Digital defences need more attention as sophisticated farm technology brings cyber vulnerability, Crop Connect speaker says.
Tag Archives cybersecurity
Farm community urged to talk more about cybersecurity
Digital defences need more attention as more sophisticated technology appears on farms, speaker says
Some Co-op services still down after “cybersecurity incident”
Open cardlocks not currently selling dyed fuels, company says
Glacier FarmMedia – Some services at Co-ops across Western Canada remain down after a “cybersecurity incident” late last week. Thursday, Federated Co-operatives Ltd. posted on X that it was “experiencing a cybersecurity incident” that was affecting some internal and customer-facing systems at cardlock and retail Co-op locations. It had shut down some systems as a […] Read more
Cyber attack frustrates equipment dealers
Dealers forced to use manual processes after software provider hacked
Glacier FarmMedia – A cyber attack on a major software provider has made providing parts and service difficult for some agriculture equipment dealers. “This is certainly completely disruptive to our equipment dealers that are using the CDK platform,” said John Schmeiser, president of the North American Equipment Dealers Association, Canada. Tech firm CDK’s software was […] Read more
Digital defence must start with prevention
Saskatchewan cybersecurity expert Brennan Schmidt and Ali Dehghantanha of the University of Guelph offered the following tips to prevent a cybersecurity breach, handle an attack and mop up the fallout. Related story: Manage cybersecurity risks To prevent a breach • Take a comprehensive inventory of all technology and identify the most important and potentially vulnerable […] Read more
Manage cybersecurity risks
Glacier FarmMedia – Farming involves risk. There’s all manner of weather to deal with, plus shifting markets, crop and animal diseases and unexpected production hurdles. Related story: Digital defence must start with prevention In response, farmers cover their acres with crop insurance, buy policies to protect against livestock price volatility and work feed options into […] Read more
Farmers not immune to cybersecurity risks
A cybersecurity specialist says a provincial advisory panel would help the public better identify and manage risk
Saskatchewan farmers Andrew and Laurie Johnson won’t forget the events of 2020. Early in the year, the couple from Peebles, Sask., became victims of a cellphone fraud scam that resulted in more than $100,000 disappearing from their corporate bank account. The Johnsons, owners of Johnson Livestock, noticed in the middle of their busy calving season […] Read more
Major food companies suffer recent cyberattacks
Maple Leaf Foods is the second North American meat processor to fall victim to a ransomware attack in the last two years
Maple Leaf Foods confirms that a cybersecurity problem is causing system outages that will take time to resolve. The parent company of major supermarkets Sobeys, Safeway and IGA is also experiencing issues. Details are scant from both companies with Maple Leaf stating it will take time to investigate and resolve impacted services. Empire Co., which […] Read more
Trust vital part of digital era
Cyberattacks and unethical use of data are problems that everyone from producers and governments to agricultural technology providers need to take seriously, says a researcher. “My background is artificial intelligence. I support use of data, I’m not against that,” said Rozita Dara, an associate professor at the School of Computer Science at the University of […] Read more
Cybersecurity regular chore
As information tech becomes more entrenched in all things agricultural, it’s attracting the attention of cybercriminals and the industry needs to up their game to protect their operations. For Brennen Schmidt, a cybersecurity consultant based in Regina, this means doing a full inventory of not only all connected tech on the farm, but also the […] Read more
Farmers vulnerable to cyberattack: survey
Ransomware attacks have become commonplace in North America. In July, an attack shut down the computer systems in the town of St. Mary’s, Ont., locking its internal server and encrypting the municipality’s data, The Beacon Herald reported. And last fall, an attack nearly crippled the health care system in Newfoundland. It disrupted emails, diagnostic images, […] Read more
