Farm protection from cyberattacks almost non-existent

Sep 16, 2022

GUELPH — World-wide farm agriculture equipment maker AGCO suffered a crippling cyberattack on May 5 when access to its computer system was shut down by ransomware. Ransomware is malicious software designed to block access to a computer system and hold it hostage until money is paid. The Duluth, Georgia, based company, has not divulged how much money, if any, it paid out to criminals but stated that the majority of its operation was secured and back up and running after a week.

AGCO has 1,810 dealerships in North America. Immediately following the ransomware attack, dealers were struggling to keep up with orders that were already backlogged, Reuters reported.

The world’s largest meat packer JBS SA, suffered a partial shutdown in 2021 also due to ransomware. Much smaller companies have been targeted. So have hospitals and schools. In late August, Canadian recreational vehicle maker Bombardier was cyrberattacked for the second time.

More than 1.2 million ransomware threats per month have been detected by Barracuda Networks between January to June 2022, which was higher than the same period in 2021, TechRepublic reported.

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Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?