Cyberattacks on logistics are a growing threat. Unfortunately, it is not possible to predict when and where the next incident will take place.
That does not mean you are powerless in the face of cybercrime. It is possible to globally monitor cyberattacks on logistics operators. This enables early warnings to mitigate the impact of the cascading disruptions that inevitably follow.
Whether you work in logistics, or rely on carriers, 3PLs, ports, and other crucial transportation nodes, this is a risk that you should not ignore.
Given the rise in cyberattacks on logistics, here we take a look at different types of cyber incidents, the motivations behind them, and what you can do to protect your operations and bottom line.
Why Cybercriminals Target Logistics
The global transportation and logistics industry is the lifeblood of global trade and modern commerce. Whether inbound material, intra-company transfers, or finished goods distribution, these interconnected networks ensure that goods move from production facilities to the end customer, across town, across the country, or around the world.
Unfortunately, because transportation networks are so crucial to the global economy, they are an increasingly attractive target for cyber criminals. The transportation sector has become one of the top ten industries most affected by ransomware.
The numbers paint a grim picture. Data from Everstream Analytics reveals a dramatic increase of 61% between 2024 and 2025. Looking further back, the increase is a staggering 965% between 2021 and 2025. This exponential growth underscores the growing threat of cyberattacks on logistics.
Wide Attack Surface
The industry’s reliance on digital infrastructure for everything from port operations and shipping schedules to customs handling and inventory systems creates a vast attack surface for criminals to exploit.
Across different locations a manufacturer could be digitally connected to customs brokers, freight forwarders, ocean carriers, local domestic trucking companies, 3PLs and so forth.
These service providers may have vastly different IT systems, cyber security controls, and employee security protocols. All of these could pose potential weak links that hackers could exploit to access digital systems.
Urgency Adds Extra Pressure
Successfully servicing customers means you need to have the right product, in the right place, at the right time. As a result, all aspects of the transportation and logistics industry experience some amount of time pressure.
For goods with short shelf lives, the pressure is even greater. Therefore, it is perhaps unsurprising that cybercriminals have turned their attention to food distribution. Last year saw an attack on U.S. food distributor United Natural Foods leading to shortages at popular grocery store Whole Foods.
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, Peter Green Chilled suffered an attack. Peter Green Chilled supplies Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the U.K.
Logistics operators may feel additional pressure to pay ransoms when they are servicing large customers and supplying essentials such as fresh food.
Human Error is the Weakest Link
Although the nature of cyberattacks is becoming more sophisticated, the biggest vulnerability is human error.
In 2025, a weak password allowed hackers to gain access to a158-year-old transport company in the United Kingdom, KNP.
A ransomware gang infiltrated KNP’s systems and encrypted their data. KNP was unable to pay the ransom and lost all its data. This forced KNP to close operations, and 700 people lost their jobs.
Figure 1: Many cybercriminals are motivated solely by financial gain; others extort money but may also sell sensitive data; some engage in espionage.
Financially Motivated Attacks
The vast majority of cyberattacks are financially motivated. According to Microsoft’s latest Digital Defense Report, as much as 80% of investigated cyber incidents in 2025 were aimed at data theft, with extortion and ransomware being the primary drivers, while only 4% were purely for espionage purposes.
The laws governing reporting cyber incidents vary around the world, with some countries having significantly stricter requirements regarding data breaches. Particularly if attack compromises personal data or other sensitive information, impacts essential services such as healthcare or finances, or if a publicly traded company suffers an attack.
In some cases, the law allows companies to pay the ransom and report the payment within 24 hours.
The sad truth is that sometimes, cybercrime, really does pay.
Leak-Only Ransomware Attacks
Not all ransomware attacks use encryption to extort companies. “Leak-only” ransomware are data exfiltration attacks. Hackers steal sensitive data and threaten to publicly release it unless the company pays a ransom. Since no encryption takes place, a company might not even know that it has been breached until it receives an extortion threat.
Reports from the second half of 2025 have noted the emergence of a leak-only
cybercriminal organization, known as the “Coinbase Cartel”. One of the group’s major focus areas is transportation, logistics, and related industries.
The Geopolitical Dimension
Adding another layer of complexity to the threat landscape is the involvement of state-sponsored actors. Groups from Russia, China, and Iran have been observed launching coordinated campaigns against critical maritime infrastructure.
These attacks are often highly sophisticated and have geopolitical motivations, further blurring the lines between cybercrime and international conflict.
Notable events from last year include widespread attacks on Western logistics firms across 11 countries. Reports suggest that the cyber espionage group known as “Fancy Bear” or “APT28” carried out the attacks.
Russian-led cyberattacks is a key element of its hybrid warfare strategy against European nations. These attacks are not only increasing in frequency, with a 25% rise against NATO countries in the past year.
A related threat is the increasing use of drones and GPS jamming by Russian operatives in the Baltic Sea area. These hybrid warfare tactics have caused significant disruptions to logistics networks across Europe, impacting air, ground, rail, and sea transportation.
