ORBCOMM, a trucking and fleet management solutions provider, has confirmed that a ransomware attack has led to recent service outages, severely affecting trucking companies’ fleet management capabilities.
The attack, which occurred on September 6, 2023, impacted ORBCOMM’s FleetManager platform and Blue Tree product line, rendering services like asset tracking and Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) unusable.
Furthermore, truckers have resorted to paper logs as a temporary measure, with concerns about potential service disruptions as they can only use paper logs for eight days out of every 30.
Additionally, the company has initiated an investigation, enlisting external cybersecurity experts to address the situation promptly. Although specific details about the ransomware attack remain undisclosed, ORBCOMM has assured customers that its other systems and service offerings remain operational.
The US Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a waiver allowing truckers to use paper logs until service is fully restored, no later than September 29, 2023.
This outage has had a significant impact on some of the nation’s largest freight transportation companies, affecting their ability to track fleets and inventory effectively. The identity of the ransomware operation responsible for the attack remains unknown due to the confidential nature of the investigation.
