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Cyberattacks a growing concern in agriculture

Cyberattacks continue to be a growing problem for the agriculture sector. 

Mark McHargue, president of the Nebraska Farm Bureau tells Brownfield…

“They’re really looking at certainly supply chain type venues or vectors that people can get in and disrupt,” he says.

He tells Brownfield the FBI has deemed the attacks a national security threat, with countries like China trying to steal U.S. technology. 

Clearly it’s something that we need to be thinking about,” he says. “Agriculture is so diversified. When we start thinking about our food supply, it absolutely gets into national security very quickly, and so there is a lot at risk.”

McHargue says farmers can take simple steps to protect themselves from cyberattacks.

“Make sure you’re changing the passwords. Make sure there’s authentication that has to happen, that changes on a regular basis. They still say that’s one of the number one ways that we can deter people and folks getting into our systems,” he says.

He says farmers should report suspicious activity around their farms to the FBI or their local authorities.

Agribusiness officials from more than 30 states gathered in Omaha this week for the FBI’s second-annual Agriculture Threats Symposium.