How Farmers can Stay Safe from Common Cyber Attacks

In 2024, almost every business faces cyber security risks and farming is no exception – all you need is something as simple as an email address, online bank account or social media page and you can become a target of cybercrime. For centuries, farmers have long fought off crop and livestock threats from diseases and pests. Now add to that the growing threat of cyber-attacks, as producers in Ireland and abroad adopt more on-farm smart technologies. Farmers are being urged by industry experts to strengthen their cyber security and protect against online attacks.

According to the Irish Times, more than 50% of Irish business leaders say their company has experienced a cybersecurity breach within the last 12 months. The study, published by Microsoft and Vodafone, found the average business lost €8,500 in the attacks, adding up to a total of €2.3 billion. Of those who had experienced a breach, some 43% said they had been attacked up to five times.

The Threat to Farmers

From hacking smart farm machinery used to plant and harvest crops, to stealing passwords, money and data, there are many ways farmers can fall victim. Whether it is using livestock tags to monitor the welfare of your animals or drones to survey the health of your crops, the increased use of technology and farm management systems can help farmers increase productivity and reduce labour numbers and costs.

Alongside the many advantages and efficiencies of embracing technology, it can also bring challenges. Like all businesses, farms hold employee, supplier and customer data that can be targeted, so systems need to be secure.

The Three Main Cyber Threats Farmers may face include:

• Phishing or scam emails
• Malicious software
• Email, text or phone call scams

Common Attacks:

Phising Attacks

Phishing or scam emails that entice you to click on harmful links. This was the most common threat factor, reported by 83% of businesses. Criminals can trick farmers into sharing information and data, such as passwords or bank details.

Remember the Government Payments Agencies and your bank will never ask for personal information in an email or text.

Malicious Software

Malicious software, known as malware, used by hackers to infiltrate your system through infected hardware. Criminals could shut your farm down and hold farmers to ransom. With agriculture becoming digitised, ransomware attacks are a real risk and this is why insurance is so important. Last year, US meat company JBS paid $11m in ransom to resolve a major cyberattack.

Hacking

Hacking - Farms of all sizes can have their computer systems and smart machinery hacked. Criminals can cause disruption to farms using agricultural artificial intelligence (AI), such as by shutting down sprayers, autonomous drones, or robotic harvesters, a report by the University of Cambridge warned.

Cybersecurity in Farming

Thanks to new technology, farmers are using AI to help plant, fertilise and harvest crops. While going digital helps make farms more efficient and productive (think self-driving tractors and combine harvesters controlled via smartphones), it also leaves farmers and their machinery vulnerable to hackers. Hackers could exploit flaws in hardware, leaving the global food supply chains exposed to risk. Would you be prepared if the agricultural robots in your field were hacked?

Stay Safe Online

It's important to protect all digital aspects of your farm business. You should:

• Update devices and back up data.
• Train your team to be vigilant and have a plan in place should anything go wrong. Talk to our farm insurance experts and see how we can help arrange cyber liability insurance.
• Stop viruses, spyware, malware and ransomware with antivirus software on your equipment.
• Set up strong passwords for each online account. Try to combine three random words. Stay clear of pets’ names and place of birth, which criminals can find on your social media accounts. Do not store passwords with your device.
• Look at the privacy settings of your social media accounts. Consider who can view your information.

They could imitate you to your customers or employees, or impersonate your boss asking you to transfer money to a supplier. Train your staff on dealing with deepfakes and why they should be concerned about being fooled.

Are you expecting a call from this person? If not, contact them directly via the contact details you already have.

Avoid being tricked by deepfakes

Deepfakes use a form of AI to create convincing fake images, videos, and audio, sometimes to entertain. However, they can also be used by savvy criminals to mislead, steal identities, ruin reputations and for financial gain. Criminals could pretend to be a customer or a legitimate company. Report any suspicious emails, websites, phone calls, numbers or texts to your bank. Never give out private information such as passwords or bank details. Don’t reply to scam texts or click on email links that may not be genuine.