Cybersecurity requires community involvement

MIAMI — The airfreight industry recognizes the need for digitalization, but moving toward it requires community buy-in for optimal security. For digital innovators, cybersecurity is at the core of their operations. “Cybersecurity is a real problem,” Amar More, chief executive officer for digital solutions group Kale Logistics, told Air Cargo World at The International Air Cargo Association’s air cargo forum last week. [caption id="attachment_57132919" align="alignright" width="409"] © Can Stock Photo / stevanovicigor[/caption] For DSV, securing processes is a high priority to maintain customer trust, Mads Ravn, executive vice president and head of global air freight procurement, said. After freight forwarders like Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Swissport and Expeditors International experienced cyberattacks, DSV’s customers have become more concerned and more inclined to diversify their agreements than rely on a single forwarder. “We’re doing everything we can,” Ravn said. “Are you ever going to be 100% safe? Probably not. We are certainly taking it extremely seriously.” Safety measures Authentications, logins and patching must happen regularly and at the highest level, and a digital service provider is the most equipped to handle those services, Yuval Baruch, chief executive at Hermes, a cargo management system developer, told Air Cargo World . “The more connectivity there is, the more resilient you want your environment to be,” Baruch said. DSV vets every person who gains access to its systems and remains “extremely strict” on its EDI and API connections, Ravn said. Beyond the IT team, employees go through mandatory training and receive phishing email tests, Stefan Krikken, airfreight procurement head for DSV North America, said. Safer in the cloud Some stakeholders hold the misguided opinion that digitalizing processes leaves operations more vulnerable to cyberattacks, but Kale tries to "bust this myth," Kale’s More said, adding that “paper [processes] can get compromised by a can of beer.” Duplicate copies of important paperwork also present a security risk, he added, noting that Kale’s customers recognize this. “There are so many copies of the same paper floating around and that copy can go to your competitor or somebody who wants to harm you.” “These tech companies that are new have the infrastructure to develop solutions that ensure they’re compliant with data protection and that they are ready to face any kind of cyberattack,” Cedric Millet, president of digital solutions equity group CargoTech, told Air Cargo World . Hermes’ Baruch echoed the sentiments of More and Millet, and teaches his customers that proper deployment of a SaaS provides more security than an internal IT team. A community focus Cybersecurity attacks typically target a weak link in a company’s operations, and logistics providers should remain vigilant against all opportunities for leaks, experts said. “This industry is made up of so many small players and they do not have adequate cybersecurity infrastructure,” More said. “Whereas, if you use something like a community platform where you’ve got seven layers of security and cyber-liability … it adds an additional layer.” Best practices should be used and shared among industry members, “because you’re as good as your weakest link," Millet said. “You cannot do it alone — you need to be together with the community to address this kind of issues.” Join Air Cargo World for our next webinar, “Dangerous goods in focus: Shoring up air cargo logistics,” on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 11 a.m. ET. Click here for more information and to register.

Cybersecurity requires community involvement

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