Cybersecurity no longer remains a trend only in the IT industry. With the evolving digitalization and emerging technologies, it has also been a top strategy for all other industries. The food and agricultural industry is no exception. They have also invested highly in advanced Cybersecurity Services for the Agriculture Industry to streamline their digital transformation pipeline. And why not?
The Global Risk Report for 2024 says that problems with cybersecurity are one of the top 5 dangers to the market in the next two years.
Digital transformation would bring potential cyber threats, and to mitigate those threats, they need top-notch Advanced Cybersecurity Solutions for Business in place for smooth operational infrastructure.
Let's understand the role of Cybersecurity Services for the Agriculture Industry. What possible consequences could cyber threats have in the agrisystems, and how can food and agriculture companies benefit from scalable cyber security Managed services for the agriculture industry?
Agricultural information systems contain sensitive and valuable data, such as information on crops, herds, weather conditions, distributions, routes, and management tools. All this information is often shared within an interconnected network with responsible stakeholders. Those interconnectivity are often exposed to cyber risks, such as malware attacks, data theft, and disruption of operations.
To prevent such cyber attacks, agribusinesses seek expert cybersecurity help. The cybersecurity services for the agriculture industry providers come with a strategic approach and foolproof plan. Their process involves adopting information security practices such as user authentication, data encryption, network monitoring, and threat detection solutions. They embrace cutting-edge cybersecurity actions to protect their digital assets and maintain the integrity of transactions.
They also conduct multiple cyber threat and prevention awareness programs for agri-stakeholders. They educate and provide training to make employees aware of cyber risks and the best security strategies.
Phishing, ransomware, data manipulation, and confidential information theft are currently the big cyber concerns for the agricultural industry. These attacks are causing many disruptions, such as:
In 2021, over Memorial Day weekend, JBS, a huge meat company, got hit with a ransomware attack. This attack messed up a lot of the meat supply, stopping work in many places. A Russian criminal group used REvil ransomware to do it. JBS had to pay $11 million in Bitcoin to stop losing even more money from stopped production.
Similarly, in May 2020, Harvest Sherwood, a big food delivery company in Detroit, was attacked. This attack caused important company data to be stolen, and the attackers asked for $7.5 million as ransom.
Cybercrime is a problem that will never go away, especially in the era of continuous digitalization. But now, with AI and machine learning, cybersecurity service providers can quickly change fraud attacks into different languages and plan quick preventions. Because of this, placing high-quality cybersecurity measures becomes really important. It comes with many key benefits, including:
Food and farming companies handle a lot of important data, like transactions, shipping and logistics, food and distribution contracts, and financial year business plans. This data is worth a lot, and if it's stolen, it can cause big money losses, hurt the company's image, and break privacy laws. But having strong, complete cybersecurity helps protect this information from hackers, data theft, and privacy breaches.
Since the evolution of AI and ML, the food and agriculture industry has relied heavily on automation for efficient food management and distribution. But after all, these technologies are attached to a system and the internet, and both are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. In contrast, agribusinesses must adhere to strong cybersecurity plans to protect these important machines. They can hire cyber experts to monitor system security regularly, build security into them from the start, and teach people about security.
Food and agri companies are subject to a series of regulations and compliance standards similar to those of IT companies. It includes specific references to data security. Any food and agri stakeholders found in the obverse of the rules shall be seriously fined, litigated, and suffer reputational loss. Here, agri companies must partner with reliable cybersecurity services for the agriculture industry providers who can help you understand this compliance and comply with applicable laws and regulations.
When operations get stopped due to any ransomware or other cyber attacks, it hurts not just single companies and farmers but the whole farming and food supply chain and money markets. Cyberattacks can shut down trading websites, payment systems, and important equipment.
This can lead to money losses and delays in getting important things delivered. So, strong cybersecurity is needed to keep things running smoothly when distributing, buying, and selling farm products.
With more cyberattacks hitting food delivery companies, regulatory complaints and data protection for the whole farming industry are becoming important. A strong farming and food industry is important to fulfill countries' food demand. It's not about one state or country, but all are interconnected one way or the other via food supplies. Hence, decision-makers need to make sure that advanced cybersecurity services for the agriculture industry are in place to protect every part of the food chain.
Reliable Cybersecurity Service Providers in Bostoncompanies like SG Computers are known for using advanced tech to provide cybersecurity services for the agriculture industry. Talk to our team today and leverage their cyber expertise!
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