The last mile has grown incredibly complex in recent years. To manage the messiness, shippers have turned to new technologies that help automate, streamline and build efficiency. In adding these modern tools, shippers have unwittingly increased their last mile risk.
As a shipper in the modern delivery landscape, your logistics performance is now tethered to:
- Systems you don’t own
- Vendors you don’t control
- Infrastructure you may not even realize you rely on
When a DNS misconfiguration inside AWS brought parts of the internet to a standstill in October 2025, platforms across retail, healthcare, fintech and logistics went offline — including many that had no direct connection to AWS. One invisible dependency triggered a ripple effect, exposing how deeply third-party risk is embedded in the modern fulfillment stack.
To unpack this growing challenge, OneRail Chief Information Security Officer Julius Tubbs and Chief Product Officer Jeff Toewe joined Sarah Barnes-Humphrey on Let’s Talk Supply Chain for a candid conversation about security, resilience and the hidden threats that too often go unchecked.
“Our security is really only as strong as the weakest link in an increasingly complex supply chain,” Tubbs said, “especially when trust is granted, but it is not continuously validated.”
This article recaps the key takeaways from that conversation, including real-world examples, practical insights and how OneRail’s ISO 27001:2022 certification plays a critical role in helping shippers reduce last mile risk — and risk across every link of the delivery chain.
Key Takeaways
- Infrastructure failures (not just cyberattacks) are becoming one of the biggest risks in fulfillment operations.
- Third-party vendors, APIs and “shadow IT” have become entry points for invisible threats that can disrupt service, compromise data and damage brand trust.
- Compliance alone isn’t enough. ISO 27001:2022 certification provides a structured, proactive framework for managing risk across every layer of the delivery stack.
- Speed is a security risk multiplier. When pressure mounts to launch fast, cutting corners can introduce costly vulnerabilities.
- Trust must be continuously validated rather than assumed. Businesses are only as secure as the least secure partner in their ecosystem.
- Asking better questions is critical. Evaluating a fulfillment partner’s approach to security requires looking beyond checkboxes to how they operate under pressure.
- Security is now both a back-office function and a brand promise. Reliable, on-time delivery depends on disciplined, security-first operations behind the scenes.
The Invisible Supply Chain: Where Shadow Last Mile Risk Lives
Every successful delivery relies on a network of interconnected systems: APIs that route orders, middleware that syncs inventory, third-party carriers that handle execution and cloud infrastructure that ties it all together. Each of these layers introduces new risk, especially when they exist outside your direct oversight.
This growing exposure isn’t always obvious, and it doesn’t always stem from malicious intent. Often, it comes from within in the form of overlooked integrations, unvetted tools, or unauthorized workarounds adopted in the name of speed or convenience.
That’s where shadow risk emerges: risk that is both unmanaged and completely unknown.
As Tubbs explained on Let’s Talk Supply Chain:
“Shadow risk is one of those consequences of shadow IT … the unknown unknowns in our business ecosystem. It creates an invisible attack surface that you can’t really protect because you don’t know what’s there.”
When the Clock Is Ticking, Risk Increases
Speed has become a competitive advantage in last mile delivery, but it’s also rapidly becoming one of its biggest vulnerabilities.
In any pressurized environment with tight deadlines and high expectations, security often takes a backseat to shipping windows and go-live dates. That could mean rushed integrations, skipped reviews or any number of oversights. It’s in these moments that risk enters the system through missed steps, untested assumptions and the absence of guardrails.
On Let’s Talk Supply Chain, Toewe shared a real-world example of shortcuts taken in the name of efficiency.
“They wanted to go live with a solution for their distribution centers without testing and without review because of a timeline,” he said. “Sometimes you have to draw the line, which is we had to tell them we’re not gonna do that. We will not support them launching an integration without testing. It’s not responsible.”
In a market where many technology providers say yes to stay competitive, OneRail said no because doing the responsible thing for the customer sometimes means slowing down to prevent long-term damage.
That moment underscores a key principle: security decisions are leadership decisions. When delivery platforms move fast without built-in checks, they risk breaches, outages, SLA violations and reputational harm.
ISO 27001: From Checkbox to Competitive Advantage
Given the last mile risks outlined above, how should shippers proceed to ensure security? First and foremost, it’s not enough to have the best intentions. Real and effective security means proving it with action — consistently, systematically and especially under pressure.
It’s under these conditions that ISO 27001:2022 shines.
ISO 27001:2022 is a globally recognized standard for information security management systems (ISMS) that goes far beyond IT checklists. It evaluates how an organization identifies, manages and mitigates risk across people, processes and technology in daily operations.
