Cybercriminals are increasingly setting their sights on industry, seeking out organizations with valuable data and weak or outdated security systems.
The Food and Agriculture sector is no exception. It has become an especially appealing target for bad actors because of the critical nature of its supply chains and the sensitive information companies manage.
When attacks occur, the consequences can be devastating. Victims face lost revenue, reputational damage, exposure of trade secrets, and major disruptions across the supply chain. Several incidents have already shown how a single breach can ripple through production and delivery networks.
For feed manufacturers, the stakes are high. These threats can halt operations, compromise safety, and erode customer trust. It is essential for every feed business to implement a comprehensive security plan that protects data, systems, and the continuity of their operations.
“For small feed companies, the most common misconception is that they're not big or glamorous enough to be a target,” says a security expert from a farmer-owned cooperative that represents rural business owners and the feed industry. “The fact they’re not a big institution with thousands of employees actually makes them even more lucrative as a target because they’re easier to access.”
“Bad actors may not necessarily be targeting them directly but are casting a wide net – and because these businesses don’t have the infrastructure or preventative mechanisms in place, they tend to be the fish that get caught in that net.”
Historically, feed mills and agronomy blending locations don’t tend to invest heavily in information technology (IT) or put people in roles dedicated to the protection of their systems and networks. However, attitudes do appear to be changing.
“We all had a big scare in 2022 with large corporations being publicly breached. It made us realize that we're now a target too.”
“There are usually two ways bad actors get into your environment,” continues the source. “One is because you invite them in; you get an e-mail or a text message and click on or install something that allows them to gain control. The other way is they analyze your software, hardware, or firewalls and see you’re not patched or up to date.”
“The reason ag retail is particularly vulnerable is because we have smaller budgets, smaller IT teams, and we wear a lot of different hats. If you're in harvest season, for example, your focus will be elsewhere, while larger businesses have dedicated security teams working on this 24/7.”
“What we should be doing is treating our businesses like navy ships – segmenting everything and putting bulkheads in the way. Segmentation means different parts of your business can remain effective and operational. Always assume something's going to be vulnerable and start taking on water, and make sure you don't sink.”
Finding the right IT and operational technology partners is really important, adds the source. Feed mills should think always be thinking holistically about the software and suppliers they use, what they want to achieve, and who's going to have access to what.
“In the IT world they say, ‘convenience is the enemy of security’,” says the source. “If you're a general manager, you should make sure your IT leader is working closely with the vendor who's installing an operational technology network from the get-go, so you can have these important conversations.”
Security Conscious
None of us would leave home with our front door and windows wide open, but your business becomes just as exposed if your cybersecurity is not up to standard.
Jerrel Conerly, Cyber Security Advisor with the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) assists companies across the U.S. in making sure their public-facing IT systems – such as websites, email infrastructure, and Operational Technology (which includes business process software) – are as secure as possible.
This service is available free of charge in the U.S., says Conerly, who spends a lot of time visiting companies and helping protect their facilities.
He works in the Food and Agriculture – Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and AG-ISAC), a team with over 20 years of experience in IT and cyber technology. The Food and AG-ISAC provides threat intelligence, analysis, and effective security processes to help food and agriculture companies detect attacks, respond to incidents, and manage risk.
Unfortunately, there is a dangerous level of complacency among feed manufacturers, he warns. “Some may feel they’re just too small to be a target,” he says.
Yet a continued rise in cyber-attacks shows this is certainly not the case. He encourages companies to prioritize implementing a robust cyber policy to protect themselves if they have not already done so.
Targeting the Supply Chain
Ransomware attacks – where malware encrypts your data and blocks access to your files – are expected to see continued increases across all industries in 2025. Although the Food and Ag sector sees fewer attacks than other critical infrastructure sectors, it is a strategically important sector for the U.S. population and economy that is tightly integrated and susceptible to cyber-attacks.
