Protecting the Transportation Industry from Cyber Crime

The transportation and logistics sector was not targeted by cyber criminals in the past, but now, the increased rate of cyber crime is alarming. There have been instances in which the transportation sector has been hacked and losses have been incurred in trying to clean out the infected systems. Early last year, operations and systems at the Colorado Department of Transportation (CODOT) were disrupted by cyber criminals. The damage was not severe, but it left people wondering if the defense system is capable of protecting the industry from such attacks in the future. Before looking at the ways to protect the transportation industry from cyber crimes, here are some of the effects of cyber crimes reported by the transportation industry:

1.          Theft of crucial and sensitive information from emails
2.         Economic loss

iii.       Personal identity theft

1.       Impact on national security
2.         Disruption of traffic lights and electronic traffic signs
3.       Loss of public confidence

vii.      Blocked access to systems

viii.    Endangerment of public and employee safety

1.        Interruption of machines
2.         Disruption of remuneration and payroll services

Ways to protect the transportation industry from cyber crime

Training employees on matters of cyber security

All the staff members should be educated on how to identify any malfunction if they occur. They should also be able to inspect and run all electronic systems. They should be trained on the crucial concepts of security and safety at the workplace. There should also be rules on giving information to other people outside the industry to reduce knowledge of cyber terrorists.

Employing reliable security companies to handle the security measures

The transportation and logistics sector cannot fight cyber crime alone. Partnership with reliable security companies and other vehicle management entities is necessary.  This will ensure that anything that goes undetected by employees or security personnel will be handled by the security company.

Fleet management companies like Eyeride offer fleet and driver management devices that are powerful, accurate, and reliable, and that will aid in cyber crime protection.  Specialized security firms offer services like:

1.          Cyber attack detection
2.         Cyber threat identification

iii.       Cyber attack response

1.       Company assets protection

Cyber hygiene

Cyber hygiene is important for any firm to avoid cyber attacks. These are practices such as updating systems and software; using strong, unpredictable passwords; limiting use of storage-removable devices; maintaining up-to-date antivirus software; minimizing network exposure; and disabling any used applications.

Information protection and data security

This can be done through protecting data by encryption, managing data assets in a formal manner, and having adequate data capacity and protection against data leaks and loss.

Monitoring and detection tactics

In order to prevent cyber crimes in the transportation sector, audit and logs records should be identified, documented, reviewed, and monitored to make sure there are no errors or gaps left undetected. Regular inspection of documents, sales, and transactions is important to make sure everything runs smoothly.

Benefits of installing cyber protection

1.          Prioritization of security alerts
2.         Increased data protection

iii.       Improved and simplified structure

1.       Swift response following attacks

Conclusion

The transportation sector has become prone to cyber attacks, just like many other industries. The countermeasures mentioned above have been identified as the most effective means to stop this security breach once and for all.