LTL carrier Estes Express has now restored all systems and resumed normal operations after suffering a significant cyberattack in early October.
According to Estes Express President Webb Estes, the company’s technology environment has been hardened and rebuilt to be even more secure than before. Estes praised the company’s customers for their patience and loyalty throughout the disruption caused by the cyberattack.
Scope of the Cyberattack
The cyberattack on Estes is believed to have begun around October 2nd. The attack disabled many of Estes’ internal systems and disrupted services for customers.
Specific functions impacted included Estes’ API connections, image document retrieval, invoicing capabilities, website and phones. Estes worked diligently to restore each system, with the most critical operations back online within two weeks.
On October 24th, Webb Estes confirmed all systems had been fully restored. He did not provide details on the root cause or extent of the cyberattack. As a private company, the financial impact on Estes will remain undisclosed.
Industry Impact
According to executives at other leading LTL carriers, the Estes cyberattack did not significantly shift business to competitors. This suggests Estes was able to maintain most customer relationships despite the disruption.
Customer Loyalty Crucial
Webb Estes expressed gratitude to Estes customers who continued shipping with the company throughout the cyberattack recovery period. He indicated that customer loyalty motivated Estes employees to restore services quickly and securely.
Enhanced Security Implemented
In addition to recovering compromised systems, Estes also took action to improve its security defenses. The company has hardened its technology environment with new safeguards intended to prevent and protect against future cyberattacks.
No Indication of Data Breach
Notably, there have been no reports of a data breach at Estes in relation to the cyberattack. It appears the attackers disrupted business operations but did not steal sensitive customer or corporate information. This likely helped maintain customer confidence.
Industry Cyber Threats
Cyberattacks are an increasing threat across the transportation and logistics industry. LTL carriers like Estes are attractive targets given their central role in supply chains.
The high-profile attack on Estes highlights the need for companies to continuously strengthen cybersecurity. Customers also need assurance that their data is protected.
Moving Forward after Cyberattack
By responding quickly, communicating openly, and implementing enhanced defenses, Estes maintained trust and confidence after the cyber incident.
With systems restored and operations back to normal, the company can now focus on servicing customers and recovering any lingering business impacts from the attack.
The experience also serves as a reminder to the industry of the ever-present cyber threat. LTL carriers and other logistics providers must make cybersecurity a top priority now and in the future.
By leveraging their expertise and resources, Lading Logistics aims to provide efficient and reliable international shipping and logistics solutions for their clients.
