Cybersecurity: logistics tackling IT piracy

Cybercriminals are attacking businesses and individuals alike. Feared in the professional world, cyberattacks can affect an organization's operations in many ways.

Malicious computer hacking can lead to theft of sensitive data, paralysis of your business, and reputational damage.

While cyber threats affect enterprises of every size, small and medium-sized businesses, which often have fewer resources to allocate to cybersecurity, are the most frequently targeted by hackers.

Therefore, protecting enterprise data is a major concern in  all sectors of the economy, including the supply chain.

How can an enterprise protect itself in the face of this new threat? Scallog gives you the essential information for effective cybersecurity.

What motivates hackers?

Hacking is the act of modifying a piece of software or an information system to vitiate its original purpose.

Not all of the pioneers of computer hacking were rebels and subversives: in the 1980s, the German group Chaos Computer Club  hacked into computer systems for fun.

They often  helped make systems more secure by demonstrating their flaws to publishers.

The 2000s saw the emergence of ideology-driven cybercrime. Anonymous, another famous hacker group, epitomize this trend.

© Hacker attacks are often international phenomena 

Both hacker groups align themselves with the freedom of expression goals upheld by WikiLeaks founder Julien Assange.

In recent years, however, the vast majority of cyberattacks have been motivated by greed. 

This is demonstrated in the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2022, which analysed 23,000 digital security incidents worldwide.

Some cybercrimes, the report found, are related to strategic or industrial espionage.

They are often perpetrated by international groups or even sovereign states, and use increasingly sophisticated tactics.

For example, Israel and the US created a computer worm called Stuxnet to interfere in Iran's nuclear programme.

In summer 2021,  Pegasus software was at the centre of a global espionage scandal targeting journalists, politicians and businessmen. 

Logistics companies and cyberattacks 

Good IT protection guards against digital infiltration and limits damage in the event of a successful cyberattack.

Large enterprises are often better prepared than SMEs for potential cyberattacks.

However, they are by no means immune to the phenomenon.

The vulnerabilities exploited by hackers are most often:

• absence of human vigilance
• levels of security which are unable to protect against particularly sophisticated attacks
• the vulnerability to cyberattack of a service provider. 

When information is shared with a partner company, both parties need to respect the appropriate cybersecurity criteria. 

The slightest vulnerability could invite a large-scale cyberattack.  

© Ransomware is malicious software designed to extract the payment of a ransom from the victim of the cyberattack

Already 5 years ago, Wannacry ransomwarewas massively deployed in a global cyberattack affecting more than 300,000 computers in more than 150 countries (mainly India, the United States and Russia).

This event is considered the largest-ever ransomware attack in Internet history.

Among the most important organizations affected by this attack were Vodafone, FedEx, the Russian Ministry of the Interior, and Deutsche Bahn. In the same year, the American group Mondelez, parent company guarantor of the Milka, Lu, Oreo and Côte d’Or brands among others, was the target of another cyberattack: Petya. The attack particularly impacted the group’s delivery and customer billing operations.

According to AFP (Agence France Presse) :

Mondelez has warned that the global cyberattack of 27 June 2017 would cut its revenue by 3% in the second quarter.

Another risk factor for organizations is home working. Working from home, employees no longer work over their company's secure WiFi network.

Of the companies surveyed, it was reported that 20% had experienced a security breach caused by ahome-working employee.

Mathieu Feuillet, Deputy Director of Operations at Anssi (France's National Agency for Information Systems Security) indicates: 

The general level of the computer threat is maintained in 2022 with 831 proven intrusions against 1,082 in 2021 

Hackers are also increasingly specialized in exploiting the security vulnerabilities of new technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and IoT (Internet of Things).

How to protect your business from cyberattacks

To protect their systems, IT managers and cybersecurity professionals are turning to protection solutions based on:

• Implementation of global risk management solutions
• Network ring-fencing (isolation) in case of attack, with cyber-incident action plan
• Special training for employees (spotting fraudulent e-mails, avoided unsecured websites, detecting payment fraud etc).

© Reinforced data protection is vital for companies

Only enterprises that understand the need to protect the integrity of their IT processes and data will be able to keep afloat in the years ahead.

Get quality cybersecurity with Scallog

As a robotics solutions provider, Scallog offers a high level of IT protection.

Scallog equips its customers with secure communication networks for PC, MAS & WCS, and secure PLC  if requested.

Driven by the daily endeavours of its IT and cybersecurity engineers, Scallog is committed to a process of continuous improvement in this field.

This constant striving for improvement is also based on a solid experience in cyber protection for clients from various industrial sectors, including sensitive clients such as Airbus.

Looking to work with a logistics automation company offering reliable connectivity that allows you to operate in total security? Contact us for more information.