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Tag Archives cybersecurity

How farms are protecting their networks from cyberattack
Farm organizations, like Ontario Pork, are helping train farmers on cybersecurity
Ontario Pork has developed a training program to help pork producers understand cybersecurity risks on their farms.

Is the right to repair farm equipment a cybersecurity problem?
Farm equipment brands should be proactive about allowing controlled CPU access, security expert says
With rising cybersecurity threats, farm machinery brands have to protect their systems, but farmers want more access to the cab computer and argue for the right to repair their own equipment.

Ontario funds cybersecurity upgrades for agriculture organizations
Ontario’s Cybersecurity Preparedness Initiative will provide up to 50 per cent of costs
Qualified local agriculture associations and marketing boards could receive funds for cybersecurity upgrades. Ontario’s Cybersecurity Preparedness Initiative will provide up to 50 per cent of costs, up to a maximum of $50,000 for projects enhancing the cybersecurity of boards or associations under the Farm Products Marketing Act (FPMA) Section 12 of the FPMA, the Milk […] Read more

Federated Co-op cardlocks “fully operational” company says
A "cybersecurity incident" led to the shutdown of some cardlocks and affected inventories at some grocery stores
Federated Co-op says it's opening more cardlocks every day after a "cybersecurity incident" late last week, the company said on social media yesterday evening.

Some farm dealerships back online after cyber attack
Dealers forced to turn to pen and paper after attack knocked out inventory software
Brian Osterndorff, chair of the board of the Canadian Equipment Dealers Association, and president and CEO of Robert’s Farm Equipment, a seven-store group in Ontario, said on June 26 that they had just been informed that they could use the system again.

Cyber attack frustrates farm equipment dealers
Dealers forced to use manual processes after software provider hacked
CDK provides business management software to dealers of all makes of farm equipment, so major dealers of John Deere, CNH and are working without digital systems across the country. CDK is also the leading provider of management software to automobile dealers and thousands of those dealerships are offline.

Farm business cybersecurity an ongoing concern
Collaboration, standardization and investment needed to shore up agri-food cybersecurity infrastructure
Cybersecurity is a best practice in farm business risk management, but requires collaborative support to be successful and accessible. “(Our food system) is a critical infrastructure at the intersection of every other critical infrastructure. When things go a little bit wobbly in the agri-food sector, we’re all affected,” says Janos Botschner, who leads the Cybersecurity […] Read more

Threat of agriculture-related cybercrime is rising
Cybersecurity protocols are just as important as biosecurity
The agri-food industry has recently become a hotbed of cybercrime. Lactanet and Ontario Pork are two recent victims of ransomware attacks, joining other agri-food businesses such as JBS, Sollio Agriculture and Maple Leaf Foods. Why it matters: Cybersecurity risks are increasing in the agri-food industry. According to Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence […] Read more

Opinion: Guard against electronic trespassers
I know farmers take trespassing seriously. There are numerous risks associated with people wandering on and through the farm. There’s the risk of a biosecurity breach that could result in a disease infection. There’s the ever-present challenge of people mucking through crops or marginal land with vehicles because they feel entitled. The right to wander […] Read more

Activists target Ontario hog farm with ransomware
'We are dealing with adversaries whose motivation is not money'
A ransomware on a small Ontario hog business is something a cybersecurity expert says needs more attention from the agriculture industry. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, says Ali Dehghantanha, Canada research chair in cybersecurity […] Read more