Cybersecurity for the Logistics sector | Hunt & Hackett

Over the past few years Hunt & Hackett has observed a discerning increase in the activity of Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups in the logistics sector. Logistics has long been the backbone of global trade, seamlessly connecting economies and ensuring the smooth flow of goods. But as the industry rapidly digitizes, it has become an increasingly attractive target for cyber threats.

One might not immediately assume that the logistics industry is a valuable target; after all, financial institutions have the money and government entities have the information hackers desire, right? Not quite. In fact, logistics companies manage vast amounts of sensitive data, and private and public entities depend on their operations every single day. These factors make them highly vulnerable to attacks.

How can you address this growing threat?

There is this legendary quote from Sun Tzu on how to overcome your adversaries: 'know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated'. To know your enemy starts with gaining an understanding of yourself, your threat landscape, your adversaries’ intentions, their modus operandi, and specific attacking methods. On this page, the cyber threats to the logistics sector are explored. Understanding the full picture of the challenges our clients may encounter helps us in doing what we do best: ensuring security for your business from specific cyber threats targeting your organization.

	Logistics	Logistics + related	Broader focus	All known
APTs	94	136	193	781
TTPs	1,674	1,998	2,458	4,109
Attack tools	1,474	1,577	1,996	3,616

Our proprietary threat diagnostic system shows a discernible increase in malicious activity targeting the logistics sector. As logistics companies race to keep up with rising global demand amid supply chain disruptions, cybercriminals are taking advantage of the pressure. If you operate in the sector, the risks of cyber-attacks, including intellectual property (IP) theft, ransomware, data breaches, and espionage, are escalating, especially if the appropriate defenses are not in place.

January 1, 2022
16:00 PM

Port of Nagoya

2023

In July 2023, the Port of Nagoya -Japan’s largest and most critical port – was crippled by a ransomware attack. The attack was attributed to the notorious LockBit 3.0 group, who were also responsible for a similar incident earlier that year against the Port of Lisbon. Unlike in Portugal, where no operational activities were compromised, the Nagoya attack resulted in the shutdown of the port’s entire network, disrupting communications and bringing import and export operations to a complete halt. Not only were major companies like Toyota directly impacted, but it is also estimated that 10% of Japan’s total trade was disrupted, causing significant economic strain. Nagoya’s response was commendable: isolating affected servers and restoring systems from backups helped minimize long-term damage, and operations resumed after a two-day suspension. However, the attack highlighted the devastating consequences of cyber threats on global supply chains.[1]

January 1, 2022
16:00 PM

Poland Railway

2023

In August 2023, Poland’s railway network – which is pivotal in supplying Ukraine with its weaponry and other resources – faced a severe cyber disruption when attackers hijacked railway frequencies, broadcasting pro-Putin recordings and triggering emergency stoppages.[2] Although services were restored within hours, the incident demonstrated how easily disruptions can bring critical transport infrastructure to a standstill. The ripple effects of such disruptions extend beyond national borders, jeopardizing supply chains that rely on seamless rail operations for cargo movement. This wasn’t an isolated event in the context of the war in Ukraine either. In 2024, GPS interference by Russia disrupted flights over the Baltics and Finland. While the logistics sector may not always be the primary target in the conflict in Eastern Europe, these incidents highlight its vulnerability. Whether through direct attacks or collateral damage, the industry remains at risk.

January 1, 2022
16:00 PM

KNP Logistics

2023

In September 2023, KNP Logistics, one of the UK’s largest and oldest privately owned logistics firms, collapsed under the weight of a devastating ransomware attack. The attack crippled critical systems, compromised financial data, and ultimately left the company unable to secure the investment and funding needed to stay afloat. Within weeks, operations ground to a halt, and over 700 employees lost their jobs.[3] This is the worst-case scenario—a cyberattack so severe that it doesn’t just disrupt business but destroys it entirely. For logistics companies, the stakes couldn’t be higher; a single breach can mean operational paralysis, financial ruin, and the end of decades of business.

The threat landscape for the logistics sector is constantly evolving. On one hand, the industry is rapidly digitizing, integrating advanced technologies to optimize efficiency and streamline operations. On the other hand, threat actors are adapting just as quickly, refining their tactics to exploit new vulnerabilities. As logistics companies become increasingly interconnected, they also become more exposed to sophisticated cyber threats. Below are some of the key trends shaping the cybersecurity challenges in the sector today.

The expanding attack surface

The growing impact of disruption and costs of cyberattacks

Global legislative efforts

To defend against this threat landscape, it is equally important to gain critical insights into the current resilience level of your organization. To understand thyself it is useful to let (third-party) security specialists assess your defenses and simulate meaningful attacks. When done right, such an approach provides critical insights into the resilience level of the organization against its threat landscape. Hunt & Hackett use its proprietary threat modelling-based approach with its clients in the logistics sector to provide meaningful insights as well as tailored solutions for the strategical, tactical, and operational aspects of their cybersecurity program.

In their fight against cyber attacks, our customers typically go through several stages of maturity. By ramping up their prevention, detection and incident readiness over time – and optimizing this for their actual threat landscape – they reach a point where they have developed solid resilience against targeted attacks, with only highly controlled and accepted risks remaining.

There is no simple 'fix' to become resilient against the sophisticated cyber threats of today. Without serious resources or processes for systematic security activities, protection against modern cyber threats like ransomware is just a wish. Hunt & Hackett has developed a unique threat- and sector-driven approach to cybersecurity, enabling you to work from your current situation to a highly improved and controlled situation, optimized for your specific threat landscape and context as an organisation.

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STAGE 1: Unknown risk
Pre-monitoring
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Preventitive controls

Limited resilience

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STAGE 2: Reduced risk
Post-monitoring
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Preventitive CIS controls (IG1)

Detection & response controls

Resilience against non-targeted attacks

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STAGE 3: Controlled risk
Implemented roadmap
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Alignment between preventitive, detection & response CIS controls (IG2)

Resilience against non-targeted and semi-targeted attacks

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STAGE 4: Highly controlled risk
Targeted attack resilience
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Full redundancy between preventitve, detection & response CIS controls (IG3)

Resilience against against advanced targeted attacks