New hands-on, capture-the-flag open lab cybersecurity experience puts transportation professionals in the hacker’s seat
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association, Inc.® (NMFTA)® has launched the Fleet Cyber Challenge, a complimentary, hands-on, interactive commercial vehicle cybersecurity challenges that puts fleet IT teams, maintenance technicians, and security researchers, in the hacker’s seat.
Participants will work through exercises involving:
- Seven challenge tracks covering cybersecurity threats affecting commercial vehicle technologies.
- 32 individual challenges that test participants’ ability to investigate vulnerabilities and solve technical problems.
- Realistic scenarios involving electronic logging devices (ELDs), GPS spoofing, telematics, vehicle communications, and firmware.
- Hands-on learning that allows participants to investigate cybersecurity weaknesses in a controlled environment.
- Champion completion reward for participants who successfully complete seven tracks.
Designed for more than traditional cybersecurity professionals, the challenge also welcomes fleet maintenance technicians, diesel mechanics, diagnostic specialists, and others who work with commercial vehicle technology and want to better understand its cybersecurity risks.
The challenge is conducted entirely online through NMFTA’s dedicated platform, allowing participants to access and complete the challenges remotely at their own pace and on their own schedules, without the need to attend an in-person event.
This capture-the-flag (CTF) open lab was built around the protocols and tools professionals already work with—vehicle communication systems, electronic control units, fleet tracking technology, and diagnostic tools.
“Today’s truck is essentially an office on wheels, with interconnected technologies supporting everything from vehicle operations to communications and freight movement,” said Joe Ohr, chief operations and technology officer for NMFTA. “With that connectivity comes cybersecurity risk. This challenge helps transportation professionals identify vulnerabilities, understand how systems can be exploited, and better protect the trucks and fleets that keep our supply chain moving.”
Ben Gardiner, senior cybersecurity research engineer for NMFTA, agreed. “Finding a cybersecurity vulnerability starts with understanding how a system works—and then asking what could go wrong. We built these challenges around real-world security issues in commercial vehicles to give participants a chance to investigate, experiment, and think like a researcher.”
For more information or to register, visit www.fleetcyberchallenge.nmfta.org.
