Cybersecurity in agriculture is an overlooked area that is gaining importance, especially with the rise of autonomous agricultural vehicles and interconnected infrastructure. Dakota State University President Jose-Marie Griffiths emphasized the vulnerability of agricultural technology to cyber threats, including harvesters, granaries, and the nation’s freight-train network. Sen. Mike Rounds highlighted potential vulnerabilities in the American agriculture sector to foreign actors, noting that critical infrastructure like water and electrical systems are at risk of cyber infiltration. The Chinese firm Huawei’s sale of cheap hardware to rural telecom entities could pose a threat to communication systems if latent materials are activated in the future.
Rounds expressed concern about the increasing use of drones in agriculture, which can also be hacked, as well as technologically advanced vehicles like harvesters and tractors that rely on GPS for navigation. He warned about the possibility of autonomous vehicles becoming targets of cyber-intervention in the future. Grain elevators, essential for marketing and transportation, are susceptible to hacking, which could disrupt the entire supply chain and impact a farmer’s ability to sell on the open market. As agriculture becomes more reliant on autonomous technology and machinery, any cyber disruptions could have far-reaching consequences for the food supply chain.
Amit Yoran, CEO of Tenable, a firm specializing in exposure management, testified about cyber threats to critical U.S. infrastructure before the House Homeland Security Committee. He emphasized that there is no one-size-fits-all defense strategy for cybersecurity across all sectors, as some critical infrastructure providers are well-prepared while others are ill-equipped. Yoran highlighted the importance of understanding and managing cybersecurity risks, as well as implementing strong security programs to protect critical infrastructure.
The reliance on autonomous vehicles and interconnected infrastructure in agriculture presents new opportunities for cyber attackers, who could exploit vulnerabilities in autonomous vehicles and the broader supply chain. Cyber threats to agriculture pose risks to essential sectors like water and electrical systems, which are interconnected and vulnerable to infiltration by malicious actors. The use of advanced technology in agriculture, such as drones and GPS-guided vehicles, increases the potential avenues for cyber-intervention and disruptions to the food supply chain. Griffiths and Rounds emphasized the need for increased cybersecurity measures to protect America’s agriculture sector from foreign threats.
As agriculture continues to evolve with automation and technological advancements, the sector faces growing cyber risks that could impact the entire supply chain. Rounds noted the necessity of autonomous vehicles to meet the demand for increased efficiency and productivity in agriculture, highlighting the critical role of the supply chain in delivering resources to farmers and markets. Ensuring the security of autonomous vehicles, grain elevators, and other essential infrastructure in agriculture is essential to safeguarding the food supply chain from potential cyber attacks. Implementing robust cybersecurity measures and risk management practices is crucial to protecting America’s agriculture sector from cyber threats.
