
Dr Saeed Reyman, left, and Professor David Glynn at Flinders, Tonsley.
Wide-ranging use of smart technologies is raising global agricultural production but international researchers warn this digital-age phenomenon could reap a crop of another kind – cybersecurity attacks.
Complex IT and math modelling at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, Aix-Marseille University, France and Flinders University in South Australia, has highlighted the risks in a new article in the open access journal Sensors.
“Smart sensors and systems are used to monitor crops, plants, the environment, water, soil moisture, and diseases,” says lead author Professor Abel Alahmadi from King Abdulaziz University.
“The transformation to digital agriculture would improve the quality and quantity of food for the ever-increasing human population, which is forecast to reach 10.9 billion by 2100.”
This progress in production, genetic modification for drought-resistant crops, and other technologies is prone to cyber-attack – particularly if the ag-tech sector doesn’t take adequate precautions like other corporate or defence sectors, researchers warn.
Flinders University researcher Dr Saeed Rehman says the rise of internet connectivity and smart low-power devices has facilitated the shift of many labour-intensive food production jobs into the digital domain – including modern techniques for accurate irrigation, soil and crop monitoring using drone surveillance.
“However, we should not overlook security threats and vulnerabilities to digital agriculture, in particular possible side-channel attacks specific to ag-tech applications,” says Dr Rehman, an expert in cybersecurity and networking.
“Digital agriculture is not immune to cyber-attack, as seen by interference to a US watering system, a meatpacking firm, wool broker software and an Australian beverage company.”
“Extraction of cryptographic or sensitive information from the operation of physical hardware is termed side-channel attack,” adds Flinders co-author Professor David Glynn.
“These attacks could be easily carried out with physical access to devices, which the cybersecurity community has not explicitly investigated.”
The researchers recommend investment into precautions and awareness about the vulnerabilities of digital agriculture to cyber-attack, with an eye on the potential serious effects on the general population in terms of food supply, labour and flow-on costs.
Original Article: Food cyber attacks forecast
More from: Flinders University | King Abdulaziz University | Aix-Marseille University
The Latest on: Cyber attacks on food production
- Adapting industrial control system (ICS) security to the new normalon June 29, 2022 at 4:08 am
We are excited to bring Transform 2022 back in-person July 19 and virtually July 20 - 28. Join AI and data leaders for insightful talks and exciting networking opportunities. Register today!
- International criminal cyber attack hits Wiltshire Farm Foods and Apetitoon June 29, 2022 at 1:38 am
Wiltshire Farm Foods, the ready meal supplier and its parent company Apetito, were hit by a cyber attack over the weekend which has caused disruption with its deliveries. Wiltshire Farm Foods, the ...
- Ready meal distributor Apetito restores ‘limited’ deliveries in UK following cyber-attackon June 28, 2022 at 7:30 am
Deliveries of prepared meals to thousands of vulnerable people in England continue to be disrupted following a “sophisticated” cyber-attack on food distributor Apetito. Apetito’s impacted UK arm ...
- Preparing for cyber attacks in the food and drink industry: exclusive podcaston June 20, 2022 at 6:57 am
In this exclusive podcast interview, 1898 & Co. global director for utilities (power & water) and manufacturing Eric Ervin discussed cybersecurity in manufacturing and how to prepare the sector for ...
- Agriculture Industry on Alert After String of Cyber Attackson June 13, 2022 at 8:08 am
The agency pointed to ransomware attacks ... "Cyber actors may perceive cooperatives as lucrative targets with a willingness to pay due to the time-sensitive role they play in agricultural ...
- Ag industry put on alert after series of cyberattackson June 12, 2022 at 7:00 am
The agency pointed to ransomware attacks ... "Cyber actors may perceive cooperatives as lucrative targets with a willingness to pay due to the time-sensitive role they play in agricultural ...
- Why Cybersecurity is a Major Concern for Food Firms in 2022on June 8, 2022 at 5:00 pm
The attack shut down systems used by Schreiber Foods to operate its production facilities and ... seen through the examples above, many food and beverage players are developing their own resources to ...
- Cyber attacks: Why ag tech innovation could be an 'easy' target for hackers to threaten food supplieson June 6, 2022 at 8:52 am
While ag-tech innovators are striving to power global food security improvements ... However, this progress in production, genetic modification for drought-resistant crops, and other technologies is ...
- Food supplier cyber risk spreads 1 year after JBS attackon June 2, 2022 at 4:08 am
Multiple cyberattacks have hit the industry during the past year and the FBI recently warned the sector could be a prime target.
- JBS Foods cyber attack highlights industry vulnerabilities to Russian hackerson May 30, 2022 at 12:34 am
Australia's food supply is uniquely vulnerable to cyber attacks, the director of a national ... was hacked and stopped production in 2020. Toll Group, one of Australia's largest food distributors ...
via Bing News
The Latest on: Cyber attacks on food production
via Google News
Add Comment