6 things you’ll learn at NMFTA’s Digital Solutions Conference on Cybersecurity

In the trucking industry, business infrastructure, data and workflows increasingly only exist in online environments. Your business depends heavily on your digital ecosystems’ security, but is it prepared to handle emerging cyberthreats that could lay siege to both your enterprise systems and vehicle networks?

Even the best-equipped companies are vulnerable to security blind spots where increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes can go undetected until it’s too late.

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, so there is no better time than now to get informed about what threats are out there, how they could impact your business and what you can do to prevent them.

Those conversations are happening at the trucking industry’s only conference centered on cybersecurity, the Digital Solutions Conference, taking place in Houston Oct. 22-25.

Hosted by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA), a National Cybersecurity Alliance 2023 Champion organization, the conference is a magnet for professionals in cybersecurity, the trucking industry and supply chain — especially chief information officers, chief technical officers, chief executive officers or simply anyone who interested in cybersecurity in the trucking industry.

Attendees will hear from professionals on the leading edge of the cybersecurity industry, ranging from industry practitioners to representatives from government entities and thought leaders in academia.

Here are the top six things you can expect to learn from them at the conference:

1. How cybersecurity impacts both your enterprise systems and assets. Attendees will have a chance to choose among sessions focused on topics impacting your enterprise systems or your physical assets — including trucks. Get a rundown of the difference between information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) during a presentation hosted by Ernesto Ballesteros, cybersecurity state coordinator for the state of Texas at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in Region 6.

2. Implications of truck hacking. Have you ever considered what could happen if a bad actor gets access to your truck? With enterprise systems and trucks connected through telematics devices, the possibility is there. See it unfold in real time during the can’t-miss live truck hacking demonstration. Then, dig deeper into the implications of vehicle security during a session hosted by Jeremy Daily, Ph.D., of Colorado State University. You will learn about the technologies, tools and methodologies used to investigate and secure heavy-duty trucks.

3. How to secure your APIs. Today, application programming interfaces are integral to data exchange that makes it possible for trucking businesses to connect multiple systems and tools to a centralized platform. Get ready to take notes on insights from this panel discussion, including about the APIs security challenges, best practices and the actionable steps you can take to fortify your trucking business. This panel discussion includes Dan Heinen, president and CEO at Kleinschmidt; David Samples, chief technology officer at Transcard; and Michael Oberlaender, chief information security officer at Global CISO.

4. The future of work, including how to “robot-proof” your career. As machine intelligence continues to become more integrated into our jobs, many people are worried that their careers might become “botsourced.” Nadia Sanders, Ph.D., shares trends to come, what everyone needs to do to prepare and how to “robot-proof” your career.

5. A look at the impacts of ransomware. The transportation industry is often a target of ransomware attacks, which are extremely time-consuming and financially draining. Dan Fitzgerald, director of cybersecurity at A. Duie Pyle, will present a case study of the ransomware incident that occurred at his company in June 2019. The IT team and LTL Operations jumped into action to contain and remediate the situation, and they were able to restore business functions within a week without paying the ransom. This session will provide insight into what led up to this incident and the measures taken after to prevent it from happening again.

6. Outlook on the trends ahead for 2024. As innovative technology becomes increasingly interwoven into businesses, cybersecurity threats are also evolving and growing in sophistication. Learn about the expected threats, attacks and trends that are on the horizon for next year and how to prepare for them. 

The panel discussion includes Ben Gardiner, senior cybersecurity research engineer at NMFTA; Jonathan Martinez, supervisory transportation security inspector of pipeline and cyber for Region 4, within the Security Operations at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Clarke Skoby, technical special agent for the U.S. Secret Service (USSS); and Shelley Thomas, senior vice president  at Marsh. It will be moderated by Antwan Banks, director of enterprise security at NMFTA.

NMFTA has a long history as a trucking membership organization focused on helping to elevate trucking businesses through standards and classifications. For more than a decade, it has been pushing forward awareness and education of cybersecurity so companies in the transportation industry can protect themselves in the digital age.

There’s still time to register for the event. Visit nmftacyber.com now to save your spot.

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Editor: Jenny Glasscock