In September 2025, the U.S. Secret Service announced it had dismantled a sophisticated telecommunications threat network in the New York tri-state area. Investigators discovered more than 300 co-located SIM servers and over 100,000 SIM cards—hardware that could be used for cell tower disruption, denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and anonymous encrypted communications.
The implication was clear, bad actors were prepared to weaponize telecom infrastructure to disrupt communications.
My first thought was: Wow! This type of attack could cripple trucking.
For the trucking industry, which depends on real-time telematics for visibility, compliance, and safety, this incident should be a wake-up call. Disruptions like these are no longer hypothetical; they’re being discovered in our own backyard. The risk here is not limited to any one type of device; cameras, telematics, and asset trackers all use cell towers.
Why This Matters to Trucking and Logistics
Modern fleets are more connected than ever before. Telematics systems power everything from electronic logging device (ELD) compliance to fuel optimization, predictive maintenance, and theft prevention. If those systems go dark—or worse, if they’re manipulated—the operational and financial consequences can be severe.
Here’s what’s at stake:
- Lost Visibility: Dispatchers and customers lose real-time insight into truck locations and ETAs.
- Safety Risks: Drivers may not receive urgent alerts or reroutes during emergencies.
- Data Tampering: Attackers could spoof location or sensor data, masking theft or fraud.
- Downtime & Compliance Issues: Inability to transmit hours-of-service (HOS) data could put fleets at risk of violations.
Understanding the Threat Landscape
The Secret Service report highlights several capabilities that adversaries are developing:
- Cellular Network Interference: The ability to jam or degrade coverage in a target area, effectively silencing all devices.
- SIM Cloning or Spoofing: Use of massive SIM pools to impersonate legitimate devices.
- Denial-of-Service Attacks: Overloading networks to disrupt service availability.
For telematics devices, which rely almost exclusively on cellular links for data transmission, these tactics represent serious vulnerabilities.
Cyberattacks take many forms, and this report highlights just how serious and diverse the digital threats to our industry can be. Join us in Austin, TX from October 26-28 as we bring together experts from across the industry to discuss the cybersecurity landscape, how it relates to trucking, and what you can do to protect yourself and your fleet.
