Hackers are Helping Steal Freight

 

Cargo theft just got a tech upgrade. According to Proofpoint’s November 2025 report, hackers are teaming up with organized crime groups to hijack freight, not by breaking into trucks, but by breaking into systems.

These aren’t random hackers in hoodies. They’re professionals who know the trucking industry inside and out, including load boards, email threads, dispatch platforms, and how brokers communicate.

Once they get access, they use it to reroute loads, steal high-value freight, and disappear before anyone realizes what happened.

How the Heists Work

Proofpoint found hackers targeting trucking and logistics companies across North America using remote monitoring and remote access software to take over dispatch and email systems. The setup looks like this:

1. Fake load board posts. Compromised accounts post bogus loads that look legitimate.
2. Email thread hijacking. Attackers jump into existing broker-carrier conversations and send malicious links.
3. Direct targeting. They email carriers and 3PLs directly, posing as trusted partners to grab credentials.

Once a carrier clicks the wrong link, a remote access program like ScreenConnect or LogMeIn Resolve installs quietly, giving hackers full control.  

From there, they harvest passwords, watch booking traffic, and hand the stolen intel to organized crime groups that physically pick up and resell the cargo.

Remote access, real cargo: cybercriminals targeting trucking and logistics

The Numbers Are Brutal

Proofpoint tracked nearly two dozen separate attack campaigns against U.S. freight companies between September and October 2025. Some sent fewer than ten emails, while others blasted over a thousand, all focused on transportation.

The National Insurance Crime Bureau estimates $34 billion in annual cargo theft losses, and cyber intrusion is now a major part of that number. A 2025 report by IMC Logistics and the American Trucking Associations linked digital infiltration directly to real-world thefts from Brazil to the United States.

Cargo Theft in America: The Rising Threat to Supply Chain Security

What This Means for Motor Truck Cargo Insurance

Most policies weren’t written for this level of cyber crossover. Traditional cargo coverage expects a stolen truck or trailer, not a stolen identity or hacked dispatch board. If a fraudulent pickup happens because your system got compromised, expect the claim to be slow, disputed, and expensive.

Insurers are already responding by tightening underwriting on cyber-linked cargo risks, requiring two-factor authentication, and suggesting carriers verify pickups and track communication changes. The next generation of cargo theft isn’t about cutting locks. It’s about cutting into your systems.

What Carriers Can Do Now

You can’t stop every hacker, but you can close a lot of doors they like to use.

• Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on every account tied to freight.
• Lock down dispatch computers. No random downloads or shared logins.
• Train dispatchers to verify load details by phone using known contacts, not email replies.
• Run endpoint protection on all office devices and ELD tablets.  We like Motive x Truck U
• If something feels off, pause the load and verify before rolling.
• Report every suspicious email to your insurer, IT provider, and if freight disappears, to NICB or CargoNet.

Truck U Take

Hackers aren’t after just your data. They’re after your freight. Cargo theft isn’t simply a truck stop problem anymore. It’s an inbox problem. Protect your systems the same way you protect your equipment and make sure your motor truck cargo policy actually covers digital theft and fraudulent pickups.

If you want help tightening your cargo coverage, call/text us at 254-294-7798 or email info@trucku.biz.

 

 

Disclosure
This post is for educational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, insurance advice, or a substitute for calling your agent. We’re good, but we’re not psychic. Policies vary, laws change, and courtrooms get weird. Don’t make decisions based solely on something you read on the internet, unless it’s from us, in writing, with your name on it.

All opinions are our own and do not represent the views of any carrier, employer, or underwriting department that occasionally wishes we were quieter on LinkedIn.