20 Our Advertisers Appreciate Your Business Better Farming | November/December 2024 Cyber Attacks Remember when “hacking” was simply a way of cutting through the brush on your woodlot? Today, it is a cutting-edge method of infiltrating computer systems without permission. Though it is not always done with malice, the incidence of hacking as part of cyber-attacks in many industries, including agriculture, is on the rise. These attacks aim to ”steal, expose, alter, disable, or destroy data, applications, or other assets through unauthorized access to a network, computer system or digital device.” For the ag sector across the Prairies, the impact on farmers, retailers, and consumers is a growing concern. “The biggest challenge most businesses face is from ransomware,” says Ryan Westman, director of threat intelligence with eSentire, a managed detection and response (MDR) service based in Waterloo, Ont. “Ransomware is a type of malware (malicious software) that finds a way into your computer system, often when a staff member opens an attachment. From there, the hackers lock you out of your files and demand a ransom in exchange for the key.” The intrusions can even come with a twisted sense of humour, often including a message that “your system is slowing down while your pulse is speeding up.” “Hackers like to put a lit cigarette in your eye,” says Westman. Minding your Ps More importantly, they often threaten one or more of the “3 Ps” for ag operations: Production, profit and profile. While individual farms are unlikely to report an issue, a cybersecurity attack on Canadian farmers can impact production, revenue and animal health. If an attacker compromises an industrial control system that powers fans for drying grain, there could be a significant decrease in grain quality and revenue. “Disruptions to irrigation systems during critical drought conditions could severely affect crop yields, impacting overall productivity and financial outcomes for the farming operation,” says Steve Croucher, vice president of sales with Malleum, a cyber security company based in Ottawa. Compromising a farming operation’s Wi-Fi network could also expose sensitive information, such as financial data, personal records, and crop/ livestock details. This type of breach may result in operational disruption, economic loss and long-term reputational harm to the business. Potential issues with livestock range from the dangerous – such as messing with milking machines and preventing farmers from assessing milk quality on dairy farms – to the daft. “On an Ontario pork farm recently, an animal activist hacked their system and froze all the technology,” says Cathy Lennon, general manager of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) in Guelph. “They told the farmer they would only unlock his operation if he made a public statement that he was responsible for animal abuse.” Though leaps in technology have brought rewards for farmers, it is the classic case of a double-edged sword. Friend and foe “Farmers are increasingly leveraging automation and devices to run their farms,” says Croucher. “Most operations today have some form of industrial control/operational technology systems, and they are using advanced equipment such as drones and autonomous machines to reduce labour and increase efficiency. However, this also means that farmers are managing increasingly large amounts of data and HOW TO HALT THE HACKING CYBER ATTACKS TAKE A BYTE OUT OF AG BY GEOFF GEDDES Mary Loggan photo
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