MONTERREY, NL. – The logistics and transportation sector is a significant target for cyberattacks, primarily ransomware, which accounts for around 10.9% of all victims of this type of crime.

Leonel Navarro, Global Information Security Practice VP & Offering Manager at Softtek , commented that, according to data from the Barcelona-Catalonia Logistics Center, this year supply chains have registered a 60% year-on-year increase in this type of incident.

“Why is this type of incident increasing? I think we have a hard time associating the effect that technology has on our daily lives, especially on the operations we carry out as part of our business. It is clearly a serious problem for companies because it stops their operations,” he said.

During the panel Cybersecurity Challenges in the Supply Chain within the Supply Chain Security Day 2024 , awarded by the  Security Cluster for International Trade, he also said that phishing is a problem for the sector.

He explained that this technique involves sending emails to victims in order to steal their information.

He mentioned that there has been an increase in the theft of credentials that aims to disrupt supply chains through the exposure of confidential information, data manipulation, route diversions, delivery delays, and of course the monetization of this data.

He also explained that, while through artificial intelligence, companies can obtain benefits in the optimization and efficiency of operations through accurate predictions of demand and inventory management, efficiency of logistics and distribution , improvement in efficiency in route design and time management, real-time monitoring, reduction of operating costs, to name a few, it also allows for the automation of various business processes.

However, it can also be used to optimize the execution of fraud or identity theft campaigns .

For this reason, Leonel Navarro mentioned that some strategies for supply chain assurance consist of identifying risk exposure , through the identification of critical systems and suppliers, their risk assessment and identification of vulnerabilities, the generation of policies according to the level of risk ” because we do not want an inefficient supply chain either .”

Additionally, develop incident response plans , strengthen cybersecurity tools, and very importantly, train employees and suppliers.

“There is a lot of work to be done. Cybersecurity is not just a technological problem, it is a business problem and in some countries it is a national security problem. Imagine that you need to bring food home and the supermarkets are empty, without food, because the supply chains do not work, it is a very relevant problem,” he said.

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Carlos Ochoa, Branch Chief Communications, Standards, and Policy CTPAT Program Office of Field Operations of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) , said via video call that climate change is an enormous challenge not only for companies, but for governments.

During the panel Working to Support CBP’s Green Strategy at the event organized by the  International Trade Security Cluster , he mentioned this phenomenon not only affects the logistics chain, but also supply chain security.

He explained that phenomena such as floods or fires that have occurred in different countries cause containers to be stopped, as well as trucks to be unable to circulate.

 “Supply chains are being severely affected by climate change. Stuck cargo is cargo at risk, obviously when it is stuck in a yard or port, on a ship or near a border, someone can break the seal,” he said.

He also explained that this phenomenon also affects transportation, human potential and production.

He said, for example, that the drought has had an impact on the Yangtze River in China and on the movement of ships and cargo. At the same time, it has had an impact on the Panama Canal and its consequences on the supply chain.

“Extreme temperatures affect product production, they affect human potential. Climate change affects us all and companies differently. The more specialized the supply chain is, such as the semiconductor industry, the clearer the impact can be for an intermediate player, since the supply of a critical input may only be available from the source that has been interrupted,” said Carlos Ochoa.

However, he said that supply chains are also key to fighting climate change “because as companies we must help with this global challenge, because it is key to work with supply chains since they generate around 60% of carbon emissions worldwide and at the same time are being affected, that is where we have the dilemma.”

For this reason, he said that companies must adopt various actions such as adopting advanced data management practices, developing reverse logistics plans for the reuse of products, use of electric vehicles, use of biofuels, among others.

While customs must also face this challenge, CBP, through the green strategy implemented in 2022, seeks to encourage green trade, accelerate green innovation, and improve resource efficiency and climate resilience.

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