Third-party logistics (3PL) is an outside company that stores inventory, packs orders, arranges shipping, and handles delivery for another business. In cyber security, 3PL providers matter because they often process customer names, addresses, order numbers, tracking data, and warehouse records that can be valuable to attackers.
3PL environments expand the attack surface beyond the seller’s own systems. If a logistics partner is compromised, stolen delivery details can be used for phishing, social engineering, refund fraud, or account-recovery abuse. Defenders reduce this risk by limiting what data the provider can access, enforcing strong authentication, monitoring vendor access, and setting clear retention and incident-response rules. For companies that sell physical products, a 3PL is not just an operations partner; it is part of the trust boundary.