Ransomware hackers are now going after supply chain companies

Cybercriminals have started to target some of the world’s biggest logistics companies at a precarious moment for supply chains. The attacks threaten to disrupt global efforts to clear out the backlogs of undelivered cargo choking ports and warehouses to ease freight delays and high shipping prices.

Expeditors, a Seattle-based company that coordinates land, sea, and air shipments in over 300 locations around the world, was hacked on Feb. 20. The company shut down most of its IT network and said it has “limited ability to conduct operations.” Cybersecurity analysts suspect the hack was a ransomware attack, in which cybercriminals lock up a company’s data and demand a ransom in exchange for its safe return.

Expeditors is the world’s sixth largest freight forwarder—a middleman that helps businesses book space on trucks, container ships, and cargo planes. The firm coordinated over 900 million metric tons of air cargo shipments and 1.1 billion containers of ocean freight shipments in 2020. While its systems are down, Expeditors can’t book any new shipments, track where existing cargo is, or shepherd it through customs at ports around the world. The company’s paralysis may drag on for weeks as cybersecurity consultants work to restore its IT network.

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