Cyber resilience has become a strategic imperative for global e-commerce and logistics, with governments, postal operators and industry partners needing to work together to protect the interconnected networks that underpin international trade.
That was the central message of “The Global Shield: Collaborative Cyber Resilience for Global E-Commerce and Logistics,” a session organized by the Universal Postal Union during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, held in Geneva from 6 to 10 July 2026. The discussion explored how collective action can strengthen cybersecurity across the global postal and logistics ecosystem.Opening the discussion, moderator Mayssam Sabra, business development specialist at the UPU, reminded participants that e-commerce extends far beyond online shopping platforms. Every online purchase activates a complex network of postal operators, customs authorities, airlines, warehouses and transport systems, meaning that a cyberattack on one part of the supply chain can have far-reaching consequences.
"No country, no post office, no organization, no business can protect itself alone. We have to shield the network together," she said, underscoring the need for collective defence across the global postal and logistics sector.
The discussion drew on preliminary findings from a UPU cybersecurity survey conducted at the end of 2024. Presented by Andre Pharand, an expert in the courier, express, parcel and postal industry, the survey received responses from 152 of the UPU's 192 member countries, representing a 76% response rate.
The findings revealed significant gaps in cyber preparedness. Adoption of core cyber hygiene measures remains uneven, particularly in risk management, incident response and crisis management. Respondents also reported rising cybersecurity workloads without matching budget growth, while only around one third of operators are linked to national incident response teams. Many identified a need for greater access to training, funding and technical expertise.
"There is certainly some room for improvement," Pharand said. "There's an opportunity to help those Posts that have fewer resources get to the right level to minimize the risk."
Massimiliano Aschi, Senior Cybersecurity Specialist at Poste Italiane and Chair of the UPU Cyber Resilience Expert Team, warned that organized cybercrime and the malicious use of artificial intelligence are making attacks faster, more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to prevent.
"Collaboration among stakeholders within the same sector, as well as cross-sector cooperation, is no longer a matter of choice, but an unavoidable necessity," he said, stressing that cyber resilience must be approached from a systemic rather than fragmented perspective.
The session also highlighted the UPU's practical response through domain work proposal 309, adopted by the Postal Operations Council following the 28th UPU Congress in Dubai, which aims to establish a minimum cybersecurity baseline for the postal sector while providing a roadmap, training and capacity-building support for less advanced operators.
"Our global network is only as secure as the most vulnerable operator," said Tracy Hackshaw, Head of .POST Business Management at the UPU. "We are building a global framework where cyber resilience is not a luxury for those who have the resources, but a standard utility for all."
Speakers also highlighted the UPU’s operational initiatives, including POST-ISAC – the Postal and Logistics Sector Information Sharing and Analysis Centre – which enables trusted threat intelligence sharing across the postal sector, TRUST.POST and the .POST top-level domain and SECURE.POST, which provide trusted digital identities, practical cybersecurity tools and awareness resources.
The initiative also received recognition as a WSIS Prizes 2026 nominated project under WSIS Action Line C5 – Building confidence and security in the use of ICTs – outlining POST-ISAC's role in strengthening information sharing, capacity development and coordinated cyber defence across the UPU's member countries.
Panellists also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation with national cybersecurity authorities, computer emergency response teams, sectoral information sharing and analysis centres, the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams (FIRST), and the World Customs Organization to strengthen resilience across global supply chains.
Concluding the session, speakers agreed that cyber resilience is no longer solely a technical challenge, but a shared responsibility requiring trust, coordination and sustained support for operators with fewer resources. Strengthening collective defence across the global postal network will be essential to ensuring secure, resilient and trusted e-commerce and logistics services for businesses and citizens worldwide.