replaced on the servers with more secure passwords in place. This prevents the company from having to pay anything in hopes of recovering their information. This is best achieved with an external hard drive or series of hard drives that should be unplugged after the backup is complete to prevent further access.
Final Thoughts
With cyberattack threats becoming more advanced every year, it’s essential that companies remain proactive in their cybersecurity. By being prepared for potential threats, harnessing AI, maintaining familiarity with current cybercrime methods and best practices, and regularly performing offline backups of all sensitive information, freight companies can ensure that their systems and operations are not affected and everything continues to run as smoothly as possible.
