How to stay ahead of cargo theft and fraud in 2025
Cyber-enabled cargo theft is rising fast, blending digital intrusion with physical loss. Here’s what logistics, warehousing and retail operators need to know.
- Blog
Summary: Cyber-enabled cargo theft has evolved into one of the fastest-growing threats in logistics.
Criminal networks are merging cyber tactics with physical theft to intercept and redirect shipments, costing companies millions in losses. Strengthening identity verification, remote-access control and cross-partner security protocols is now critical for protecting the modern supply chain.
Cybercriminals are no longer just stealing data; they’re stealing cargo.
From tequila shipments to electronics, a wave of cyber-enabled fraud is targeting logistics networks, freight brokers and warehouses worldwide. Attackers are using remote access tools, fake credentials and compromised email threads to infiltrate systems and divert goods.
This post breaks down how these attacks work, why they’re escalating and how companies can protect themselves with stronger digital hygiene and controlled remote access.
The new face of supply chain threats
Logistics networks are under attack; not just from hackers, but from organized crime groups using digital tools to steal physical goods.
Recent investigations reveal a surge in cyber-enabled cargo theft, where criminals infiltrate logistics and transportation systems to impersonate legitimate brokers or carriers, reroute shipments and resell stolen goods on the black market.
In one high-profile case, two truckloads of premium tequila worth over $1 million were diverted using falsified credentials and fake logistics platforms - a scheme known as double brokering (cbsnews, 2025).
According to Proofpoint research, attackers increasingly rely on remote monitoring and management (RMM) tools to gain unauthorized access, impersonate legitimate brokers and fraudulently bid on shipments - ultimately diverting goods for resale.
The logistics ecosystem’s complexity makes it a prime target for such attacks. With so many parties coordinating high-value freight across multiple platforms, even small security gaps can be exploited. Criminals often use publicly available tools to create bogus carrier identities or impersonate legitimate ones, executing sophisticated schemes that appear credible until it’s too late.
In one case, an Infios customer had a trailer load of electronics picked up by a fake carrier. The criminals delivered part of the load to a legitimate warehouse, then falsified documentation and diverted the remainder to a fraudulent location. By the time the theft was discovered, the fake warehouse was empty - and the perpetrators were long gone.
How cyber-enabled cargo theft works
These attacks exploit the intersection of digital and physical supply chains, where logistics data and execution systems meet. The most common tactics include:
- Phishing and social engineering
Attackers pose as trusted vendors or IT support to trick employees into revealing credentials or approving malicious access requests. - Unauthorized remote access tools
Threat actors deploy RMM software such as ScreenConnect, SimpleHelp and NetSupport to gain system control, often under the guise of remote assistance to infiltrate systems and exfiltrate data. - Compromised email threads
Once inside a network, criminals hijack legitimate business conversations to insert malicious links or redirect shipments without detection.
Each of these methods exploits the weakest link - human trust - to unlock the broader supply chain ecosystem.
Why the threat is growing
Digital transformation has accelerated across logistics, warehousing and retail. With it comes expanded attack surfaces:
- More connected platforms across partners and carriers.
- Increased use of third-party remote access tools.
- Greater reliance on email and messaging for shipment coordination.
While these tools improve efficiency, they also create new entry points for attackers who understand how execution systems communicate.
The result is that cyber threats now cause real-world financial losses that ripple through entire supply networks.
Practical steps to protect your supply chain operations
Building cyber resilience is now an operational imperative. Here are immediate actions logistics and warehouse teams can take:
- Verify identities before sharing credentials or granting access.Ban unapproved remote access tools and require IT authorization for all external connections.
- Restrict administrative privileges to essential personnel only.
- Use approved software and patch systems regularly to reduce vulnerabilities.
- Train teams to recognize phishing attempts and suspicious behavior in emails or platforms.
How Infios safeguards supply chain operations
At Infios, security is foundational to how we build and deliver supply chain technology.
We follow ISO 27001 / SOC2 best practices and enforce strict controls over data handling, remote access and platform integrations across all solutions.
Our system management approach ensures:
- Only authorized remote support methods are permitted.
- Third-party remote-access tools are not allowed within Infios systems.
- Continuous monitoring and audit trails uphold system integrity and compliance.
These standards protect not only our technology but also the resilience of customer operations; from warehousing and transportation to order management and fulfillment.
Our application enables configuration of:
- Robust workflow processes to be setup that can validate credentials and avoid the tendering of freight to inappropriate carriers.
- Workflow steps may also be configured to vet carriers and ensure the carrier is who they say they are.
- Other tools can be configured to avoid double-brokering of freight
- Other steps can be added to force manual validation when things are not obvious.
- Port to port monitoring of AIS and port berth data for ocean shipments to detect unplanned berthing or offloading.
- Collection of missing and late events signaling unplanned disruptions in planned ETA and status messages.
