Building Cyber Security In The Logistics Industry

The logistics industry is increasingly relying on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). In such an environment, virtual threats need to be taken as seriously as physical disruptions to supply chains. Simply reacting to crises is not the right approach; companies must have strong cybersecurity measures in place to block threats before they upset routine workflow or snoop on business data.

Increased use of technology in the logistics industry has helped modernise supply chain management for more transparency and cost-efficacy. Since the industry uses IoT to track the movement of their goods and store significant amounts of data on the cloud, the digital footprint of logistics companies has increased, putting them on the radar of cybercriminals.

The high number of stakeholders and third-party vendors in the logistics chain makes this industry vulnerable to online threats. Many companies lack the know-how to counter risks that come along with the rewards of digitalisation.

Assessing and managing the threats – internal and IoT induced

Bulk of the logistics industry’s IT investments focuses on business intelligence, warehouse management, transportation management and supply chain visibility. Therefore, it is important to evaluate threats surrounding these systems and deploy custom tools for their security. A detailed risk assessment and audit of digital devices should include a review of the network, installed applications and the security protocols used with different operating systems. IT teams can then categorise the devices in the network based on risk and the sensitivity of data produced or stored in those devices.

The IoT endpoints physically deployed through sensors on assets (at different locations) also connect to the internet through multiple protocols. This arrangement puts data privacy and key transactions associated with such data at risk. Logistics companies should conduct rigorous pen tests and vulnerability scans to identify potential threats and breaches. Static and dynamic tests are recommended for IoT connected devices to define a security benchmark. Dynamic testing captures and unveils code weaknesses along with any underlying weaknesses originating from hardware – this is critical to understand vulnerabilities that surface when a new code is used with old processors.

While assessing risks comprehensively, a logistics company should also review the security of its network layer, ensuring segmentation and zero trust. A logistics company should partition its network into secure zones in a way that IoT devices can be segregated from traditional IT devices. An advantage of segmenting the IoT endpoints is that operational technology (OT) systems can keep working seamlessly on all devices. Even if a device is attacked, the impact will be limited to its defined segment. Network administrators can quarantine such a zone and take steps to remediate the problem without letting other devices, IT or OT, get infected.

Establishing multi-layered cybersecurity for logistics operations

By implementing multiple layers of defence against cyber threats, a logistics company can effectively manage risks that its business data and operations are exposed to. Besides ensuring regular security updates for all applications and keeping the network segmented for IoT and other devices, they can use customised cybersecurity solutions to detect and block threats. Tata Tele Business Services offers five specific enterprise-grade systems to help customers maintain strong security standards and counter the shifting threat landscape.

Email Security
Email is the most common source of malicious apps, codes, and links that cause more harm than you can imagine once embedded into a device.

In April 2020, when COVID-19 spread across the globe, Google reported over 18 million daily malware and phishing emails related to the pandemic. Many of them appeared to have come from government agencies, playing on the fears people felt during the phase.

Our Email Security solution is rooted in FirstWave Cloud Technology™, Cisco-based ESA/IronPort and Advanced Malware Protection technologies to defend your email accounts from malware, ransomware, phishing, viruses, and spam. It can also identify and block more sophisticated threats such as spear phishing, whaling, typo domain, and spoofing attacks.

The solution comes with the outbound Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) standard to help you validate your outgoing emails with a DKIM signature. And even though TTBS Email Security has been fortified with more than twenty special features to keep your email secure, it works quietly in the background without impacting the performance of other apps.

Endpoint Security
As the scale of remote working widened in the pandemic, the number of distributed endpoints also increased. An interconnected landscape of multiple endpoint devices comprising laptops, smartphones, PCs, and IoT devices have given threat actors more opportunities to target them.

TTBS Endpoint Security helps protect your endpoint environment that contains devices with different operating systems. It also minimises the response time to detect and mitigate attacks on devices and business networks. With inbuilt web filtering, email filtering, antivirus, and firewall features, it has been devised to eliminate the threats of ransomware, malware, spyware, and phishing.

By deploying Endpoint Security, you can allow your employees to work from any location while keeping operations safe against cyber risks. It also helps avoid downtimes caused by compromises on a device’s OS.

TTBS Endpoint Security is simple to install, and its multi-tenant architecture results in value-for-money pricing.

Multifactor Authentication
According to a Deloitte survey in May 2020, 40% of respondents said that a cyber incident impacted their supply chain in the past 12 months.

While it is necessary for logistics companies to segment their networks, adhere to compliance standards, keep all software updated, and secure device endpoints, multifactor authentication (MFA) plays an equally vital role in securing operations.

By prompting users to provide two or more separate login credentials before getting access to a file or system, TTBS MFA makes your confidential databases safer. Offering zero-trust security, it thwarts any unauthorised entity’s attempt to access a controlled digital zone even if someone hacks a user’s passcode. An inexpensive and scalable security add-on, TTBS MFA lets you choose authentication methods as per the nature of your workflows. It can be easily integrated with other enterprise apps and helps monitor the health of all devices used in your operations.

Virtual Firewall
As you leverage more public cloud services for daily processes, the work environment gets increasingly virtualised. To enable packet filtering and control incoming and outgoing traffic in such setups, you need a virtual firewall. Unlike a physical firewall, a virtual one is inexpensive and easy to maintain for cloud users.

TTBS Virtual Firewall is built with advanced threat intelligence to reduce response times against potential cyber-attacks. It stops unauthorised users from accessing data in a protected virtual repository and prevents employees from transferring sensitive documents not meant to be shared.

The key benefits of using TTBS Virtual Firewall are rapid service deployment and deep-packet inspection for blocking malicious threats. It has customisable controls and a centralised admin portal to view the status of secured devices.

Based on industry-leading Palo Alto Networks firewall technology, our Virtual Firewall is a flexible and budget-friendly cybersecurity solution for logistics businesses of all sizes.

Web Security
With new issues emerging every year, cloud security for some organisations may need to go beyond firewalls. Logistics companies can enable employees to work from anywhere, without the risks of data breaches and inconsistencies in public cloud platforms, by implementing another security layer.

TTBS Web Security eliminates cyber threats before they reach network endpoints. It gauges the intention of web requests, URLs, and files to route or block them on a device. The incoming traffic, when it looks suspicious, may also be sent for further inspection before it harms any system in a business network. Web Security also gives your logistics firm deeper insights into your staff’s online activities across locations – both on and off LAN. It helps you implement IT security policies effortlessly and obtain detailed analytical reports. Like other TTBS cybersecurity solutions, it is cost-efficient and non-intrusive to use.

Conclusion

As more logistics and transportation companies begin to introduce digital innovation in their business model, they must be proactive at determining the vulnerabilities that impact this new working style. Cybersecurity must be a strategic consideration integrated with key areas of work policies. To speak about their deployment in your organisation, please call us on 1800 266 1800.