10 Cybersecurity Must-Haves for Your Telematics Technology Provider

Guest Blog by Conan Sandberg, Sr. Director of Cybersecurity at Platform Science

Summary: When evaluating a telematics and fleet management technology provider, carriers should prioritize cybersecurity as a key differentiator and ensure the following 10 security best practices are in place to protect operations and vital fleet data.

When running a commercial fleet, carriers rely on technology to keep trucks moving, drivers safe, and deliveries on time. Those same tools also hold some of your most sensitive information, so one of the most important questions to ask your telematics partner is how they protect your fleet.

These 10 best-practice cybersecurity measures should be a part of your telematics and fleet management technology provider’s plan to keep you and your data safe:

1. Verifiable Proof

A security program should be reviewed by outside experts, not just by the technology provider. Examples of certifications they should obtain include:

• SOC 2 Type 2. Each year, an independent CPA firm should examine the provider’s controls against the Security, Availability, and Privacy trust services criteria. The report should be available under NDA.
• ISO/IEC 27001:2022. An accredited certification body should certify your provider to this international information security management standard. The certificate and its scope statement should be available upon request.
• EU's NIS2 Directive (Article 21) and the EU Cyber Resilience Act: For European fleets with products involving digital elements.

2. Penetration Testing

Ensure your provider is arranging for Independent third parties to test their systems at least once a year. Every finding should be tracked to remediation under defined timelines, with a letter of attestation (formal, signed document in which an authorized organization certifies the accuracy of related facts) covering the discovery and fix, under NDA.

3. Payment Security

A third-party, PCI DSS-validated payment processor should handle all card payments to your provider so that your fleet’s sensitive cardholder data (CHD) never touches your provider’s own systems. Payment processors are required to use additional strict controls like encryption, firewalls, and access restrictions.

4. Active Threat Hunting

A managed detection and response service should monitor your production environment around the clock, every day of the year, with active threat hunting. This involves proactively searching the network and endpoints for hidden, evasive adversaries who may have already bypassed automated detection.

5. Good Cloud Hygiene

Ask your technology provider how they check their own cloud environments for misconfigurations, vulnerabilities, and excessive permissions. This ongoing care helps reduce the attack surface for potential cyberattacks.

6. Data Protection for All States

Protect your fleet data at all times, encrypting it in transit and at rest.

7. Controlled Access

Your technology tools should include role-based limits, so employees can access only the data their jobs require. Single sign-on and multi-factor authentication, along with zero-trust network access, add extra, vital protection to your system’s data and infrastructure.

9. Safer Code

Behind the scenes, your provider should regularly scan its own code for vulnerabilities, exposed secrets, and risky dependencies before shipping it to you.

10. Practiced Response

Ask your technology provider about their incident response plan and if they test it regularly with tabletop simulations. The first run-through should never be a real emergency.

By ensuring your technology provider follows these best practices, fleets can strengthen cybersecurity protections, build confidence, and reduce costs while protecting the longevity of their operations.

Related Reading: Fleet Cybersecurity: Why Your Vehicle’s ‘Digital Door’ Must Be Secured

Platform Science’s Approach to Cybersecurity

At Platform Science, we think you shouldn't have to take our word for the strength of our cybersecurity measures. You can check it for yourself.

Start with our Trust Portal, which offers our customers self-service access to our security, privacy, and compliance information. We can provide sensitive documents, such as audit reports and penetration test summaries, upon request. If you have questions the portal doesn't answer, please ask. We are happy to help customers and potential customers find the specific answers they need for their cybersecurity concerns.

Platform Science is an all-in-one fleet management platform that brings together ELD fleet management, integrated driver apps, and insightful back-office tools to help drivers and fleets thrive. To see how we protect your data and operations, visit the Platform Science Trust Portal for full visibility into our security posture and enterprise-grade infrastructure.

Contact us today to schedule a demo or learn more about our telematics and fleet management solutions.

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