5 Major Cyber Threats to Food and Agriculture Sector

The food industry has become a popular target for hackers. The reason is that the food industry is a centralized system, with many points of vulnerability. Hackers are targeting these vulnerabilities with the goal of disrupting food supply chains and causing economic damage to the industry.

In order to protect themselves from cyber-attacks, food companies need to take several measures. It is important to be aware that threat actors, including hackers and cybercriminals, may target businesses in the food and agriculture industry. Protect your digital supply chain with cybersecurity hygiene.

A major cyber threat to the food and agriculture sector is the possibility of data extraction. Threat actors may use a variety of tactics to target businesses in the food and agriculture industry, including:

1. Phishing attacks: These are fraudulent emails or messages that attempt to trick the recipient into divulging sensitive information, such as login credentials, or into clicking on a link that downloads malware.
2. Malware: This is malicious software that can infect a computer or network and allow the attacker to gain access to or control over the system.
3. Denial of service (DoS) attacks: These attacks aim to overwhelm a website or network with traffic, making it unavailable to legitimate users.
4. Ransomware attacks: These attacks involve the attacker encrypting a victim's data and demanding payment in exchange for the decryption key.
5. Business email compromise (BEC) is a type of cybercrime that involves the attacker gaining access to or control over a victim's email account and using it to send fraudulent messages to the victim's business partners or customers. In the context of the food and agriculture industry, BEC attacks can be used to steal large shipments of food products or ingredients

Food and agricultural businesses are at risk from cybercrime. But you can protect your organization with the right security measures. Join IARM as we explore the best ways to protect your business against these hazards

Here is an example of how a BEC attack might occur:

• The attacker gains access to the email account of an employee at a food or agriculture business, such as a purchasing manager or supply chain coordinator.
• The attacker begins monitoring the employee's emails to learn about the business's operations, supplier relationships, and upcoming shipments.
• The attacker crafts a fraudulent email that appears to be from the employee and sends it to the business's supplier, requesting a large shipment of food products or ingredients to be delivered to a different location than the one that was previously agreed upon.
• The supplier, believing the request to be legitimate, arranges for the shipment to be delivered to the new location.
• The attacker intercepts the shipment and sells the food products or ingredients on the black market.

To protect against BEC attacks, it is important for businesses in the food and agriculture industry to implement robust cybersecurity measures, such as using multi-factor authentication and training employees to be aware of the signs of a BEC attack. It is also important for businesses to verify the authenticity of any requests for changes to shipping addresses or other important details before acting on them. 

IARM, Cyber security company that specializes in the food and agriculture industry. We identify, understand and provide solutions to the risks you face everyday.  Our cybersecurity experts will assess your business and environment to identify vulnerabilities and provide a long-term solution for your IT needs and  protect businesses from the threats of malicious cyberattacks.

 Thanks and Regards,

Priya

Cybersecurity for food and agriculture sector | Industrial Cybersecurity Services