Australian shipping giant Toll Group shuts some systems after possible cyberattack

Australian transport and logistics giant Toll Group said Saturday that it may have been the target of a cyberattack and that it has shut down a number of its I.T. systems as a precaution.

In a statement posted on its website, Toll did not confirm that a cyberattack had occurred. Several “customer-facing applications” would be affected due to the systems’ shutdown, Toll said in the statement. No other information was available, and an email to the company was not immediately returned.

Based in Melbourne, Toll is one of the several international transport and logistics powerhouses that gets little attention in North America mainly because it concentrates on the Asia-Pacific region. In business since 1888 and acquired by Japan Post in 2015, Toll serves more than 50 countries, including the U.S., across 1,200 locations.

Toll operates global express, freight forwarding and logistics services and is involved in all major modes of transport with its own assets. Toll went on a 16-year acquisition spree starting in 1996 to assemble the vast network and portfolio it has today.

Toll generated nearly US$6 billion in revenue in 2019, according to online data.