Tips to Protect Personal and Company Information From Cybercriminals  

If you follow transportation and logistics news, then every now and then you’ll come across a story about how a major trucking or shipping company was hit by a cybersecurity attack and how costly it was to recover from it. 

While it’s not often you see these headliner stories, cybersecurity attacks happen more often than you might think. In fact, various reports over the last two years estimate that transportation has moved up to the top 5 industries most susceptible to experience a cybersecurity attack. In 2018 alone, there were more than 1,200 data breaches in the industry, exposing more than 444 million records according to a report by the Identity Theft Resource Center. The average cost for those companies to recover from a breach? About $3.77 million.  

That’s a significant financial hit to any company, let alone the time it takes to unravel the damage an attack caused. Time better spent elsewhere. The good news is, about 90 percent of the attacks that do occur are preventable according to Gartner Research. It takes a collective effort – from office staff to drivers – to protect company and personal information from getting into the hands of cybercriminals. Here’s what you can do to help prevent a data breach from occurring. 

Secure Networks 

With many people continuing to work from home due to COVID-19, it’s a good idea to check your home Internet network to ensure it is secure. Oftentimes, it’s easier for hackers to breach home networks since there are typically fewer protections compared to networks found at the office. To limit your risk of experiencing an attack, establish a firewall and run anti-malware programs across all of your connected devices. And use a virtual private network to properly secure your Internet connection. 

Passwords 

Don’t underestimate the importance of passwords. Create strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts and devices. If you’re using the same password for most or all of your accounts and devices, you’re putting yourself at extreme risk in the event one of them is compromised. Switch it up and change your passwords semi-regularly. It can be difficult to keep track of your passwords, so use a trusted password manager to help keep them organized.  

Spam Emails and Phone Calls 

If you receive an email that claims you’ve received a prize, free trip to Hawaii or anything that appears too good to be true, it most certainly is. It will likely contain a link for you to click on, but don’t. When you look closely at the email, you’ll likely see it was sent from some odd-looking email address. Most of us have received these before. The one’s that do catch people off-guard are the one’s that suggest you need to update your email, web browser or some other item that on the surface, would appear to make sense. But again, if you look closely at the contents of the email and sender, you’ll know it’s spam. When you see these types of emails come in, simply report them as spam and delete them. It’ll help your email recognize and block potential virus-containing emails from appearing in your inbox. Never respond to these emails with any personal information. 

When it comes to incoming calls, never provide personal or company information over the phone unless you’re 100 percent sure of who the caller is. If you receive a call from an unrecognizable phone number and the caller begins asking questions like what your credit card number is, just hang up. If you really do have something going on with your account, contact the business or provider yourself so that you know you’re talking to a legitimate person who can help. It’s always better to safe than sorry.  

Public Wi-Fi 

Drivers are often more susceptible to potential hacks due to the nature of their job. They have less control over what Wi-Fi networks they can use when they’re on the road. It’s a good reminder that public Wi-Fi is in fact, public. Since public Wi-Fi is less secure, it’s a good idea for drivers to avoid logging into accounts that contain financial, personal, or company information that a cybercriminal would want to gain access to. Drivers should instead wait for access to a private Wi-Fi network or use data from their mobile phone plan. 

Dealing with a Cyberattack 

In the event your device or accounts are compromised, it’s smart to have your information and files saved in other places so that you can recover what was lost or damaged. When you’re no longer working on or don’t need classified documents or information, make sure you securely delete them. If you notice suspicious behavior on any of your accounts or devices, be sure to report it to one of your ‘higher ups’ so they can take a look and decide on the right course of action.  

With the industry being one of the most susceptible to experiencing cyberattacks, it’s important to do what you can to protect yourself from having it happen to you. The costs can be very detrimental.   

At Drivewyze, we understand we have a responsibility to protect the information you share with us.  As the leading provider of weigh station bypass and driver safety services, we have multiple systems and layers in place that safeguard and protect driver, vehicle, and site visit information. Our commitment to security and managing information safely is also demonstrated by our SOC2 certification, an international gold-standard auditing procedure conducted through third-party audits. Additional controls include end-to-end encryption and third-party penetration tests on our systems to ensure we find and resolve any possible security vulnerabilities before they can be used maliciously. All Drivewyze employees must regularly complete security and data handling training to properly handle your information and to identify any suspicious behavior. If you have any questions or comments, we look forward to hearing from you at security@drivewyze.com.