The American Trucking Associations recently joined the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center, a global information sharing community that gathers and disseminates information about cybersecurity risks facing connected vehicles around the world.
Through this strategic alliance, ATA is enhancing its efforts to develop and promote best practices in cybersecurity that strengthen the industry’s defenses and prepare for new and emerging threats on the horizon. The alliance provides additional support and resources to ATA’s existing Fleet CyWatch program with added cybercrime analysis capabilities and response guidance for member fleets.
“The addition of the American Trucking Associations as strategic partners adds to the hard-working team of members and partners who are focused on driving the industry's proactive efforts to incorporate strong security measures into every phase of the vehicle lifecycle," said Jeff Massimilla of General Motors, who serves as Auto-ISAC’s chairman.
The alliance is the latest in a series of initiatives taken by ATA in the area of cybersecurity. In February 2018, American Trucking Associations launched Fleet CyWatch--a member-led benefit program for fleets to report cybercrimes, receive analytic support, and incorporate latest developments on cybersecurity industry issues, alerts, best practices and national security awareness. The program coordinates with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and federal officials to provide motor carriers with information and recommendations in the areas of cybersecurity awareness, prevention and mitigation.
“As digital technology advances and the world grows increasingly connected, it is critically important that we unite America’s passenger and commercial vehicle expertise to combat emerging threats and safeguard key transportation modes,” said Chris Spear, president and chief executive officer of ATA. “This relationship with Auto-ISAC puts us at the cutting edge and, along with ATA’s Fleet CyWatch program, will strengthen trucking’s security posture in the evolving global marketplace.”
At the ATA Technology Maintenance Council’s inaugural Fleet Data Management and Cybersecurity Conference in June, TMC unveiled its new Cybersecurity Issues Taskforce. Chaired by Mark Zachos of DG Technologies, the taskforce will ballot the first of several cybersecurity recommended practices to be released later this summer.
“Security is a process,” said Zachos. “There’s working on awareness, the sharing of information, and conducting penetration testing to find where a company might be vulnerable. There is a lot of work to do.”