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6 min read Articles

How hackers are helping criminal gangs hijack truck deliveries

Cargo hijackings are rising, with cybercriminals using remote access tools to track and divert shipments of high-end goods from delivery trucks globally. (Updated)
a photo at night of a delivery truck in the background on a road, heading past street lights.
Photo by Takashi Sakamoto / Unsplash

Over the past year or so, a number of delivery vehicles packed with high-end goods have vanished into thin air, likely stolen. A truck of electronic vapes in California, a lorry of lobster meat in Massachusetts, and other valuable goods, from electronics to energy drinks.

The latest suspected heist includes around 12 tons of missing promotional KitKat chocolate bars. The KitKat maker Nestle said sophisticated schemes aimed at stealing cargo are an "escalating issue" for businesses of all sizes.

What might seem like a scattering of disappearing deliveries, security researchers point to a wider collaboration between cybercriminal hackers and organized crime gangs that carry out cargo thefts in the real world. The hackers are using compromised broker accounts, fake emails, phishing sites, and the use of remote access software to slip into and gain control of critical shipping systems to divert shipments. 

The FBI now says these schemes are highly effective, and on the rise.

In this article, we'll explore how hackers are carrying out these cargo thefts, and what companies should be on the look out for, given hacks targeting the shipping "supply chain" can affect any business that relies on sending goods to customers.

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(This article was updated on May 6 with new information from the FBI.)

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