They Didn’t Listen: The $30 Million Cyberattack That Shut Down a Large Central Pennsylvania Trucking Company—And the Warning That Could Have Prevented It

Industry

Logistics

“We warned them. They didn’t listen. Don’t be next.”

A cautionary case study for logistics and warehouse operators delaying critical cybersecurity upgrades.

Results

In 2023, a large Central Pennsylvania trucking company was devastated by a ransomware attack that brought their entire operation to a halt for over 30 days. The total impact, including a $5 million ransom payment, has surpassed $30 million—and the business is still dealing with the fallout nearly two years later.What makes this incident more than just another breach?viLogics predicted it—clearly, and repeatedly.

Key Product

Product one, EDR and SOC Services

$30.4M+

Loss

100

% Preventable

Total Ransomware Fee

1400+

hours of total downtime

Even more compelling, in the months leading up to the breach, I, as the third-generation CEO, met personally with the President of viLogics and expressed deep concern: “A breach would be disastrous for our organization. I’m worried we’re not ready.”

Name withheld

CEO @ Central PA Logistic Co.

Customer Overview

Headquartered in Pennsylvania, a family-owned freight and logistics company founded in 1931 has evolved into a comprehensive logistics provider offering Less-than-Truckload (LTL) freight services, warehousing, brokerage, and dedicated transportation solutions.

With over 1,600 employees and a network of 23 service centers, with services across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. The company prides itself on emphasizing responsiveness, reliability, and treating each shipment as its package.

Timeline of Ignored Warnings

Q1 2022 – Q1 2023:

viLogics conducted multiple security audits for the client
Recommended immediate replacement of an outdated EDR solution
Flagged legacy AS/400 systems as high risk with no segmentation or layered defense
Noted repeated indicators of scanning from known ransomware threat groups

Final Warning – 3 Days Before the Attack:
viLogics held a formal advisory meeting and warned company leadership:

“Your systems are actively being targeted. Your current endpoint protection cannot defend against modern threats. A ransomware event is imminent.”

Their response:

“We understand, but we’re focused on warehousing and other projects we will get to this soon.”

The Attack: A Preventable Crisis

Within 72 hours of that meeting, ransomware actors gained entry through a known exploit and bypassed defenses via the very vulnerabilities viLogics had identified.

Impact:

Full encryption of routing, dispatch, warehousing, and billing systems
Operations frozen across all terminal locations
Ransomware demand: $5 million (paid)
More than 30 days of downtime
Final damages now exceed $30 million, including lost contracts, IT rebuilds, and legal fees

Post-Incident: A Lost Opportunity

Despite viLogics’ early insight, threat intelligence, and repeated guidance, we were not brought into the recovery effort.

Instead, the company’s cyber insurance provider took over response operations. They:

Appointed their own third-party incident response team
Mandated the use of EDR and security tools from their preferred vendors
Proceeded without the historical knowledge or tailored planning viLogics had already developed

This decision further delayed recovery and ignored the groundwork already laid by our team.