In 2024, the U.S. the Food and Ag-ISAC tracked 3,494 ransomware incidents, of which 212 were against the U.S. Food and Agriculture sector. This represented 5.8 percent of the total – up from the 5.5 percent reported for 2023. Among the other most impacted manufacturing sectors were critical manufacturing with 20.7 percent of the attacks and commercial facilities at 17.3 percent.
These types of incidents can cause widespread disruption and have a severe ripple effect, with consequences that multiply over time.
Not only could this cause significant issues for specific production lines, but processes and workflows will inevitably be impacted and delayed – potentially causing difficulties with planting or harvesting, for example.
Datacor recently hosted a panel discussion at its North America Regional Meeting, which took a deep dive into Information Security, addressing the growing concerns surrounding the protection of sensitive data, including supply chain logistics, customer information, and proprietary feed formulations in the animal feed industry.
Reducing the Risk
Organizations in the Food and Ag sector should always be wary of an attack and raise efforts to minimize their exposure. According to The Food and AG-ISAC, manufacturing environments often rely on legacy equipment with vulnerabilities in control systems and patch management, which makes them particularly attractive to attackers.
Conerly points to a few simple steps that can help companies become more cyber-resilient:
- Recognize that you could be a target. Your company is always vulnerable. Assess your business and identify the cyber equivalent of those “open windows and doors” that attackers could use to access your systems and infrastructure.
- Review your IT systems. Think about how your IT systems operate. Although information should flow easily between different functions, be sure to install “water-tight doors” to separate and isolate different parts of the system in the event of an attack.
- Always stay up to date. Ensure your company updates its software regularly. Vendors’ patches should be installed as soon as they are released. If you spot an issue, act immediately and don’t leave yourself exposed.
- Raise awareness. Get team buy-in and clearly communicate the risks of a cyber-attack. Ensure everyone shows caution and pays attention to your internal IT protocols and procedures.
Protect Yourself
Training your staff to be aware of these underhand approaches is imperative, but there are also several commonsense measures that are advisable.
- Strong passwords should be used to protect systems, using a combination of capital and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols. At the same time, consider multifactor authorization such as a fingerprint and a secondary password for verification. Do not provide passwords, personal information, or financial information via email to anyone.
- Check and verify everything. Never open emails or download software from untrusted sources and do not click on links or attachments in emails that come from unknown senders.
- Explain the risks. Team members should be aware of the threats and the necessary procedures that need to be followed in the event of a security breach. At least two people should always have access to business-critical software in case one is ill, absent, or leaves the organization.
- Protect your systems. Make full use of anti-malware, anti-spam, and anti-spyware software and closely monitor workflows, processes, and computer use. If teams know they are being observed and actions can be traced back to them, they’re less likely to take risks. If systems are compromised, this also provides a useful paper trail that will track the cause of the attack and help identify who was responsible.
- Regularly back up data. If the worst comes to the worst and you are compromised, the only way to ensure that your system is clean may be to delete all of your data an start again from a backup. How often you back up different types of information will vary from data type to data type.
- Beware of phishing scams. Some fraudsters may send messages claiming to be sent by one of your contacts or customers. Their aim is to pretend to be someone you trust so they can extract sensitive information from the business. A common tactic involves attackers sending what appears to be a legitimate email or invoice and request you click a link, authorize an order, or make a payment. Not only might you relinquish important information, but responding to these false communications gives the senders confirmation the email address is valid and prime for more scam attempts in the future. Other examples are callers who claim to be from a support team or help desk who are asking about sensitive information about the business – processes, orders, customers and so on. If you’re ever in doubt about whether the caller is who they say they are, hang up the phone and call your usual support number.
- Social engineering is a cybersecurity term for criminals who play on your staff’s emotions as a way of getting information that should not be shared. A common example is a seemingly urgent phone call with some distraction heard in the background – the caller trying to confuse or divert attention while asking you for key information. Teams should be aware of approaches such as these and know when to spot a potential scammer.
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