24/7 cybersecurity for trucking, freight forwarders, ports, terminals, and 3PLs across Texas — with 30-minute incident response and TSA-aligned monitoring. The Port of Houston is the #1 US port by foreign tonnage. Laredo is the #1 US land border crossing by trade value. I-35, I-10, and I-45 carry $2+ trillion in annual freight. Texas logistics isn't a target of opportunity — it's a target by design.
Transportation and logistics operators run some of the most target-rich IT environments in any sector: ELD devices on 18-wheelers, TMS platforms handling millions in freight payments, OT systems controlling cranes and gate automation at port terminals, and broker-carrier payment flows that move money faster than fraud detection can keep up.
Transportation operators face a patchwork of federal requirements, voluntary guidelines, and customer-driven contractual security demands. The ones below carry the heaviest enforcement and insurance consequences.
| Framework | Applies To | Deadline / Status | CoreRecon Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSA Security Directive 2021-02C Extended to surface transportation per TSA 2024 update |
Pipeline operators; TSA has extended cybersecurity requirements to surface transportation including freight rail and highway operators handling HAZMAT | Active — TSA SD Pipeline-2021-02C in force; surface transportation SD effective 2024; non-compliance carries civil penalties up to $11,904/day | Sentinel Cybersecurity Coordinator function, 12-hr CISA reporting workflow. Fortress TSA-specified cybersecurity measures (access control, segmentation, detection). Command Full TSA gap analysis and remediation documentation |
| CISA TSA-Aligned Voluntary Guidelines Freight rail cybersecurity guidelines |
Freight rail operators (BNSF, UP, and short-line operators on TX corridors); voluntary but cited in insurance underwriting and customer security questionnaires | Voluntary — but cyber insurance carriers and major shippers increasingly require documented compliance for contract qualification | Fortress OT/IT boundary monitoring, rail OT asset inventory, ICS anomaly detection aligned to CISA rail guidelines |
| C-TPAT Cybersecurity Criteria CBP cross-border carrier security program |
Carriers, freight forwarders, and brokers with C-TPAT certification handling cross-border trade through Laredo, El Paso, and Brownsville crossings | C-TPAT cybersecurity criteria incorporated into Minimum Security Criteria (MSC) — required for certification; CBP validation audits include cybersecurity review | Sentinel Basic IT security controls meeting C-TPAT MSC baseline. Fortress Network segmentation, access control, and partner risk management for C-TPAT validation documentation |
| FMCSA Cybersecurity Guidance ELD and telematics security |
Motor carriers subject to FMCSA Hours of Service regulations using ELD-compliant devices; FMCSA guidance covers ELD cybersecurity, telematics data protection, and carrier network security | Guidance issued 2024 — voluntary framework; FMCSA has signaled intent to formalize requirements as rulemaking; carriers using ELDs with known firmware vulnerabilities face carrier liability exposure | Sentinel ELD/telematics monitoring, credential protection, anomaly detection on fleet management systems. Fortress Third-party ELD vendor access management, fleet telematics network segmentation |
| SOC 2 — Shipper Data Handling Customer contract requirement for 3PLs |
3PLs and freight brokers handling shipper PII, EDI data, supply chain manifests, or sensitive cargo documentation for Fortune 500 shippers who require supply chain partner security attestation | Contract-driven — major shipper RFPs increasingly require SOC 2 Type II or equivalent; not meeting this standard removes 3PLs from consideration for large shipper contracts | Command SOC 2 Type II readiness assessment, gap remediation, evidence collection, and audit support; dedicated vCISO for ongoing SOC 2 program management |
Texas logistics infrastructure is the most concentrated freight target surface in North America. Seven corridors alone represent over $1 trillion in annual freight movement — and each has a specific cybersecurity vulnerability profile that nation-state actors and ransomware affiliates have documented in their own target research.
These aren't anomalies — they're the reference cases that ransomware affiliates use to set ransom demands for the next logistics operator they hit.
Estes Express Lines — one of the largest LTL carriers in the US with $3B+ in annual revenue and 20,000 employees — was hit by ransomware in October 2023. The attack disrupted TMS and dispatch operations, took down customer-facing tracking systems, and exposed data on an estimated 20,000+ individuals.
The incident demonstrated the specific vulnerability pattern for large LTL carriers: TMS systems are deeply integrated with both customer-facing portals and internal dispatch operations, meaning a single ransomware event simultaneously disrupts operations, exposes customer data, and creates a public-facing service outage that immediately impacts shipper confidence and contract renewals. Recovery took weeks, not days.
Source: Maine AG breach notification; SecurityWeek reporting October 2023. CoreRecon had no involvement in this incident.
KNP Logistics Group — the UK's largest privately-held logistics operator at the time — suffered an Akira ransomware attack in 2023. The breach itself was disruptive, but what caused the company's collapse was the aftermath: the inability to secure recovery financing once lenders and investors had visibility into the operational damage and data exposure.
This is the under-reported consequence of logistics ransomware: the breach doesn't kill the company — the loss of shipper confidence, the inability to attest to data security in customer questionnaires, and the removal from preferred carrier lists does. KNP entered administration (UK bankruptcy equivalent) in September 2023. 730 jobs lost. The Akira group listed KNP on their data leak site.
