Asset tracking has traditionally been viewed as a practical operations tool: a way to locate a vehicle, trailer, container, tool, or piece of plant. But as fleets and field operations become increasingly connected, the line between physical security and cybersecurity is also blurring.
A modern tracking environment may include telematics units, GPS receivers, mobile apps, cloud dashboards, wireless tags, APIs, driver devices, and third-party data integrations. Each connection creates value through better visibility, but it can also create a potential weakness.
For organisations that rely on mobile, high-value assets, protecting a tracker and the data it produces is no longer simply an IT concern, but an essential part of protecting the asset itself.
A physical problem with a digital attack surface
Stealing a vehicle, trailer, or piece of equipment is a physical crime, but it can increasingly involve digital tactics. For example, criminals may try to disable or remove a telematics unit, interfere with GPS signals, exploit weak account credentials, or take advantage of gaps between different tracking systems.
GPS jamming is a clear example. A jammer transmits radio interference that can prevent a GPS receiver from establishing an accurate location. This doesn’t necessarily mean the tracking platform has been breached, but it can make an asset effectively invisible during a critical period. GPS jammers are illegal in the UK, but they remain a recognised threat to location-dependent fleet and asset-tracking operations.
The challenge is not limited to GPS. Connected fleets also rely on telematics control units, onboard diagnostic ports, infotainment and navigation systems, smartphones and tablets, cloud platforms, and third-party apps. All of these can become entry points if they’re poorly configured, unsupported, or accessed with compromised credentials.
For business leaders, asset tracking is no longer just about where an item is. It’s also about whether its location information can be trusted, whether the system remains available during an incident, and who can access or change that information.
Why location data needs protection
Location data is often commercially sensitive. A live fleet map can reveal anything from delivery schedules, depot locations and high-value routes, to employee movements and operational patterns. In the wrong hands, this information could be used to identify vulnerable assets or plan a targeted theft.
There are also privacy considerations. Tracking data could even relate to identifiable drivers or employees, especially where vehicles are allocated to individuals or used outside standard working hours. Businesses must therefore think carefully about access controls, data retention, acceptable use, and who has permission to view live and historical location information.
This is why robust user management matters. Shared logins, overly broad permissions, and weak passwords can undermine even the most capable tracking hardware. Businesses should aim to have multi-factor authentication and role-based access in place, as well as regularly reviewing user accounts and having clear procedures for removing access when staff leave. Cybersecurity guidance for connected fleets similarly recommends multi-factor authentication, regular software updates, third-party scrutiny and tested incident-response plans.
A single tracker can create a single point of failure
Many organisations rely on one primary telematics unit in each vehicle. This can provide valuable information on vehicle location, routes, driver behaviour and usage, but it can also create a single point of failure.
If the unit is removed, damaged, disconnected or affected by signal interference, the fleet manager may lose visibility exactly when the asset is moving without authorisation. The same issue applies to high-value equipment carried inside a van or lorry. A vehicle tracker may show where the vehicle is, but it can’t necessarily trace the tools, cargo or portable equipment once they’ve been removed.
A layered approach is therefore important. This might include a combination of installed vehicle telematics, discreet backup trackers, item-level tags for high-risk equipment, geofencing, tamper alerts and documented recovery procedures. The purpose isn’t to assume that technology makes theft impossible; it’s to ensure that one compromised device doesn’t leave the entire operation blind.
This approach also improves resilience in less malicious circumstances. Tracking data can also be affected by coverage gaps, low device batteries, accidental damage, and human error. A secondary source of visibility can help teams distinguish between an asset that’s genuinely missing and one that’s simply stopped reporting.
The need for accurate asset inventories
Cybersecurity starts with visibility. An organisation can’t secure what it doesn’t know it owns, and the same principle applies to both digital and physical assets.
The UK National Cyber Security Centre notes that incidents can result from an incomplete understanding of the environment, including exposed systems, unpatched services or poorly classified information. In a fleet or logistics setting, an incomplete inventory might include forgotten trackers, unsupported mobile devices, old vehicle units still associated with user accounts, unsecured tablets, or assets that have changed hands without their records being updated.
A clear asset register should include more than a serial number and an assigned location. It should identify:
- The asset’s owner and operational purpose
- Its tracking or telematics device, where applicable
- The software, mobile app or cloud platform connected to it
- Who has access to its data
- Its maintenance, update and replacement status
- Whether it holds or can transmit sensitive information
This is not bureaucracy for its own sake. It gives operations, IT and security teams a shared view of what needs protecting and enables them to respond faster when something unusual happens.
Data integrity matters as much as location
Asset tracking decisions are only as reliable as the data behind them. If location data is delayed, manipulated, incomplete, or misunderstood, teams may send recovery resources to the wrong place, miss an emerging incident, or make poor operational decisions.
This makes data integrity a key concern. Businesses should understand how their tracking systems identify a loss of signal, detect unexpected movement, record historical journeys, and flag potential tampering. They should also have escalation procedures for unusual events: for example, a vehicle leaving a geofenced depot outside operating hours, a tracker unexpectedly going offline, or an asset appearing in an unfamiliar location.
Not every interruption signals a cyberattack or theft — it could be caused by poor coverage, a depleted battery, or a technical fault. But treating unexplained loss of visibility as a risk event until verified is a safe operational discipline, helping organisations act quickly without assuming that every missing signal is harmless.
Security is a shared responsibility
Tracking providers, vehicle manufacturers, software partners and connectivity providers all have a role in securing a connected-asset environment. However, the organisation using the technology remains responsible for how it’s configured, who can access it and how it responds when something goes wrong.
Before adopting or expanding an asset-tracking programme, businesses should ask the following practical questions:
- Is data encrypted in transit and at rest?
- Are user permissions granular and easy to review?
- Is multi-factor authentication available?
- How often are devices and platforms updated?
- How are vulnerabilities and security incidents reported?
- What happens when a tracker loses signal or is tampered with?
- Can the system integrate safely with other fleet, maintenance, or enterprise platforms?
- Is there a clear process for securely retiring devices and removing user access?
Vendor due diligence should also be ongoing rather than a one-off procurement exercise. Connected fleet guidance recommends reviewing the cybersecurity practices of third parties, including maintenance and repair providers that connect directly to vehicles.
From tracking to cyber resilience
The growing importance of asset tracking is not simply a story about new technology. It reflects a wider change in business risk. Physical assets are now connected assets, and the data around them can be as valuable as the equipment itself.
A resilient asset-tracking strategy should therefore combine physical security, operational processes and cybersecurity controls. It should protect the vehicle, the tracker, the user account, the network connection and the location data that informs decisions.
For organisations managing fleets, equipment or distributed operations, the question is no longer just, “Where is the asset?” It’s, “Can we rely on the answer, and can we still see it when someone tries to make it disappear?”
