Security in trade is about making the right attack expensive and the right response fast. This playbook balances controls with cycle time.
Threats to plan for
- Packet tampering and counterfeit insertion
- Account takeover and payment diversion
- Temperature excursions (malicious or accidental)
- Targeted theft on high-value lanes
Controls that don’t slow you down
| Layer | Control | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Identity & access | MFA, least privilege, SSO | Stops account takeovers early |
| Data & docs | Structured packets, hashing/signatures | Tamper evidence + fast checks |
| Payments | Allow-list banks, step-up approvals | Prevents diversion |
| Facilities & lanes | CCTV, seals, vetted handlers | Deters theft and substitution |
| Telemetry | Alert thresholds + playbooks | Faster, consistent responses |
Cost and effort (be realistic)
Compliance Cost Distribution
1Documentation
$2.8M35%
2Quality Testing
$2.1M26%
3Regulatory Fees
$1.4M17%
4Legal Compliance
$1.2M15%
5Training & Certification
$0.5M7%
Spend the first dollar on identity, packet structure, and payments hygiene. Add lane and facility controls where risk is highest.
Incident playbook (simple and fast)
- Isolate shipment/packet or account
- Verify chain-of-custody and transaction details
- Escalate and notify partners/payors
- Restore from known good state; document CAPA
| Metric | Top quartile | Median | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incident detect-to-contain | <12h | 24–36h | Telemetry + trained response |
| Payment fraud rate | ≤0.05% | 0.1–0.2% | Allow-list + approvals |
| Packet tamper hits | 0 | ≤2 per quarter | Seals + hashed docs |
| Security-caused dwell add | <2h | 4–8h | Right-size controls |
Region risk and routing
Export Performance by Region
1United States
$8.2B25% tariffHigh
2European Union
$6.8B0% tariffMedium
3Asia-Pacific
$4.5B5% tariffLow
4Middle East
$2.1B0% tariffMedium
5Africa
$1.8B0% tariffLow
Route high-value shipments through handlers and hubs with strong track records; pay for shorter dwell where risk warrants.