Freight information systems may be vulnerable to cyberattack. In accordance with the national initiative to increase security of critical infrastructure, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) requested that the National Research Council (NRC) review trends in the use of information technology in the freight transportation industry and assess potential vulnerabilities to a cyberattack. In response, NRC formed the Committee on Freight Transportation Information Systems Security, under the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, to conduct a scoping study to develop an approach, study, or other process that DOT could use to address the vulnerabilities of freight information systems. This special report, prepared as a result of the committee's scoping study, lays the groundwork for a study of the cybersecurity of freight information systems. The report is presented in three chapters. Chapter 1, The Evolving Freight Industry, discusses how efficient transportation creates economic growth and looks at the differences among modes. Chapter 2, Freight Information System Technologies, reviews existing information technology applications and examines information technology trends and emerging technologies. Chapter 3, Planning a Full Study, outlines how a study of the cybersecurity of freight information systems should be structured and the issues that it should address.
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