Source: KNP Group administration announcement; Bleeping Computer reporting 2023. CoreRecon had no involvement in this incident.
10-endpoint minimum. Month-to-month. Designed for carriers, 3PLs, freight brokers, and terminal operators — with OT/SCADA coverage available for port terminals, intermodal yards, and rail signal environments.
OT/SCADA add-on available for terminals and yards. Port terminal operators, intermodal yard operators, and rail facilities with connected operational technology need coverage that goes beyond standard IT monitoring. Command tier includes the OT/SCADA add-on on request — covering terminal operating systems, crane controller networks, gate automation, and rail signal OT environments at custom scope. Pricing based on OT asset inventory.
We map your TMS attack surface, identify exposed ELD/telematics systems, check BEC vulnerability on freight payment flows, and benchmark you against TSA Surface Transportation requirements. No credit card. No commitment. Delivered in 14 days.
Request your free $2,500 assessment →Delivered within 14 days • No credit card • SDVOSB-certified team
TSA Security Directive Pipeline-2021-02C applies directly to pipeline operators. However, the TSA extended cybersecurity requirements to surface transportation — including freight rail, passenger rail, and highway operators handling DHS-designated hazardous materials — via separate directives in 2022–2024. Trucking carriers operating intermodal or handling HAZMAT may fall under TSA surface transportation guidelines. Even carriers not under a specific TSA mandate face cyber insurance carrier requirements and shipper contractual security clauses that functionally impose the same controls as the TSA SD — MFA, network monitoring, IR documentation, and a named security contact. If you're a C-TPAT carrier or handle cross-border HAZMAT, assume you're in scope.
Yes — and FMCSA has acknowledged it publicly. ELD devices communicate over cellular and Bluetooth, have documented firmware vulnerabilities in multiple models, and can serve as a pivot point to access the truck's OBD-II port or the carrier's fleet management system. More immediately: stolen or compromised ELD credentials enable real-time load tracking, which is the primary enabler of cargo theft and double-brokering fraud. Attackers don't need to brick a vehicle — they just need to know where the load is and intercept the assignment before delivery. Sentinel tier includes ELD/telematics credential monitoring, anomaly detection on fleet management systems, and MFA on fleet management portals.
IT scope covers business systems: TMS, freight management platforms, email, financial systems, and EDI integrations with customs brokers and freight forwarders. OT scope covers operational systems: terminal operating systems (TOS) connected to crane controllers and automated gate systems, SCADA for fuel and utility infrastructure on terminal grounds, and vessel scheduling systems with physical operational integrations. Port and terminal operators face both simultaneously — and the convergence between them is the highest-risk surface. An IT breach can force a terminal operator to shut down OT systems as a precaution, exactly as Colonial Pipeline demonstrated. Fortress tier covers IT/OT boundary monitoring and includes OT asset inventory; Command tier adds the OT/SCADA add-on for full terminal coverage and pre-authorized OT isolation authority.
Command tier: 30 minutes from alert to a CoreRecon analyst on the call with your team — any time of day, including weekends and holidays. For a freight operator, a 2am ransomware event on your TMS means dispatch can't assign loads, drivers are stranded at fuel stops, and shippers are waking up to missed delivery windows. Every hour of TMS downtime costs real revenue in missed loads and contract violations. The 30-minute SLA means a credentialed analyst who knows your TMS environment is making containment decisions within half an hour of detection — not filing a ticket and waiting for business hours. Fortress tier carries a 4-hour SLA. Sentinel tier is best-effort with standard priority.
CoreRecon does not advise or facilitate ransom payments. OFAC guidance (updated 2021) prohibits payments to sanctioned entities — and multiple ransomware groups operating against logistics targets are on the OFAC SDN list. The FBI strongly discourages payment: it funds further attacks, doesn't guarantee decryption, and doesn't prevent the attacker from selling your exfiltrated data anyway. Our IR playbook is built around recovery without payment: immutable backup restoration, forensic containment, CISA coordination, and regulatory notification management. Command tier includes immutable backup testing and a pre-authorized recovery playbook — so when the ransom demand arrives, you have a documented recovery path and a decision framework that doesn't start with "how do we buy Bitcoin."
Freight brokers and large shippers increasingly require carrier and 3PL cybersecurity attestations as a contract condition — especially after high-profile BEC fraud on payment flows and the Estes breach. CoreRecon provides annual security attestation documentation suitable for broker and shipper security questionnaires. Fortress tier covers the five controls most commonly required in broker carrier agreements: MFA on systems handling shipper data, network monitoring with documented IR plan, EDR on endpoints with access to shipper PII, immutable backup attestation, and data handling controls documentation. For 3PLs handling sensitive shipper data who need full SOC 2 Type II attestation, Command tier includes SOC 2 readiness program management. Most of your competitors can't answer a shipper security questionnaire — this becomes a competitive differentiator, not just a compliance burden.
Texas logistics operators are the most attacked sector you're not reading about in the news. Our free assessment maps your TMS and ELD attack surface, checks BEC vulnerability on freight payment flows, and benchmarks you against TSA and C-TPAT requirements. No credit card. No commitment. Delivered in 14 days.
Request your free $2,500 assessment →Delivered within 14 days • No credit card • SDVOSB-certified team