Fleets, shops need to strengthen networks against cyberattacks

Many of a fleet’s future maintenance problems could be detected and resolved, or even prevented, with the use of remote diagnostics, predictive maintenance, and other digital tools. But those run on a complex network that connects across a fleet’s operation, and these networks are expensive attack surfaces for cybercriminals, competitors, and whoever else wants to get into a fleet's system to steal precious data or damage operations.

“Today, ransomware, data exfiltration, AI-based attacks, and other threats are harder to guard against than ever,” said Aryaka CMO Ken Rutsky. Aryaka provides wide-area networking and network security merging solutions. “When successful, these attacks and breaches can completely paralyze the underlying IT infrastructure that a fleet relies on, bringing day-to-day operations to a halt. This can cost millions of dollars in lost revenue and risks harm to an organization’s brand reputation.”

For example, imagine if a fleet’s network buckles under a cyber attack, and a truck can’t send fault codes back to the office? Or the network is still working, but slowly, so maintenance technicians have to wait longer for video and vehicle health data to support their diagnosis.

But these scenarios aren’t just hypotheticals, as transportation organizations and fleets can be even more vulnerable to these attacks. This is because they rely on siloed networking and security teams and technologies, and they tend to use highly distributed IT deployments across the country, Rutsky continued.

“This siloed approach makes it slow and difficult to identify and respond to cybersecurity threats within the network,” he said, while the widespread and hybrid IT deployments are “more difficult to protect because data is constantly in motion between infrastructure in different locations.”

Network concerns in transportation

Organizations recognize this. In a recent survey of transportation and logistics managers, directors, and operations managers, Aryaka found that four of five respondents said staying on top of network security threats was a top-three challenge. The others were cost-effective modernization (62%) and understaffed IT teams (60%). On the cyberattack front, malware and ransomware were top security concerns (77%), followed by consistent network security policy definition and enforcement (66%), remote access control (64%), and DDOS and network attacks (49%).

These concerns may also be amplified with the rise of generative AI, a tool that could help bad actors create tools to attack fleets more efficiently. But many of the organizations Aryaka surveyed are not ready for the threat AI poses, as only 28% said they have started implementing solutions to deal with GenAI-related network and security issues, and over half said they were still evaluating risks or are unprepared.

As a result, it might be time to approach the maintenance and operation of these networks in a different way, Rutsky argued. After all, as systems on trucks evolve and update, technicians get new tools to work with those systems. In this case, cybersecurity and network maintenance become another part of the puzzle, but with software instead of a socket wrench or multimeter.

“The best way for fleets to mitigate these threats is to modernize their approach to network security via converging networking and security together,” Rutsky asserted. He added that converging the two strengthens a company's networking and security practices, and “enables transportation fleets to accommodate modern IT challenges (like sophisticated cyberthreats or the growing performance demands of genAI).”

Backing up his point, almost half of the organizations in Aryaka's survey found that converging led to more robust operational network and security, with 21% also noting that doing so eased the system’s operational burden, too.

“This approach streamlines management, delivers better connectivity, and provides a more unified view of the network, leading to faster troubleshooting and more effective security measures,” he added.

According to Rutsky, the easiest way for fleets to do this is by adopting Unified SASE technology, which lets companies adopt an integrated secure networking experience that is agile and simple. And the survey stated that 19% of organizations have already done so, while 30% are evaluating or planning to.

Ultimately, transportation and logistics enterprises are entering a period of digital acceleration. With globally distributed facilities and increasing reliance on cloud and AI operations, the need for resilient, high-performance, and secure network infrastructure is urgent. This report confirms the direction of change and underscores the importance of cohesive strategies that support operational scale, visibility, and cyber readiness.