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JB Hunt faces data breach lawsuits as hackers claim haul of carrier records

Companies that have faced a cyber attack are now increasingly likely to face lawsuits too, from customers or staff over any breach of data security. JB Hunt is the latest: it is facing four proposed class actions, after a cybercrime group claimed to have taken employee information and millions of business records from the US transport and logistics company. The suits, filed in the Western District of Arkansas on 27 and 28 October, allege JB Hunt failed to protect employees' personal information. Named plaintiffs include current and former workers. The claims have not been tested in court, and no class has yet been certified. Cyber attacks often leave logistics companies facing litigation beyond the immediate cost of restoring systems. Motor carriers sued freight broker TQL after a breach exposed business information, while employees and applicants brought claims against cold-chain operator Americold over compromised personal data. Expeditors has also faced claims from customers alleging losses after a 2022 attack disrupted services. The JB Hunt attacker, calling itself WhiteArmor, posted its claim on or about 23 October, although it is not clear exactly when the hack took place. The complainants repeat its claim to hold 140,838 employee records for a $5m ransom. One complaint also lists what WhiteArmor claims to hold: 1.7m carrier contacts, 38.2m invoices, 973 Microsoft 365 mailboxes, and records concerning 374,000 organisations. JB Hunt has not confirmed what information was accessed or how many people were affected. JB Hunt has acknowledged an incident took place, while stressing that freight operations have continued. A spokesperson reportedly told local media it was investigating "unauthorised access to certain information within an isolated portion" of its technology system. "Our systems remain operational, and there has been no disruption to our ability to serve customers," the spokesperson said. JB Hunt added it had brought in a cybersecurity firm, notified law enforcement, and revoked the unauthorised access. The lawsuits allege inadequate data security and seek damages and changes to the company's security practices. Aaron Hunter, a former employee, said in his complaint that he had received no individual breach notice as of 27 October, when he filed his complaint. For shippers and carriers, the unanswered question is whether any commercially sensitive information was accessed. The business data figures cited in the lawsuits are the hackers' assertions, while the legal claims filed so far focus on employees' personal information. Following a 2022 cyber attack that shut down most of Expeditors' operating systems, customers including iRobot and POC USA sued the forwarder over alleged losses from interrupted warehousing and deliveries. JB Hunt says its ability to serve customers has not been disrupted and the lawsuits do not allege any losses from halted freight movements.

XPO beats FedEx Freight & Old Dominion on volume growth - yet the bulls want more

Third-quarter update: XPO grew shipments almost 6% while Old Dominion and FedEx Freight shipped less, and its margins held up far better than the season usually allows, but its headline price growth slowed to 3.6%. Management puts that down to heavier, shorter-haul freight spilling over from a squeezed truckload market and says October pricing is already up 5%; the banks agree on the momentum and split on whether a stock valued on above-market pricing can afford a volume-led year.

The cold chain just got weaponised - logistics is exposed

A recent cyberattack on French supermarket refrigeration showed how remote controls can cause physical losses. The warning extends to cold stores, pharmaceutical warehouses and connected reefer fleets. At four in the morning, a delivery driver at an Intermarché in Gradignan, south-west France, found the cold room flooded. Its temperature had climbed to 50°C, setting off a sprinkler. At another store in Normandy, equipment was damaged after temperatures reportedly hit 80°C. The food was ruined, and nobody had needed to ...