Cybersecurity provider Trellix recently released its April “CyberThreat Report” revealing an alarming rise in cyberattacks targeting critical U.S. infrastructure, with the freight and logistics sectors now in the crosshairs of nation-state actors and sophisticated ransomware groups.
Between October 2024 and March 2025, the U.S. saw a 136% increase in Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) activity, prolonged and targeted cyberattacks in which an intruder gains unauthorized access to a network and remains undetected for an extended period.
Of particular concern is the role of APT29, also known as Midnight Blizzard, a well-documented cyber espionage group linked to the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. Known for its stealthy, high-level campaigns, APT29 specializes in long-term intrusions that exfiltrate sensitive data without immediate detection.
Trellix researchers report that 55% of APT29’s observed activity in this period specifically targeted the transportation and shipping sectors, signaling a coordinated focus on disrupting or surveilling supply chain operations. For logistics professionals, this suggests that state-sponsored actors are probing for weaknesses not just in physical infrastructure, but also in the digital ecosystems that support freight visibility, scheduling and warehouse management.
Meanwhile, ransomware continues to plague U.S. organizations, with 58% of all global ransomware-related posts traced back to U.S.-based attacks. This reflects an environment where financially motivated criminal groups are increasingly exploiting known and zero-day vulnerabilities, bypassing phishing emails in favor of more direct and technical exploits.
What’s more troubling is the evolution in attacker methods. Rather than relying on suspicious email attachments, cybercriminals are now favoring fileless malware, which hides in memory, and using legitimate Windows tools to execute attacks, making them harder to detect with traditional antivirus solutions.
Learn more about these cybersecurity threats in the Trellix report.
Fraud Clip of the Week 🏅
How did Flexport’s Convoy platform achieve zero thefts over the past 380,000 loads booked?
Dooner asked the guy who runs it on a recent episode of WHAT THE TRUCK?!?
Here’s what Bill Driegert, head of trucking, had to say:
Philly detective unmasks the city’s largest-ever cargo theft ring 🕵️♂️
Lt. George Ackerman of the Philadelphia Police Department was no stranger to crime trends, but when tractor trailers filled with beef, booze, crab legs and TVs began disappearing at an alarming rate in 2022, even his decades of experience couldn’t explain the scale.
What began as sporadic cargo thefts ballooned into a citywide epidemic, particularly across Philly’s 8th District, where over 180 thefts were eventually reported. The goods, often worth millions, vanished without a trace, with no suspects, no patterns and no product ever recovered.
Ackerman, a former trucker himself, became the lead on what would become the city’s largest cargo theft case in modern history. At first, detectives assumed it was a string of isolated jobs. But the thieves always seemed to know exactly where to strike, regardless of drivers’ unique schedules.
A breakthrough came in April 2023, when Ackerman responded to a robbery involving over 2 million U.S. dimes stolen from a U.S. Mint trailer. Surveillance footage showed a highly coordinated team, including scouts, lookouts and loaders, operating in sync.
Ackerman and his team, with support from the FBI, Secret Service and state police, slowly began to unravel the group. Cell tower data, surveillance footage and even Coinstar deposits pointed to a tightly knit crew based in the area. Their incriminating texts, bragging about “liquor and cow feet” dinners, confirmed their role in more than $1.5 million in thefts.
Learn more about Ackerman’s detective work from Philadelphia magazine here.
Join us at our Freight Fraud Symposium in Dallas next week 🎉
Be part of the solution that stops freight fraud in its tracks. Let’s cut through the noise and address this issue head-on!
Freight fraud has reached a crisis level, and it impacts everyone in the industry. It’s time for us to come together to address this critical problem and share best practices on how to mitigate it.
Join us on May 14 in Dallas at the Freight Fraud Symposium, where transportation executives, freight leaders and technology buyers will come together to discuss the issues we all face, share lessons learned and get insights on the latest technology to tackle this problem.
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