Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/759228
36 commercial carrier journal | december 2016 T he expanding network of Internet of ings technol- ogy is giving motor carriers new options to make their equipment and drivers safer and more efficient. But every new device, soware application or sensor that connects to the Internet comes with added risk. More information continues to be processed and stored in the cloud, put- ting individuals and businesses at risk from a cyberattack. Awareness of that risk is heightened by recent events. In late October, a global Internet attack brought down major web- sites and slowed communications to a crawl. Also, WikiLeaks exposed thou- sands of private email messages sent and received by a top operative in the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. A security breach that exposes data belonging to a trucking company may not make national headlines, but it could be costly and damaging to the parties involved. A cybercriminal might decide to hack technology into a carrier's IT systems to obtain freight manifests. Besides planning a load heist, a hacker might do this to change a manifest to facilitate smuggling or drug trafficking. Freight brokers that provide on-demand shipping services also might be victimized by cybercriminals that use websites to pose as qualified carriers and take loads. e specter of risk only will increase as autonomous trucks hit the roads. One easily can imagine the problems caused by a cyberattack that disables a vehicle or takes over the controls. Cisco, which specializes in IoT systems for transportation, builds end-to-end archi- tectures for systems in aviation, rail and public transit. e company now is develop- ing IoT solutions for customers in manufacturing, trucking, logistics and other supply chain-related industries. Barry Einsig, Cisco's global transportation executive, said transportation compa- nies already use "point solutions," such as asset tracking systems, to increase levels of control and security. But point solutions leave gaps in security, and "in the end, they become single points of failure," Einsig said. e transportation industry eventually will need to look beyond "point solutions" to keep up with the demand for IoT systems that connect carriers, shippers, third parties and global supply chains. A single point of failure or security breach in a supply chain has far-reaching ef- fects. Einsig said transportation companies must think beyond their own IoT network perimeter and take part in broader security issues as the march toward automation continues. "at's where we can help," he said. Beyond providing IT security for individual companies and their networks, Cisco wants to provide a secure architecture for IoT EXPANDING NETWORK: IoT gives carriers options to make equipment and drivers safer and efficient. IN THE CLOUD: More data continues to be processed and stored, increas- ing the risk of a cyberattack. KEEPING UP WITH DEMAND: The transportation industry will need to look beyond 'point solutions.' Autonomous risk Cybersecurity poses biggest threat to self-driving trucks More information continues to be processed and stored in the cloud, putting individuals and businesses at risk from a cyberattack.