The cyber war on trucking, logistics & supply chain - 2025–2026 threat analysis.
Ransomware attacks on transport and logistics more than doubled in 2025, to 283, and trucking and freight firms made up the large majority of victims. The full threat analysis - and a defense playbook.
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Ransomware attacks on transport and logistics more than doubled in 2025, to 283, according to Cyble, and trucking and freight firms made up the large majority of victims. This is a comprehensive threat analysis - and a defense playbook.
Why hackers chose trucking
Trucking moves most of the freight in the United States. Every container port, grocery distribution center, and Amazon fulfillment hub depends on trucks arriving on schedule. That dependency - the fact that a delayed truck is an immediate dollar loss - is exactly what ransomware operators exploit.
The math is simple: a carrier that can't dispatch for 48 hours has two options. Pay the ransom, or watch revenue evaporate. Most small and mid-size carriers have no incident response plan, no offline backups, and no SOC watching for threats. Attackers know this.
Cyble 2025 Transport & Logistics Threat Report
Ransomware syndicates launched 283 verified attacks against transport and logistics firms in 2025 - surpassing 2023 and 2024 combined (242 attacks). Four groups - CL0P, Qilin, Akira, and Play - drove 57% of incidents.
The six attack vectors targeting your fleet
- ★Dispatcher phishing - fake broker emails install a remote access tool. Attackers gain full control of your TMS and load board accounts.
- ★Ransomware deployment - malware encrypts dispatch, ELD platforms, and payroll. Without backups, most pay.
- ★Cyber-enabled cargo theft - attackers hijack broker or carrier accounts on load boards, post fraudulent listings, and physically redirect high-value shipments. The FBI cited $725M in total cargo theft losses for 2025.
- ★Double-brokering fraud - criminals impersonate legitimate carriers, accept real loads, then re-broker them while pocketing the difference or stealing the cargo.
- ★ELD & telematics exploitation - unpatched ELD devices and GPS trackers are entry points into the carrier's corporate network.
- ★Third-party / supply chain breach - a vulnerable TMS vendor, fuel card processor, or factoring company gets compromised, and every carrier on that platform inherits the breach.
Real incidents that destroyed real companies
Knights of Old (KNP Logistics) - 158 years. One weak password. Zero trucks.
KNP Logistics (Knights of Old), a 158-year-old UK transport company with around 500 trucks, collapsed after a 2023 ransomware attack that began with a guessed employee password. The attackers demanded a ransom of up to £5 million and encrypted critical data, including the backups. Around 700 people lost their jobs. Source: container-news.com.
Expeditors International - three weeks dark, class action filed
Expeditors shut down most of its operating and accounting systems after a cyberattack. The outage lasted three weeks and paralyzed freight management, customs processing, and distribution. Customers including iRobot filed a class action. Source: asimily.com.
The FBI's April 30, 2026 warning
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued a public service announcement targeted specifically at the US transportation and logistics industry. Key findings:
- ★Cargo theft losses in the US and Canada reached about $725M in 2025, a 60% jump over 2024.
- ★Confirmed cargo theft incidents grew 18%; the average value per theft grew 36% to $273,990.
- ★Attackers compromise broker and carrier accounts via phishing and spoofed emails, then post fraudulent listings on load boards.
- ★Criminals alter FMCSA carrier registration details and insurance records to delay detection.
Why small and mid-size carriers are the primary target
Large shippers like Amazon and Walmart have security teams, EDR platforms, and incident response retainers. Most small carriers have none of that. They use shared TMS platforms, generic email providers, and have no IT staff.
Attackers prefer these targets because (1) defenses are weaker, (2) they are deeply interconnected with brokers and shippers who are higher-value targets, and (3) operational pressure - 'we need to move loads today' - makes them more likely to pay ransoms quickly.
The 5 defense layers your company actually needs
24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC)
Ransomware crews typically sit inside a network for days before they encrypt anything. A SOC continuously monitoring your endpoints and network can detect and isolate threats before that happens.
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR)
Every dispatcher laptop, TMS workstation, and office PC needs EDR software. This goes far beyond antivirus - EDR monitors behavior, not just signatures, catching novel malware before it spreads.
Email security and anti-phishing
Most T&L breaches still start with a phishing email sent to dispatch or accounting. Advanced filtering, link sandboxing, and anti-spoofing rules block the vast majority of initial-access attempts.
Immutable, offline backups
The Knights of Old case failed because the attackers also encrypted the backups. A proper backup strategy includes immutable offline copies that ransomware cannot reach - tested and recoverable in hours.
Load board and FMCSA record monitoring
Carriers need alerts when someone updates their FMCSA records or new listings appear under their MC number. Trucking-specific monitoring catches identity theft before shipments disappear.
References and sources
- ★Cyble Research & Intelligence Labs - Ransomware Hits on Logistics Double in 2025 (itln.in).
- ★Cyble - Ransomware Attacks and Supply Chain Threats in 2025 (cyble.com).
- ★Commercial Carrier Journal / Trellix - Transportation & Shipping Cybersecurity Statistics Q1 2025.
- ★FBI / IC3 - Public Service Announcement: Cyber-Enabled Cargo Theft, April 30, 2026.
- ★Burns & Wilcox - Logistics Cyberattacks Set to Double.
- ★Asimily - Largest Transportation and Logistics Cyberattacks of 2025.
- ★IBM - 2025 Cost of a Data Breach Report. Average global breach cost: $4.44M.
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