When the National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) cybersecurity team examines cyber-enabled cargo crime, we see three distinct security practices required to successfully combat this threat: cybersecurity, operational security, and physical security.
Most of us in transportation are already familiar with the requisite physical security controls to mitigate the threat of cargo crime or at least reduce it to an acceptable level. We are also becoming more accustomed to the cybersecurity requirements expected of fleets of all sizes to safely compete in the modern, connected transportation ecosystem.
So, what about operational security? Operational security is the unsung hero in the fight against cargo crime. It is also one of the most stubborn components of our defensive strategy to develop. Why? Because it requires a whole-of-enterprise approach to be effective.
The term “operational security,” or OPSEC, is often associated with the defense community. Specifically, during the Vietnam era under Operation Purple Dragon, the U.S. military and intelligence community began using the term OPSEC during their efforts to analyze why North Vietnamese forces consistently anticipated U.S. military operations. During this project, they realized that insecure communications and operational behavior, rather than technological failure, were allowing the enemy to consistently gain intelligence. Controls were then developed to limit the exposure of this sensitive information through preventable lapses in operational processes. This concept can be applied directly to transportation in the context of cargo crime.
“Operational processes” is a bit of a fuzzy term, so let’s clarify the topic further.
In the context of cargo crime, secure operational processes might take the form of multi-person authorization requirements for routing changes, or well-defined, documented carrier vetting procedures. Viewed in isolation, each of these processes has a small, albeit measurable, impact on the likelihood of a successful cargo crime incident. However, when viewed as parts of a holistic security strategy across the organization, and coupled with robust cybersecurity controls and strong physical security, these same operational security controls begin to reveal themselves as meaningful security guardrails. They form a virtual backstop and create very real tripwires across the enterprise, making the lives of would-be cargo thieves much more difficult.
Additional areas where operational security comes into play include legal and regulatory compliance and vendor management. Proactively managing compliance both requires and further enhances operational security. Compliance requirements dictate written policies and the documentation of controls, and when these tasks are completed throughout the organization, the result is a more consistently process-driven enterprise with well-documented controls.
These policies and process controls, in turn, help drive greater consistency and better security in vendor management. A vendor’s risk becomes the enterprise’s risk, so the inclusion of more rigorous vendor vetting requirements that are consistently followed (with audit controls built around them) will help reduce the risk the organization onboards.
Operational security is where “good intentions” evolve into documented requirements and repeatable behavior. It’s the difference between a team that usually double-checks a last-minute routing change and one that always does. Cargo thieves thrive on the gaps between systems and teams, on rushed decisions, and on inconsistency and exceptions that quietly become norms. The hard truth is that cyber-enabled cargo crime isn’t only a technology problem, nor is it only a physical security problem. It’s a workflow problem.
Attackers are exploiting the human side of logistics through impersonation, social engineering, falsified credentials, compromised accounts, and “just this once” changes pushed through under pressure. Without strong operational security, your teams are more likely to be successfully manipulated through a phone call, an email, or a convincing story.
Every time you formalize a procedure, require a second set of eyes, verify identity through an out-of-band channel, document exceptions, and audit compliance, you’re building tripwires that force criminals to take more risk, spend more time, and work harder to accomplish their goals. Criminals seek out low-hanging fruit, and solid operational security practices help move your organization out of that territory.
You can start building operational security into your operations today. Pick one high-risk workflow and map it end-to-end. Identify where a single person can approve something consequential; where identity is assumed instead of verified, and where “urgent” overrides “secure.” Then implement two controls: (1) a multi-person authorization step for the highest-impact actions, and (2) a documented verification checklist with auditable evidence. Then train your organization on the new process and measure adherence.
To dig deeper into the relationship among operational security, physical security, and cybersecurity, I recommend reading the NMFTA Cybersecurity Cargo Crime Reduction Framework, available at no charge. Operational security isn’t a paperwork exercise. It’s the enterprise collectively deciding to stop being an easy target.
