With the increase of digitization in the logistics sector, more and more operations are carried out electronically. Companies connect customers, services and products by land, sea and air, as is the case with RFL, with a broad portfolio of services in international transport, reefer or customs.
In this way customers can know where their shipments are, the schedules of their means of transport and even make operations from home. A comfortable and quick task but that must also be monitored to prevent an illegal use of these data. In this context is when the concept of cybersecurity takes on importance, that is, the protection of valuable information that is stored in the different interconnected devices that make up the technology of a company.
Main risk
The main risk that a logistics company may face is the loss of confidential information. For example, the data of customers, suppliers or important documents that are key in the day to day. Also other aspects such as industrial espionage, security of people, remote access to systems, fraud in electronic commerce, the use of package tools or intellectual property. In some cases, very extreme, a cessation of activity can be triggered by the impossibility of controlling the state of the goods and not being able to maintain contact with the rest of those involved in the logistics chain.
Virtual security plan
To prevent possible attacks, or cyberattacks, it is important that companies have a security plan. The first point is to analyze the current state of security, and from there, set objectives. It is convenient that all the departments that are going to participate in this plan get involved and work with a manual of good practices. In this sense it is also important the professionalism of the human team, for example, of RFL that watches day by day to achieve that a load arrives at destiny without setbacks.
The main actions that minimize risks are:
- Updating equipment with the latest manufacturer’s security patches.
- Adequate protection tools (antivirus, firewalls, etc.).
- Perform regular backups of information, especially the most sensitive.
Staff training
It is important that employees take into account aspects such as not opening e-mail attachments of a dubious nature or being cautious when following links that arrive through e-mails, instant messaging or social networks, even if they are from known contacts. In short, to be able to distinguish the sources of trust from those that are not.
In Spain, the National Centre for Infrastructure Protection and Cybersecurity is in charge of protecting key strategic sectors and providing advice through courses and information on prevention measures against cyber-crime. It is an organisation coordinated with the specialised units of the State Security Forces and Corps in charge of pursuing this type of practice.
