We rely on information technology throughout all areas of our business and operations to receive, track, accept, and complete customer orders; process financial and non-financial data; compile results of operations for internal and external reporting; and achieve operating efficiencies and growth. Such data and information remain vulnerable to cyber-attacks, cybersecurity breaches, ransomware attacks, hackers, theft, or other unauthorized disclosures. Like other companies in the transportation industry, we have identified, and expect to continue to identify, attempted cyberattacks and cybersecurity incidents, but none of those attempted incidents identified as of the filing date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K has had a material impact on us, except as the continued presence of cybersecurity threats has resulted, and is expected to continue to result, in significant investments in cybersecurity risk management programs, processes, and tools. If a cyberattack, cybersecurity breach, ransomware, or other similar attack on us is successful, this could result in the disclosure of confidential customer or commercial data, loss of valuable intellectual property, or system disruptions, and subject us to civil liability and fines or penalties, damage our brand and reputation, or otherwise harm our business, any of which could be material. In addition, delayed sales, lower margins, or lost customers resulting from security breaches or network disruptions could materially reduce our revenues, materially increase our expenses, damage our reputation, and have a material adverse effect on our stock price.
Our information technology systems may also be susceptible to interruptions or failures for a variety of reasons including software or hardware failure, user error, power outages, natural disasters, computer viruses, or other types of interruptions. For example, in 2022 our operations were temporarily disrupted due to a firmware defect (which was not related to a cyber event and did not involve a breach of data) in a third-party vendor's equipment, which caused certain critical computer applications to not function properly. As a result of this incident, we were required to rely on manual processes to book freight, execute loads, and pay carriers for two business days and otherwise execute our business continuity plans. While this disruption resulted in lost revenue and operating profit, it did not have a material impact on our annual results of operations. However, despite our ability to potentially utilize manual processes, a significant disruption or failure in our computer networks or applications, of any duration, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including operational disruptions, loss of confidential information, external reporting delays or errors, legal claims, or damage to our business reputation.