At its core, ISO 27001 is a framework for resilience. It requires organizations to build structured, auditable practices for data protection, vendor management, incident response and business continuity. It’s focused on creating the right security policies and then proving those policies are followed, enforced and continuously improved.
For OneRail, ISO 27001:2022 certification is a reflection of how the company operates. It’s backed by five consecutive years of SOC 2 Type II compliance, offering an additional layer of third-party validation focused on availability, confidentiality and integrity.
“When compliance is part of your culture — not just a checkbox — it shows how issues are handled when no one’s watching,” Tubbs said.
4 Questions Leaders Should Be Asking
In an environment where third-party risk can disrupt service and compromise data, supply chain and IT leaders need to start asking sharper, more specific questions about platforms and the ecosystems surrounding them.
Every delivery system touches customer data. Every integration adds another layer of exposure. And every vendor in your stack has the potential to become your weakest link.
As Toewe emphasized on Let’s Talk Supply Chain:
“Do they really want that exposure? We’re the guardians of their own interests. Someone has to be the parent in the room.”
That level of ownership starts with asking the right questions during vendor selection, procurement and ongoing security reviews. Below are four to start with:
- What is your incident response plan when a third-party vendor fails? Even if your provider has strong internal controls, do they have protocols in place to detect and respond to failures in their extended network?
- How do you continuously monitor for insider threats? Not all breaches are external. Insider risk (whether accidental or intentional) can be just as damaging.
- Are you ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified, and for which trust-service criteria? Don’t just ask if a provider is “compliant.” Ask for documentation, scope and the specific controls that protect your data.
- How do you ensure secure integrations across your partner network? APIs, middleware and third-party logistics systems all introduce potential vulnerabilities. Your provider should be able to explain how those connections are secured, monitored and governed.
Security has become a brand issue, a customer experience issue and a business continuity issue. Leaders who ask better questions now are the ones who will avoid the hardest conversations later.
Security You Can’t Afford to Ignore
In the modern last mile, trust can be compromised by risks you never saw coming.
Third-party APIs, shadow IT, vendor misconfigurations and infrastructure outages are all key parts of the operational landscape. As supply chains become more complex and more reliant on external systems, the attack surface expands along with them.
That’s why OneRail treats security as a foundational responsibility. With ISO 27001:2022 certification and five consecutive years of SOC 2 Type II compliance, we strive to meet and exceed industry standards. Across our platform, our processes and our people, security is operationalized at every level.
“Security is built into everything we do at OneRail,” Tubbs said. “This certification validates that our safeguards and governance evolve with the changes happening around us.”
For shippers, that means peace of mind, continuity, visibility and confidence when it matters most.
Now it’s your turn to ask the hard questions. Download our white paper on Evaluating Last Mile Delivery Software to learn more about supporting security as you implement technologies for today’s delivery landscape.
Frequently Asked Questions on Last Mile Risk & Cybersecurity
What is “shadow risk” in the context of last mile delivery?
Shadow risk refers to security threats that stem from unknown or unmanaged systems within your fulfillment network. Examples include unvetted third-party tools, APIs or vendors. These risks are often invisible until something goes wrong, making them difficult to detect and impossible to defend against without proactive oversight.
How can third-party vendors pose a cybersecurity risk to my supply chain?
Your fulfillment platform is only as secure as the vendors it connects to (and the vendors they connect to). If one link in that chain has weak security, the entire system becomes vulnerable. Real-world breaches like the Target HVAC incident or the Siva Logistics ransomware attack show how third-party exposures can compromise core operations.
Why isn’t compliance enough to protect against supply chain threats?
Compliance frameworks are a baseline rather than a shield. Many providers treat certifications like a checkbox, but true protection comes from operationalizing those standards in daily workflows. That’s what sets ISO 27001:2022 apart: It embeds risk management into the culture of the business.
What makes ISO 27001:2022 certification significant for logistics providers?
ISO 27001:2022 is a globally recognized standard for information security management. It requires organizations to demonstrate structured, ongoing controls across systems, vendors and people. For logistics providers, it signals a serious, systemic approach to protecting customer data and operational continuity.
How does OneRail help reduce last mile security risks?
OneRail mitigates risk through platform architecture, rigorous vendor vetting, secure integrations and a culture of compliance. With ISO 27001:2022 certification and SOC 2 Type II compliance, OneRail ensures every layer of its fulfillment stack (from APIs to drivers) operates within strict security parameters.
What questions should I be asking my fulfillment partners about cybersecurity?
Here are a few to start:
- What is your incident response plan if a third-party vendor fails?
- How do you monitor for insider threats?
- Are you ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certified — and for which trust-service criteria?
- How do you secure your integrations across partners, platforms and infrastructure?
