FBI Reports Show ELD Hacking is on the Rise – Is your Fleet Protected?

FBI Reports Show ELD Hacking is on the Rise – Is your Fleet Protected?

As more and more trucking and fleet operations move online and toward remote management, owners and operators aren’t the only ones reaping the rewards. Online hackers are finding ways to exploit ELD systems (electronic logging devices) with devastating consequences. This is why having a trusted MDM solutions partner like eSquared is key to protecting your mobile devices. eSquared’s technical experts can monitor, manage, and secure employees' mobile devices that are being used in the workplace, making it harder for hackers to get through.

Nobody is Immune from a Ransomware Attack

Recently, a small recycling company had their fleet’s ELD system hacked as a way to gain entrance into their mainframe. This controlled their customer list, payroll information and all financial data for the 16-truck fleet and 13 drivers. Their data was encrypted, however, by targeting the much easier to access and non-encrypted ELD system the hackers were able to install “ransomware.” The ransomware locked the family-owned Massachusetts trucking company completely out of their own data, until the hacker’s demands were met.

“The FBI told us that nobody is immune from a ransomware attack,” a chief executive at the trucking company said, “It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when.” Without an MDM provider like eSquared, your devices are not secure, which could allow private information to easily fall into the wrong hands. Once your confidential data is compromised, the ease of which a data breach or hacking incident can be achieved is endless. Events like this can permanently affect a company’s reputation with consumers and other business partners.

Hackers Use ELD as a Gateway to Your Company’s Most Sensitive Data

While this new method of extracting not only valuable data and money is targeting a relatively non-complex system, the ELD – hackers are able to use this as a gateway to your company’s most sensitive data. One bright spot in the FBI’s report was that these systems can be easily guarded by using an MDM partner; which centralizes your fleets data, telematics and access points into a web-based console that’s easily monitored.

In 2015 alone, over $28 billion was lost in over 475 data breaches which exposed 177+ million records to the dark web, according to OnForce Cybersecurity reports. With a dedicated MDM partner, you can use remote features like Kiosk Mode, remote lockdowns and device wiping to ensure that your sensitive data remains safe and secure – without you or your team having to be in person or on site.

How to Stay Protected

Don’t delay in checking to see if your data partners have strong cybersecurity measures and systems in-place and at the ready. Mobility management is complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

For more than 19 years, eSquared has improved how healthcare, transportation, construction, and service businesses communicate. From wireless and mobile management to mobility telematics, we help your team seamlessly connect with customers, vendors, and each other, while keeping you protected.

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