The Federal Bureau of Investigations recently released a Private Industry Notification (PIN) that contains valuable information about cybersecurity and electronic logging devices (ELD). The release, officially titled FBI 20200721-001, is something every commercial carrier should take note of as it relates directly to ELD security and managing cyber risk.
The FBI Cyber PIN provides guidance for fleet managers on how to ensure secure electronic logging devices. The federal government mandated use of ELD security devices by all commercial trucking operations starting on Dec. 16, 2019.
In response to the release of FBI 20200721-001, EnVue Telematics CEO Randy Read said the company welcomes questions from fleet managers about the innovative ELD devices the company offers. He also noted the systems offered by EnVue meet the highest cybersecurity standards, including encryption on data transferred using Geotab Drive®.
“In today’s complex IoT world there is nothing more important than to ensure the security of data that is being transmitted in the cloud,” Read said. “EnVue is pleased to be partnered with Geotab, a leader in cyber security in the hosted world of telematics and ELD services. Security of data collected by users of Geotab Drive®, the mobile application for our ELD service, is protected by encryption “at rest” and “in transmission”.
Email Randy Read With ELD Security Questions: rread@et-envue.com
Reasons For Release of FBI 20200721-001
The FBI released 20200721-001 to alert businesses about the critical nature of ELD security. When the federal government issued the mandate for all commercial fleets to use ELD systems, it did not include specific cybersecurity requirements for ELD manufacturers.
The takeaway from the FBI Cyber PIN is that fleet managers should do their due diligence on ELD suppliers and ask them about security information.
“This data is provided to help cyber security professionals and system administrators guard against the persistent malicious actions of cyber actors,” the FBI Cyber PIN states.
How Fleet Managers Can Minimize Cyber Risk
Fleet managers better manage risk by purchasing equipment that meets the highest standards. That requires asking questions. That’s important as the FBI reports that industry and academic research has found many ELD devices do not address cybersecurity.
The FBI statement encourages fleet managers to ask vendors about cybersecurity measures. These include encryption of data, the technical standards met by the device, and whether the device has been tested against cyberattacks.
Neil Cawse, the chief executive officer of Geotab, has said that his company “takes a rigorous approach to data security. Our platform security is designed for end-to-end protection of data.” To ensure the highest level of data protection, the company is “constantly reviewing, improving and validating our security mechanisms and processes, so our systems remain resilient,” Cawse said.
In 2019, Geotab became the first telematics company to achieve FIPS 140-2 validation from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for their cryptographic module. FIPS 140-2 validation is the benchmark for cryptographic modules protecting sensitive information in computer and telecommunication systems for government and military applications in North America. EnVue Telematics invites clients to ask any questions related to FBI 20200721-001 and the Geotab systems offered through the company. Like the FBI, both EnVue and Geotab take ELD security seriously and make protecting client’s systems a priority.
